Exponential Library Advocacy Through a Team Approach

By Michelle Kowalsky, Rowan University, NJ

Multiple library leaders from each state gathered in New Orleans to report on their library advocacy action plans for influencing state legislative priorities and local budget decisions. Organized as part of this year’s State Ecosystem initiative, these tactical teams from various states included each state’s library association president, school library association leaders, representatives of the state library, and public library administrators, as well as ALA and American Association of School Librarians (AASL) elected leaders and ALA staff members.

These intense inter-agency collaborations, which started at Midwinter, aim to develop a statewide ecosystem for taking collective action to preserve and restore the value of libraries. Using these collaborative techniques, librarians in the state of Washington gained a legislative victory which included a state budget allocation of $20 per student for library materials. Similarly, Virginia advocates helped to defeat a bill which relaxed requirements for school librarian certification. Marci Merola, director of the Office of Library Advocacy, is collecting the strategies used in these successes for dissemination to the membership.

“We need to learn each other’s talking points,” explained Denise Davis, president of the Maryland Library Association. “Since school libraries, public libraries, and many other organizations have similar goals and values, we need to work together to support each other on local issues and statewide problems,” she said. A team of organized library advocates helped the Talbot County, Md., school to save five school librarian jobs this year which were set to be cut from the budget. The team mobilized social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook to successfully reach potential advocates during a school break. They also obtained support letters from the presidents of ALA and AASL, which were then read by library leaders at the school board meeting. The letters recounted influential research which describes the benefits of school library programs for student learning.

“It is important that the school librarians themselves are not the only ones speaking up to save their jobs,” stated Emmanuel Faulkner, president of the Maryland Association of School Librarians. He encouraged the group to find effective speakers among community members, and to identify specific examples which will resonate with your particular local or state decision makers. Members of the Maryland ecosystem team also attend fellow organizations’ events and local town and school board meetings. “You can have your say in person when you attend. You can explain why libraries are important, and it’s harder to disagree in person,” he explained.

When organizations work together and fight for common goals, their power is exponentially increased. To join or start an ecosystem in your state, follow the AASL, ALA’s Office for Library Advocacy (OLA), and the Chapter Relations Office (CRO) on ALA Connect or visit http://www.ala.org/advocacy/state-ecosystem-initiative.

Denine Torr from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation Recognized with AASL Crystal Apple Award

Denine Torr, senior director of community initiatives at the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Crystal Apple by American Association of School Librarians (AASL). The Crystal Apple honor is given at the discretion of the AASL president to an individual or group that has had a significant impact on school libraries and students. President Steven Yates presented Torr with the apple during the AASL Awards Ceremony and President’s Program June 23.

“At the heart of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is Denine Torr and her team – raising funds, administering programs, and changing the lives in the communities Dollar General serves,” explained Yates. “The ability of the grant program to bring normalcy back to students’ lives after a natural disaster and to open a school library’s doors as soon as possible has directly impacted more than 100,000 students. Denine is the ‘person behind the foundation’ whose dedication to the power of literacy and lifelong learning has made this possible.”

Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s commitment to the “lifelong learner” funds grants and literacy programming of a movement that has provided literacy, comfort, and hope in times of rebuilding and AASL is fortunate to have such dedicated partners in service to school libraries.”

“For 25 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has invested in programs that help individuals learn to read, prepare for the high school equivalency test, or learn English,” said Torr. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $154 million to nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries that have helped more than 10 million individuals advance their literacy and basic education. We are honored to partner with the American Library Association to strengthen communities, extend hope, and increase opportunities for others to achieve their American Dream.”