These are notes I took during this valuable workshop. They are definitely not complete, since I couldn't type fast enough at times, but I got what I could. Anyone else who attended, please feel free to add information. I've also included a few notes of my own in parentheses, and I've highlighted some items in bold. Any questions about this summary? Email me at jane@lofton.com.

 

 

Carol A. Brey-Casiano, Chair, ALA Advocacy Committee, introduced the institute.

 

 

Monique le Conge, President, CLA: What's Going on in California Public Libraries:

School libraries have tremendous lasting impact – public libraries and academic libraries are trying to fill in gaps missed by school libraries. We need to work together. State Library is encouraging joint use facilities, and is now investigating how well they work.

Many legislators wonder whether people use libraries anymore. People who have never had a school librarian don't know what they are missing. We need to let them know.

In CA, once money is lost, it usually is lost forever, so we can't afford to let any funding go.

Working with Republicans is crucial to get anything passed in CA, since all budget decisions require the buy in of some of the Republicans.

Lobbyists can only do so much --- grassroots participation is the key.

 

 

Frances Roscello, a Past President of AASL and ALA Council member, and consultant on information literacy programs:

In school libraries, it depends a lot what the size of your district who you need to work with to achieve influence. You need to figure that out. When talking to a school principal, she would start with 1) what is the school like, 2) what is a good library like, and then 3) what is their library like. (Not the physical, but what it does.) She would avoid getting caught up in the physical space, but kept them focused on what the library does.

 

 

Sally Reed, Executive Director of Friends of Libraries U.S.A. & Acting Director of ALTA:

We need to get school libraries to create friends groups like the public libraries do. They can help you do programs, volunteer with things like shelving, etc., but they can also raise money, get word out, be an avenue you as the librarian can use to leak information. Get a parent to organize the group. Don't forget to offer food. :)

Three little words: “Why it matters” – We haven't done the work to let even our supporters know why libraries really matter.

Bus service analogy: She once heard a transit director speak at a meeting. He showed what the city would look like without the bus service. How many more cars, etc. We need to show what libraries do. Show them the studies that show our impact. Send out newsletters. In every issue, remind people what studies show about libraries' impact.

Use bridge, hook, and flag. When competing with something like public safety, you need to “bridge.” Remind them that students need to be educated to stay away from crime.

“We are such an inexpensive solution to so many problems.”

In CA, we need to educate people about what they are missing.

 

 

Sandy Schuckett, Retired LAUSD Teacher Librarian & a CSLA legislative guru:

Know your legislators, know their party, what they care about. Use what they care about as a bridge to get them interested.

Importance of staff -  the staff are the ones who do the work. Don't fret if you talk to your legislators' staff member instead of the legislator.

 

Speaking before a legislative committee, board, etc.:

• Think of your speech as an “elevator speech.” You need to keep it really short. Anything you can't finish in the length of an elevator ride is too long.
• Make it at third grade level
• Make it new and interesting
• Don't evade problems – tell the truth.
• Ok to repeat phrases. This can really work to emphasize your point.
• Avoid charts and PowerPoints – if people are looking at it, they aren't listening to you.
• Use humor when and if you can.
• Test your speech on someone.
• There is no such thing as a speech that is too short.

Writing a political letter, in three sentences:

• Tell them exactly what you want them to do.
• Expresses your feelings about the issue and how it will affect the constituents. (could be as long as a short paragraph)
• Ask for a response.

(We should encourage CSLA and any other organizations we work with to create three sentence templates for any letter-writing campaigns. People are much more inclined to get a letter done if someone gives them a starter template.)

 

Visiting an office:

• Do your homework. Know what you are talking about.
• Bring a one-page handout. (Can also bring  the School Libraries Work! publication,  but have handout.)
• Don't use library lingo.
• Remember, it's about what the kids are going to lose. It's not about you as a the staff.
• Don't bad mouth any other members. They might be friends, and you want to use the time for something positive.
• “Be bright, be brief, be gone.”

To write a hard copy letter to any officials in Washington, DC, send it to their local office. Letters being sent to Washington, D.C. are being greatly delayed.

 

Get her book for more ideas: Political Advocacy for School Libraries: YOU HAVE THE POWER!

 

 

 

Sara Kelly Johns, AASL President:

“If you want students to have 21st century skills, you need 21st century libraries with librarians.”

 

 

Spokane Moms – Lisa Layera Brunkan, Denette Hill, & Susan Burney:

Their efforts started with the local school district. They were told that the problem was at the state level. So, they began working at that level.

Start: Formed a coalition and launched a petition. The petition was online, and asked everyone who signed to get 10 people. Telling people you have a coalition (however small) is very powerful.

They have managed to get legislation of $4 million for school libraries passed.

 

 

An Approach based on survival

Advocating to win and promoting policies with teeth

Funding: Permanent or stop-gap

Vision: Supporting long-range planning efforts

Code: Ensuring your survival

 

Problem: Libraries aren't considered part of basic education. Need to change that.

 

To get funding, you need to figure out how you can fit into the current landscape.

 

 

The Political Terrain

Argument	Objection
Libraries matter.	Get in line. “lobby the bill, not the issue.” - said by a political insider for 40 years.
The librarian is the advocate	Special interest “tell them not to send librarians.” Get stakeholders to go, not just librarians
Libraries need more money	It's a “local decision” It's the state and fed's failure to sufficiently fund it.
Libraries should be funded.	It's an extra, an enhancement, a luxury in these economic times. “Where would you want us to cut?”

 

 

An approach based on survival

20th century	21th century
Libraries matter	Global competitiveness Workforce readiness National competitiveness How do libraries save or make the state money?
Librarian as the advocate	Stakeholders as advocates Thousands  (didn't get rest of this down)

 

 

Tools – use judiciously or risk impotence.

Stakeholders – inform and empower vs. communicating only to ask for something ($$$ or canned/scripted actions).

Decision makers – when approaching them, remember that they need empathy, respect, graciousness.

Wisdom = avoiding pitfalls

 

 

Stakeholders:

• parents
• business leaders
• higher education community
• district & building administration
• classroom teachers
• community leaders and elected officials
• retired citizens
• military
• state & national organizations (PTA, teachers' unions, AAUW, Education Advocates)
• Students

You need to get all these stakeholders involved in your coalition.

 

 

They kept a unified front with public libraries throughout the campaign.

 

 

 

The Citizens' mandate:
grassroots mobilization as THE key to legislative results

 

 

The Tools:

• form a coalition (doesn't matter if it's small to start with)
• get some good charter members
• create a website and a blog
• create an online petition – have the petition show “who thinks this matters?”
• calls, emails, visits to legislators, the Governor, and federal leaders
• Have Community Captains
• Get Press
• Create Flyers
• Create Bookmarks

 

 

How to get a seat at the table

• Organize or disappear
• Show up! The Flotilla Strategy: Teams of 3-4 showing up every week. Having a Legi day, and then not following thru can backfire. You have to keep showing up regularly.
• Tell your story: personal stories, not canned message.
• Know your ask, know your case, be able to show it. Legislators will wonder “What is it you want the state to do?” You need to be able to tell them.

 

Policy-generating actions:

• Provide data, not anecdotes
• Provide standards, not anecdotes
• Provide comparative statistics, rankings, and historical trends, etc.
• Listen to what the legislators you approach have to say

 

(We need to make a chart like the Oregon numbers showing historical ratio of students vs. librarians)

 

 

 

Some To Do's:

• Launch a state-wide petition
• Create a Website
• As part of rebranding 21st century libraries, teacher librarians need to embrace every technology and make themselves indispensable

 

 

(These great women had a lot more material in their slides I wasn't able to record. They are planning to get their PowerPoint to us as a handout once it is tweaked a little more. In the meantime, check their website: http://www.fundourfuturewashington.org/index.html, which has a lot of advice. They are also VERY open to being approached for ideas and advice. They are willing and anxious to get themselves “cloned” in other states.)

 

 

Jim Rettig, ALA President:

If the SKILLS Act passes, it won't guarantee librarians, but it will help a lot. We all affect each other. Academic librarians have to do remedial work if the students don't get the skills in K-12. We all have to support each others' issues. There is no other agency that can prepare our children for the future better than our libraries.

 

 

Sandra Yoon & Connie Williams, President and President Elect of CSLA:

Summarized history of funding in CA

6+ mil students, 1,000 school districts, 9,674 schools

Each school decides how to spend its SLIP money

CSLA continues to lobby for school libraries

 

Essential to build a strong relationship with principal

Have a friends' group

Open Houses, PTA meetings, Back to School Nights are opportunities to advocate

Volunteer to host meetings in the library

Many decision-makers don't know what teacher librarians do

We need to push idea of “strong school libraries” means TL/library clerk team

Need to present at conferences outside our own field “infiltrating” these organizations – Gifted, CATE, Special Ed. organizations, etc.

Action Advocacy – looking at our constituents, and seeing what we can do for them

Certificated teacher librarians bring into our schools the 21st century research skills students need to learn and achieve in school and throughout their lives. We work with our colleagues in the classroom to develop projects and assignments that integrate curriculum with these valuable technology skills. The information age is becoming increasingly complex. Without librarians, who will guide our students through the maze of information resources and instruct them in recognizing what might be unreliable? Librarians are not a luxury, they are a necessity and our students deserve nothing less.

 

 

Melanie Anderson – ALA Federal lobbyist:

Average bill takes 8 years to pass

“21st century global economy” is current “buzz word”

You need to get people you know – like chamber of commerce members, etc. -- to help make calls, etc.

 

 

Ann Ewbank, Education Liaison, Arizona State University:

She has been a leader in the fight to stop teacher librarian cuts in Mesa, AR. Right now, they have lost, but they aren't giving up. They have built an organization modeled after the Spokane Moms' organization

Idea they used for a rally: They told each TL to bring three teachers, three parents, three students, three community members

 

 

Susan Schmidt, Past Past President of Friends of Libraries, U.S.A.:

Make sure that you do advocacy every day, not just when there is a budget crisis.
Invite elected officials to all your special events, programs, etc.

Find out your supporters connections – where they went to college, do they play bridge, etc. Use this information to network and find people who can help you.

Need to turn passive support into educated action

Develop a simple message

Identify spokespeople

Revise strategy as needed

Cultivate new partnerships

 

 

Megan Humphrey, ALA's Campaign for America's Libraries:

Take advantage of the toolkits for advocacy at different types of libraries that are available on the ALA website. (The AASL one for school libraries is at http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/toolkits/aasladvocacy.cfm)

 

 

Richard Moore, retired Teacher Librarian and CSLA activist:

Accreditation standards are also important. CA high schools have to get accredited through WASC. Every state should be working on getting these organizations to raise their standards and require that accredited schools have librarians. That wouldn't take legislation.