SCLA Part 4 - Advocacy Because That Was the Theeeeme

There wasn't much choice during this set of concurrent sessions, so I picked one advocacy session and Karen picked a different one.  I think she did better.  There wasn't much here that I hadn't heard before, I hadn't had enough sleep, and the caffeine was wearing off.  I hope I didn't distress the presenter with all my yawning.

The usual stuff on partnerships: with mutual benefit comes mutual responsibility.  If you're a librarian, you're used to being the one giving service - it might be your turn to receive.  Both parties are in it for something, even if it is only to get their logo on an ad or a handout.  Partner for a discreet (and short) amount of time the first time.  Then check to see if your partner is willing to continue or do it again.  [Yeah, we used to get ice cream coupons from Chik-Fil-A for our library card campaign in the schools - but after a while we started getting stories about changes in management, etc. and we let it drop.]
You need to weed programs the way you weed books.  Maybe something near and dear to your heart is no longer justified.  [Wha-at?!]  Demographics are easy to get hold of to assess the current needs of your population (although the most recent are not quite available from the 2010 Census, they will be soon).  But also think about other kinds of underserved populations - the invisible ones, such as businesses or tourists.

All library employees should have an elevator speech prepared, a three minute or less spiel about the library, its collections, or programs.  Just in case,  you know, you've got someone trapped.  [Me, I've been feeling trapped lately, by people asking me questions about the new library.  For two years it was, "Aren't you excited about the new library?" and now it's "Don't you just love the new library?"  It's hard to say the same thing enthusiastically again and again.  "Ohh, it's so big and beautiful and (sniffing) it's got that New Library Smell!"]  Now I tell people that they have to come see it.  I can't believe we have this huge new building uptown and there are people who "just haven't found the time."  You just want to smack 'em.

Oh, and I have this note that doesn't read like what I thought it was.  That you can put a virtual sign/bookplate on digital materials so that if some group has contributed a collection of materials (a garden club, or, at our library, the Mothers of Twins), the catalog can be searched for those items or when someone is browsing the digital catalog, they can see who donated the material.  Way cool.

So, in retrospect, maybe it was a better session than I thought.  I was just tired at the time.