CHICAGO -   “Spokane Moms” Lisa Layera Brunkan, Denette Hill and Susan McBurney, founders of the Washington Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology, a grassroots initiative that raised $4 million for school libraries in Washington state, are scheduled to speak at the American Library Association’s (ALA) Advocacy Institute.

 “School Libraries in Crisis: Why Everyone Should Care,” will focus on how the school library crisis can affect libraries of all types. Attendees will learn core advocacy skills, as well as how to leverage this crisis into their own advocacy campaigns. Library professionals from all types of libraries, as well as  Friends and trustees, are encouraged to attend.

The program will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27, in Grand Ballroom E/F at the Hyatt Regency Orange County (registration begins at 8:30 a.m.) during the 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Online advance registration for the program is available at the discounted rate of $50 through May 16. Onsite registration will be $75 at the door, with both prices including a box lunch. Registration at ALA’s Annual Conference is not required. To register, please visit www.ala.org/annual.

Also available is the “I Love Libraries” Advocate’s Package, which includes registration for the Advocacy Institute, “Exhibits Supreme” badge for Annual Conference and an ilovelibraries.org Advocacy Membership, for $100 (a $120 value). To learn more, visit www.ala.org/advocacyinstitute.

The Advocacy Institute in Anaheim is co-sponsored by the California Library Association (CLA), the California School Library Association (CSLA) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). It is coordinated by the  Office for Library Advocacy (OLA), the OLA Advocacy Committee, the Advocacy Institute Task Force and the Library Advocacy Now! Training Subcommittee, in cooperation with the ALA Public Information Office (PIO), the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), the Chapter Relations Committee, the Washington Office's Committee on Legislation and Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA).