Advocacy

YALSA's advocacy and activism goal in the association's 2012 - 2014 Strategic Plan is "teen and young adult library services within all libraries are highly valued as a result of YALSA’s advocacy and activism efforts."  The 2012 PLDS Survey indicated that only 1 in 3 public libraries has a young adult specialist on staff. Recent studies from the NCES indicate that only 79% of secondary schools employ a school librarian. Ongoing advocacy efforts can help ensure that all teens have access to great libraries! Why advocate? Because you are the voice for the teens! Help ensure that 100% of libraries have the staff, budget and resources needed to serve the nation's 42 million teens.

What You Can Do

If you have 5  minutes or less...

• Share: tell YALSA how you & your library help teens via this quick online form.
• Participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day. It's quick and easy!
• Nominate yourself or someone else to be featured as YALSA's Advocate of the month via this online form.
• Dress the part! Wear these Librarians Change Lives t-shirts to advocacy events.

If you have 15 minutes...

• Share Information with Policy Makers:
  • email or snail mail this Issue Brief: Libraries Help Keep Teens Safe Online (.pdf) as well as this one Issue Brief: Teens Need Libraries (.pdf)
  • send them a newspaper clipping about a past library event
  • send them an invitation to an upcoming library event
  • add them to your newsletter mailing list

If you have an hour...

• Give a presentation to your coworkers or colleagues at a library workshop or conference.  YALSA has created a presentation on advocacy that you are welcome to download and use.  It's called Dipping Your Toe in the Advocacy Pool.
• Speak up at staff meetings & community events: use YALSA's Speak Up for Library Services to Teens free toolkit (.pdf).
• Reach out to Local VIPs to educate them about the great things your library does for teens.  Use this free online toolkit to help you.

If you have lots of time...

• Start a Teen Friends of the Library Group with free resources from ALTAFF, including this online tip sheet.
• Attend National Library Legislative Day in Washington DC with your state delegation, or brief your state delegation on teen services issues and give them YALSA handouts, including talking points and key legislative issues.  In the past teen services issues have not been well represented at Legislative Day simply because not many teen services or secondary school librarians have taken an active role.  Request free materials via this online form.
• Attend your state library legislative day (check your state library association's web site for dates and details) and distribute YALSA materials and talking points.  Request free materials via this online form.
• Welcome your elected officials into your library via District Days.

Resources

• Blog posts about advocacy issues and tips on the YALSAblog.
• Go to Advocacy University, a web space full of free resources from the American Library Association.
• Visit the advocacy page on YALSA's wiki to find and share links to great free resources.
• Watch this free 60 minute YALSA webinar, VIPs: Why You Need them for Advocacy
• For school library focused resources, visit AASL's web site.
• 2013 Legislative Day Talking Points (.pdf)