{"id":76209,"date":"2014-07-08T13:45:32","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T18:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76209"},"modified":"2014-07-07T16:55:42","modified_gmt":"2014-07-07T21:55:42","slug":"share-your-passion-be-a-library-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76209","title":{"rendered":"Share Your Passion-Be a Library Advocate!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Valarie Swayze, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Share Your Passion-Be a Library Advocate!<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"valarie_swayze_300x201\"<\/a>One of the best qualities you can share during a job interview is your passion for what you do. Library\u00a0advocacy is an ideal activity to demonstrate your knowledge and enthusiasm for your area of interest.\u00a0Advocacy is a mutually beneficial endeavor as you help libraries and librarians while building your\u00a0portfolio. Business skills such as planning, fundraising, and team building may also increase your value as\u00a0a job candidate. The following resources can help you learn how to be a library advocate. Identify ways\u00a0that you can get involved in your community, and incorporate them into your professional development\u00a0goals. Before long, you will have collected many stories to share during your next interview!<\/p>\n

1. Office for Library Advocacy<\/a> (ALA) \u2013 The mission of the OLA is to improve all types of libraries at\u00a0all levels. The OLA provides many resources to help you get involved, including the ability to sign\u00a0up for advocacy alerts.<\/p>\n

2. I Love Libraries<\/a> \u2013 I Love Libraries is another ALA resource that provides a variety of support\u00a0materials which teach advocacy skills. This broad list of resources will not only help you with\u00a0library advocacy but will also help you build basic management skills.<\/p>\n

3. Advocacy Action Plan Workbook<\/a> (ALA) \u2013 This workbook will help you identify issues, set goals,\u00a0and help you to understand the roles of committees and task forces.<\/p>\n

4. Library Quotes<\/a> (I Love Libraries) \u2013 A terrific resource for library advocacy! You are sure to find\u00a0a powerful message that will resonate with the community. These quotes can be added to\u00a0bookmarks, e-mail signatures, business cards, and\/or brochures<\/p>\n

5. Citizens-Save-Libraries Power Guide<\/a> (United for Libraries) \u2013 Learn how to advocate like a pro!\u00a0In addition to the Power Guide, you will also find videos and print materials such as flyers,\u00a0brochures, and bookmarks.<\/p>\n

6. Library Advocacy Toolkit<\/a> (Library Connect) \u2013 This toolkit will help you learn how to campaign\u00a0for you library both as a committee and an individual. Find talking points and learn to market a\u00a0library using a variety of communication strategies.<\/p>\n

7. Frontline Advocacy Toolkit<\/a> (ALA) \u2013 This resource describes the role of the everyday librarian as\u00a0an advocate, and includes links to webinars and support materials.<\/p>\n

8. Geek the Library<\/a> \u2013 This is the resource to share with anyone! Geek the Library invites readers to\u00a0learn how public libraries support all interests.<\/p>\n

9. EveryLibrary<\/a> \u2013 Provides funding for library advocacy through donations and shares keen insight\u00a0into the role of political committees in seeking advocacy for libraries.<\/p>\n

10. Social Media Channels<\/a> (ALA) \u2013 Connect with ALA!<\/p>\n

Volunteering for a library in your community is a great way to learn specific advocacy needs. In addition,\u00a0librarians always have a short list of projects that you can help with, ranging from grant writing to\u00a0storytime programs. ALA also has an excellent resource<\/a> for getting involved with legislative issues.\u00a0Finally, consider sharing what you learn at conferences from vendors and colleagues so others are aware\u00a0of new trends. These and other positive stories about libraries can remind others that libraries are not\u00a0only relevant and necessary, but they can be fun and engaging. Whether you are currently employed\u00a0or looking for a job, spend time cultivating your advocacy skills. While doing so, you can expand your\u00a0professional network, learn something new, and help libraries support their missions. Your advocacy\u00a0skills will be a great asset to offer a potential employer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Valarie Swayze, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts Share Your Passion-Be a Library Advocate! One of the best qualities you can share during a job interview is your passion for what you do. Library\u00a0advocacy is an ideal activity to demonstrate your knowledge and enthusiasm for your area of interest.\u00a0Advocacy is a mutually beneficial endeavor as you help…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":66317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[3916,3917,69,3592,3660,4971,4551,6201],"class_list":["post-76209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-advocacy","tag-advocate","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-inalj-massachusetts","tag-librarian-advocacy","tag-library-advocacy","tag-valarie-swayze"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/valarie_swayze_300x201.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-jPb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/66317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}