Tag Archives: library

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #28: Celebrate an International Day

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #28: Celebrate an International Day

Advocacy about showing your relevance.

In a number of previous editions, we’ve talked about how do identify relevant subjects, and how to react to them.

But sometimes you don’t need to search.

The United Nations and its agencies have identified a number of key days where there is a focus on a specific issue – think International Women’s Day for example.

On these days, many governments and others will be talking about that issue.

Libraries can too!

So for our 28th 10-Minute Library Exercise, celebrate an international day!

Of course, some are more relevant than others.

The International Literacy Day (10 September), International Day for the Universal Access to Information (28 September), or Human Rights Day (10 December) are particularly good ones though!

You can do this by downloading a poster or leaflet, making a post in social media, or even writing a blog or article.

Doing so shows that you and your library are part of a global conversation, and can make people think about libraries in a new way.

Good luck!

 

See the introduction and previous posts in our 10-Minute Library Advocate series and join the discussion in social media using the #EveryLibrarianAnAdvocate hashtag!

 

 

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #27: Follow Up!

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #27: Follow Up!

Advocacy is about building relationships.

While it’s an important first step to talk to a politician, funder or influencer, and get their business card, you can’t stop there.

Indeed, the more important they are, the busier they are likely to be. They need to be reminded of the time you met.

And of course, a strong relation only comes from repeated contact.

So for our 27th 10-Minute Library Advocate, exercise, follow-up with someone you met recently at an event, a visit, or another occasion.

Send them an e-mail, or even a letter (this can be powerful, given that physical letters are quite rare now!).

Remind them of your conversation, perhaps send on some (but not too much!) more information.

It can even be an opportunity to give your arguments more effectively than in person if you didn’t have time!

Good luck!

 

See the introduction and previous posts in our 10-Minute Library Advocate series and join the discussion in social media using the #EveryLibrarianAnAdvocate hashtag!

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #26: Join the Debate!

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #26: Join the Debate!

Advocacy is about engaging people.

This is easier when talking with people who are already interested in a subject, and discussing it, either in person or online.

Maybe there’s a big meeting, a consultation, or lots of talk online following a big news story.

This can be an opportunity to make people think about how libraries help!

So for our 26th 10-Minute Library Exercise, join the debate!

If you’ve only got a little time, do a social media post – see our 18th 10-Minute Library Advocate exercise for more! Make the link between the subject of the discussion.

If you have more, write a blog explaining the library angle, respond to a consultation, or even go to a public event.

This week in particular, you can join the discussion around the SDGs, using the hashtags #SDGs, #HLPF and #Lib4Dev!

Good luck!

 

See the introduction and previous posts in our 10-Minute Library Advocate series and join the discussion in social media using the #EveryLibrarianAnAdvocate hashtag!

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #25: Be Passionate About Your Job

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #25: Be Passionate About Your Job

Successful advocacy is not just about talking – it’s also about doing.

Great speeches, presentations or social media posts can of course help guarantee support for your work.

But unless this is backed up by committed people, then the messages will not work forever.

There is little more convincing than someone who is focused on providing a great service, be it to people in a local area or the staff and students at a university or school.

So for our 25th 10-Minute Library Advocate exercise, be passionate about your job!

Clearly this is a full-time task. But if you take just 10 minutes, you can think about how you can show your motivation to your users and visitors.

Go that little bit further, and people around you will see that by supporting libraries, they are supporting people who are doing the best they can for the community.

Good luck!

 

See the introduction and previous posts in our 10-Minute Library Advocate series and join the discussion in social media using the #EveryLibrarianAnAdvocate hashtag!

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #24: Think What Your Audience Wants to Hear

The 10 Minute Library Advocate number 24 - Think What Your Audience Wants to Hear. Picture of a person speaking at a lecternAdvocacy is about getting people to agree with you.

When you talk with someone, you want them to understand that you have shared goals, and that you can help them.

Especially for decision-makers, who often have to face problems, libraries should look like a solution.

To do this, you need to adapt your arguments, and select or prioritise them. But how to do this?

For our 24th 10-Minute Library Advocate Exercise, think what your audience wants to hear.

You can do this by looking at the issues they care about.

For example, a K-12 education ministry official wants children who are ready for class.

A health official wants people who can learn about how to live healthier lifestyles.

Parents may just want help in keeping children entertained and helping them develop their skills.

So pick someone – or a group of people – you want to talk to and think what they want to hear!

Good luck!

 

See the introduction and previous posts in our 10-Minute Library Advocate series and join the discussion in social media using the #EveryLibrarianAnAdvocate hashtag!

Professional Units and the SDGs – How IFLA’s Committees are Contributing to Work on the 2030 Agenda

Professional Practice and Sustainable Development: How IFLA’s committees support engagement on the Global Goals

IFLA has placed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at the centre of much of its work.

They are a regular reference in our advocacy for libraries, and have provided a great way of structuring our thinking about the role of our institutions in the world today.

At the national level, many library associations and library and information workers have taken up the resources provided through IFLA’s International Advocacy Programme to launch their own work.

This makes sense. The SDGs – and the wider 2030 Agenda that contains them – are the most comprehensive, ambitious policy agenda out there.

Many governments and development agencies have explicitly made them a key pillar of their activities. Others may not refer to them so openly, but will not disagree with the framework they set out, and the subjects they highlight.

But what can cross-border professional communities – IFLA’s professional units – do? There are already some great examples here as well! This blog offers some general themes, building on work already done in 2015.

 

Spreading the Word

A number of IFLA’s sections have embraced the Sustainable Development Goals in sessions at the World Library and Information Congress. This has provided a great opportunity to explain the Goals and their relevance to different parts of the global library field.

Taking the perspective of a specific type of library, a specific service, or a specific user group can be a means of making the SDGs relevant. At the same time, this provides an opportunity to show how the SDGs can be used by library and information workers in the area to advocate for the work they do.

Talking about the SDGs is important – indeed, it is a key UN objective. The more libraries can show that we are using our potential to spread the word, the stronger a partner we become.

 

Building the Evidence

In our work at the global, regional and national levels, real-life examples of how libraries deliver on the SDGs (and other policy objectives) play a key role. They appeal to decision-makers, given their human aspect. When accompanied by evaluation, they are even stronger.

Individual professional communities within IFLA can be excellent sources of these examples, given that they bring together some of the most knowledgeable people about particular library types or services, from different parts of the world (or something like that).

Already, a number of the stories featured on IFLA’s Library Map of the World SDG Stories page are based on examples from papers submitted to sessions at WLIC. But there is lots of potential for sections to use the rest of the year to find more , for example among nominees for prizes or awards!

 

Driving Delivery

As highlighted in IFLA’s Core Values, access to information, guaranteed by high quality library services, is a key means of improving lives and promoting equality.

It follows that the work done by IFLA’s sections to enhance professional practice also enhances the capacity of libraries to support users. This is central to fulfilling the role given to all stakeholders in the 2030 Agenda to do their bit to deliver on the SDGs.

Standards, guidelines, toolkits and collections of best practices help the field to achieve Goals, from safeguarding cultural heritage (SDG 11.4) through preservation standards to reducing inequalities through guidelines for services to people with special needs (SDG 10).

 

We’d love to hear your ideas about how different sections are working with the SDGs, or of course to answer any questions.

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #23: Find – and Use – Buzzwords

The 10-Minute Library Advocate #23: Find – and Use – Buzzwords

Choosing the right words can make a difference.

They can help people make connections in their heads with other issues, placing libraries in a broader context.

They can make your message seem more relevant to wider public debate.

For example, see our ‘Words of the SDGs’ series that explains some of the most used words at the United Nations!

So for our 23rd 10-Minute Library Advocate Exercise, find – and use – buzzwords.

A ‘buzzword’ is a word that is fashionable at a given moment.

Think about the words that journalists and politicians keep on using in articles and speeches.

If over-used, a buzzword can become a cliché, so be careful!

Share your ideas and good luck!

 

See the introduction and previous posts in our 10-Minute Library Advocate series and join the discussion in social media using the #EveryLibrarianAnAdvocate hashtag!