Rudaí 23 #thing15: Championing libraries

As part of this week's thing I had a look at some of the advocacy campaigns listed in the Rudaí post.

The first one I looked at was the Public Libraries 2020 libraries change lives campaign. I thought their YouTube video gave a simple overview of the ways that public libraries can help users learn learn new skills, develop their interests and build relationships with others. At the same time they were able to communicate the support that 65,0000 public libraries throughout Europe give to over 100 million people each year, helping to combat unemployment and illiteracy and strengthening links within local communities. The Public Libraries 2020 website itself effectively mixes facts and figures together with personal testimonies to demonstrate the great value of public libraries. I also discovered their @LibrariesEU Twitter account which promotes current library campaigns and debates and gives links to various library groups and resources throughout Europe.

Images from the Public Libraries 2020 website and @LibrariesEU twitter account

The second campaign I looked at was I Freakin Love Libraries on Tumblr. I haven't had much experience with Tumblr, but it's basically a social networking website in the form of a short-form blog that users can post content on. Librarians from around the world are encouraged to post inspirational library-related quotes, unique library services they provide or simply funny pictures from their libraries on the blog. Academic, public and specialist libraries have contributed to the site and it is an interesting mix of visuals and information that provides a fun but effective way for librarians to demonstrate the worth of their own libraries and to engage with other librarians globally. I particularly liked this article about the way Broome Public Library is using Lego to improve literacy and comprehension in young children.

The final advocacy campaign I investigated was the Not Your Average Library Instagram account run by Cedar Rapids Public Library to promote the services they provide and to make connections with their users. The pictures posted on the site show various craft and chess groups at work and play and highlight particular collections and unique spaces in the library. They also serve to introduce the librarians themselves to users and they are pictured engaging with users or being ready and available to answer user queries. There is a genuine affection communicated towards the library from users which not only highlights the value of the library but serves to entice potential users into the library building.

In the library profession, advocacy of the services we provide and learning opportunities we afford our users is an essential part of what we do. Many public and academic libraries are being challenged to do more with less so it’s vital that we take every opportunity to convey the value of our libraries to our communities.

My immediate response to the question ‘have you ever been involved in an advocacy campaign?' was ‘nope.’ Thinking about advocacy differently now I see the question as being ‘have you ever shared your passion about libraries with others?' In Fingal’s public libraries, I promote the library's eResources to users, friends and anyone who’ll listen. Membership gives you FREE access to eBooks, audio books and online courses I say, so what are you waiting for? I started a blog highlighting the collections in the Irish Film Archive. Many of the collections can't be searched online, so it has been a way to raise awareness about the information available to researchers. In the Cregan library, I am part of a team which promotes the library services available to staff and students. Using Twitter and Facebook we’ve been able to highlight library events and services and connect with different academic, educational and cultural organisations.

There are different ways to gauge the effectiveness of an advocacy campaign. If it involves sites like Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter then the amount of followers you have and the level of engagement you achieve with your users can be an effective way to measure the success of your campaign. Simply asking users how they heard about a particular service can inform you about how successful a poster, word-of-mouth or Facebook campaign has been. If it’s an event you have run to promote the library, how many people attended, what feedback did they give, can you track their comments on social media to gauge how successful it was? The Cregan library recently took part in Culture Night and in the weeks leading up to the event we promoted it through social media, word-of-mouth and through the leafleting of local houses. With over 300 visitors from the local community and great interaction on Twitter we were able to pronounce the night a resounding success and a member of the library team promoted that success further on social media. 

When advocating for your library, whether you are looking to share your enthusiasm about its collections and services, to foster collaborative opportunities or to increase user numbers, a positive message clearly and effectively communicated can only have a beneficial impact on the library you’re working in.