Public libraries in the US are closing or having their funding slashed at a rate I find horrifying. And those of you in special libraries will still remember the debacle of the (US) EPA library closures several years ago. Contrast that to the WA good news story of last week. Unrelenting campaigning by Labor and local libraries saw the Government restore the 40 per cent funding cuts it made to last year’s libraries budget.
What makes the difference between folding and flourishing? Advocacy!
ALIA are soon to run sessions in Australia's major cities, entitled "Every member an advocate", designed to give practical skills to advocate for both the library and the profession.
Personally, I think this is a great initiative, responding to the feedback from members that ALIA could provide more in the way of advocacy services. I think it's vitally important for every librarian to have their own personal "Elevator Pitch" down to an art. Part of being a professional is about knowing where one's strengths lie, and being able to sell their services.
But, when I read the above statement about the closure of libraries, and how lobbying from public libraries has helped restore funding in some instances, it really makes me wonder:
Are librarians really the most appropriate people to advocate for libraries?
I mean, if there is the perception in the community that there is lack of relevance and value in the services that libraries provide, then it would appear very much like librarians are simply serving their own interests by advocating for libraries. After all, libraries keep them in a job, and provide them with a professional status.
Whereas, the most powerful advocate that a library can really have is its community - the people whom the library serve. Libraries need to provide a service that the community as a whole feels is absolutely vital. The kind of service that evokes a personal and emotional connection to its constituents. The kind of service that they will miss and ask questions about in the case of budget cuts.
And it's here where librarians are vital in fostering advocacy in the community. By providing an awesome service, and pointing the community in the right direction when the service gets cut, and they demand an explanation. But they need to want it first.
