Speaking Out, Speaking Up: The Purposeful Advocate

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Speaking Out, Speaking Up The Purposeful
Advocate

• Association of College Research Libraries
• Erika Linke Past President
• October 30, 2009

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Overview

• Background
• Personal Purposeful Advocacy
• ACRL Advocacy Toolkits
• ACRL Legislative Advocates Program

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Personal Purposeful Advocacy

• Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever

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Background

• ACRL Leadership
• Every Librarian a Leader Patricia Breivik
• ACRL Legislative Advocates - Lee Hisle
• Grassroots Library Advocacy Camila Alire
  Initiative

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Campus Outreach Advocacy Toolkit

• Developed by the University Libraries Section
• http//www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/mark
  eting/ulsadvocacytoolkit/ulsdocs.cfm
• Institutional Profile
• http//staging.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/acrliss
  ues/marketingyourlib/ulsadvocacytoolkit/institutio
  nal-profil.pdf

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Institutional Profile Information for Campus
Advocacy

• General, incl. vision, mission, funding
• Programs Degrees
• Instructors, depts. Promotion criteria
• Students, incl. majors, admission criteria,
  demographics

• Student life, incl. services, clubs
• Administrative, incl org structure, areas of
  excellence, concern, campus wide initiatives
• Library partners advocates

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Understanding Institutional Context

• Set the stage
• Develop the Institutional Profile
• Know the principles, the priorities, the
  preferences intangibles
• Build relationships
• Learn what works by audience, by situation
• Know when to press and when to step back

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Advocacy Toolkit -The Power of Personal Persuasion

• http//www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/mar
  keting/advocacy_toolkit.pdf

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Purpose

• Define personal power and influence
• Recognize that personal power permeates all
  librarians and library top to bottom
• Articulate and implement the agenda through
  inclusion, institutional mechanisms and practical
  techniques
• Advance the academic library agenda through
  influence and persuasive strategies

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Principles

• Pervasive internal advocacy its everyones
  responsibility cultural change
• Achieved through
• Inclusion in job descriptions (and through
  personnel evaluations)
• Shared understanding (departmental, personal
  goals)
• Heightened awareness (Library communication plan
  include discussions in library meetings)

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Principles

• Intentional outreach (through marketing, public
  relations)
• Knowledgeable workforce (professional development
  and opportunities)
• Funding (put your money where your mouth is)
• Scenario building (include role playing)

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Establish the Message

• What is the agenda
• Tailor messages to the target audience
• Identify audience and characteristics
• Who connects with which audience
• Design messaging process

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Librarians and Legislators

• Bring information to the people
• To be successful have to have pulse of people
• Squeaky wheels
• Weighs options
• Has trouble cutting back programs

• Bring services to the people
• Ditto
• Ditto
• Ditto
• Ditto

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ACRL Legislative Advocates

• Become familiar with major legislative issues of
  importance to ACRL-ACRL legislative agenda
• Establish relationships with staff of your U.S.
  senator and representative staff
• Visit the in-state offices and, as possible, the
  Washington offices of his or her senators and
  legislator.

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ACRL Legislative Advocates

• Communicate
• Develop relationships with president, provost,
  members of the faculty, and other members of the
  academy
• As needed, attend an advocacy training workshop,
  one time, either virtual or face-to-face at
  either ALA midwinter or annual meeting.

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ACRL Legislative Advocates

• Attend in person or virtually an annual briefing
  on legislative issues
• Be available for consultation by the ACRL office
  and/or the ALA Washington Office
• Work with the local ACRL Chapter Legislative
  Coordinator

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Value of Academic Libraries Initiative

• ACRL 2009 Strategic Thinking Guide for Academic
  Librarians in the New Economy
• Value of Academic Libraries Comprehensive
  Research Review and Report
• Toolkit Development Underway

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Advocacy In Hard Times

• Strategic Thinking
• Return on Investment Value
• Reciprocity/Partnerships
• Your thoughts?

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Presentation Links (1)

• Women Dont Ask (Linda Babcock and Sara
  Laschever)
• http//www.womendontask.com/
• Ask for It (Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever)
• http//www.askforit.org/

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Presentation Links (2)

• Campus Outreach Advocacy Toolkit
  http//www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/mark
  eting/ulsadvocacytoolkit/ulsdocs.cfm
• Institutional Profile http//staging.ala.org/ala/m
  grps/divs/acrl/acrlissues/marketingyourlib/ulsadvo
  cacytoolkit/institutional-profil.pdf

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Presentation Links (3)

• Power of Personal Persuasion http//www.acrl.org/
  ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/marketing/advocacy_tool
  kit.pdf
• ACRL 2009 Strategic Thinking Guide for Academic
  Librarians in the New Economy http//www.ala.org/a
  la/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/acrlguide09.pdf

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Presentation Links (4)

• Value of Academic Libraries Comprehensive
  Research Review and Report http//www.acrl.org/ala
  /mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/ACRL_RFP_Value.pdf