Ensuring the Future The Library Board and Effective Advocacy

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Ensuring the FutureThe Library Board and
Effective Advocacy

• Wendy Newman
• Faculty of Information
• University of Toronto
• OLA SuperConference
• January 2014

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Proposed agenda

• Advocacy and Influence101 their reasons, or our
  reasons?
• Dynamics of library support (not use) who
  supports libraries, and why?
• Advocacy as a way of life the right message, the
  right person, the right time

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Questions for participants

• Do you have a written advocacy plan for your
  library?
• A strategy, but it is not written?
• No plan and no strategy?
• A plan to plan for this election year?

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More Questions

• Whose job is the advocacy plan re Council?
• Board
• Senior staff
• Board/senior staff team

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And more

• Whose job is the advocacy plan re CAO?
• Board
• Senior staff
• Board/senior staff team

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Why advocacy?

• Competition
• Perceptions
• Stewardship and trust

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Why not?

• Too busy
• Not my job
• Shouldnt have to
• Afraid
• Too political (ugly, distasteful) for me
• Looks hopeless
• Dont know how

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Advocacy acts - examples

• Telling a story (springboard)
• Enabling others to act
• Expanding awareness
• The point lets be prepared.

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The Basics

• People do things for their reasons, not our
  reasons.
• Understand, respect, and address their reasons.
• Cultivate relationships of credibility and trust.
  
• Haycock Successful advocacy is planned,
  deliberate, and sustained over time. It is not
  an emergency response.

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Their reasons

• Who are they?
• What do they care about?
• For what are they accountable?
• Who influences them?
• What motivates them?
• How do we find out?

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Then . . .

• How are libraries relevant to their priorities or
  accountability?
• Bridge the gap!

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Research Who supports libraries?

• Its about attitude, NOT use!
• Belief in transformational impacts.
• Library supporters well-connected, active in
  community.
• Passionate librarians involved in the community
  engage support.

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Relationships and Influence

• Develop relationships of respect, credibility,
  and trust.
• Consider impacts of stereotypes.
• Haycock Like a bank account deposits before
  withdrawals.
• Everyones job!

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Robert Cialdini on Influence

• Social psychologist
• Relevance in library advocacy
• Haycock summarized in Follett Lecture.
  http//www.worlib.org/vol19no1-2/haycockprint_v19n
  1-2.shtml
• Stenström applied in dissertation.
  http//eprints.qut.edu.au/59510/1/Cheryl_Stenstrom
  _Thesis.pdf

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Robert Cialdini on Influence

• Reciprocation (feel obliged to return favors)
• Authority (look to experts)
• Commitment/Consistency (with commitments and
  values)
• Scarcity (less available, more we want it)
• Liking (if we like, we want to say yes)
• Social Proof (what others are doing)

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Messages content

• Zoom zoom.
• Building sound bites.
• Key what matters to targets.
• Benefits and impacts, not processes, stock, or
  transactions.
• Good examples here
• http//podcast.cbc.ca/spark/plus-spark_20100608_ge
  rrymeek.mp3
• http//www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?SectionAdvocacy
  Template/CM/ContentDisplay.cfmContentID13784
• http//www.ala.org/advocacy/advocacy-university/pu
  blic-library-resources

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Developing key messages

• Asset Sound Bite
• Openness to newcomers Toronto Public Library is
  
• earning their trust where newcomers go to
• become Torontonians.
• - former Mayor David Miller
• Staff expertise resources Recession sanctuary.
• for people in employment
• transition
• 24/7 digital access Fast, friendly,
  self-service.

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Developing key messages

• Asset Sound Bite
• Physical space The third place.
• Staff expertise resources Your partners
  in knowledge.
• We sweat the details so you dont have to.
  Ulla de Stricker
• Childrens services Libraries grow good kids.
• resources
• Library as place The communitys living room.
  Strathcona County PL
• Thanks to Prof. Alvin Schrader

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What are my key messages about my library and . .
.?

• Preschoolers and reading readiness
• Economic development
• Diversity
• Literacy
• Distance learning
• School-age children
• Small business
• Access to governments
• Employment

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Messages delivery

• Good spokespersons passionate, knowledgeable,
  credible to the target, prepared.
• They have the relationships in place.
• All can be advocates in their networks, if
  messages are consistent.

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Summary

• Advocacy is planned, deliberate, sustained.
• Planning is as essential as passion.
• Cultivate relationships.
• Show respect.
• Address priorities of targets.
• Match messengers and targets.
• Its a way of life.

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Shush THIS!

• MOOC
• Massively Open Online Course
• Free!
• Starts 24 February, 2014.

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wendy.newman_at_utoronto.ca