Monthly Archive for May, 2019

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #20: Do Your Background Research

  In advocacy, the personal touch is important. If you’re trying to convince a politician or other decision-maker to support you, you need to adapt to them. And of course politicians and decision-makers are human beings, with interests, priorities and preferences. If you can find a way of linking your […]

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Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Libraries and SDG 16

Starting today and continuing to Wednesday, governments, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations involved in delivering SDG16 are meeting in Rome. In advance of the focus on this Goal in New York at the High Level Political Forum, this is an opportunity to take stock, to explore where progress is needed, […]

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The 10-Minute Library Advocate #19: Write a Letter or Post a Comment

It’s not only your own platforms that you can use to talk about libraries. Using these give you an opportunity to reach out to new people, including ones who might not otherwise think about libraries at all. You can also engage journalists, public commentators or other influences, starting a conversation […]

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The 10-Minute Library Advocate #18: Find and Use Hashtags and Handles on Social Media

Advocacy is about getting attention. You can produce great ideas, messages and materials, but how to ensure that you are heard? Especially on social media many accounts get few followers. Even popular ones don’t always reach the people that matter. It is possible to target what you’re doing on social […]

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Access as the Goal: Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day

For all the focus in much of IFLA’s work on the importance of agreeing and implementing the Marrakesh Treaty, we should not forget the end goal of this effort – ensuring the accessibility of books, websites, and other materials for people with disabilities. This is the goal set out by […]

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The 10-Minute Library Advocate #17: Find and Remember a Great Library Quote

When you advocate, it’s important to choose your words. Finding a great way of expressing the importance of libraries can make the difference when you’re trying to convince someone. But it’s not always easy to find these – not all of us are poets! You don’t always have to choose […]

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Fail! How Copyright Risks Creating Market Failures, and How Exceptions Can Correct Them

At the end of a recent WIPO meeting, a suggestion was made that the Marrakesh Treaty – which removes the need to seek permission in order to make or share accessible format copies of books – was a response to a market failure. Market failures happen when the impacts of […]

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