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Monday, July 23, 2012

Webinar Tomorrow: Getting Decision Makers Into Your Library

There's a very useful webinar that you can attend tomorrow (Tuesday, July 24) for free. 

ALA is offering "They've Got to See It to Believe It: Getting Decision Makers Into Your Library." It will run from 2 to 3 pm Eastern time, and you can register for it here. The description says
It just takes a little effort to get those who determine the fate of your funding in the door.  This effort is always worthwhile because studies show that in-person visits are critical for effective influence, particularly in an election year.  With the last three months of the election season (phew!) around the corner, now's the time to press council members, legislators, administrators, school board members -- in fact, anyone you can think of -- to visit.  And if you're concerned about whether election rules restrict your ability to be involved in advocacy at this time of year, don't be!  We'll go over the rules of engagement just to be sure we're all on the same page.  Join us to learn the secret strategies for getting decision makers in the door -- and eventually agreeing with you!
If you've never actually invited the local officials to see how people use your library, we urge you to do it. People can easily forget what you tell them in an email or in person; it's harder for them to forget what they see & experience for themselves.

A legislator in a PA high school library. Photo from the MLS article.
For proof, read this MLS article: Inviting Legislators into School LibrariesThis project of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association has made a real impact. As the author explained, 
Through our initial meetings, we had learned that legislators did not understand the role of today’s school librarian in education. So we determined that they needed to see a school library program in operation, because handouts, research briefs, and office visits weren’t going to be enough. Thus, we conceived the PSLA Legislator @ Your Library campaign...
And it's not just schools that can get results through stakeholder visits. So check out the webinar! 

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