American Library Association to host Advocacy Institute at Southeastern Library Conference

Contact: Marci Merola


PR Specialist-Advocacy


312-280-2431


mmerola@ala.org

For Immediate Release


March 14, 2006

American Library Association to host Advocacy Institute at Southeastern Library Conference

CHICAGO– The American Library Association will host a regional Advocacy Institute at the Tennessee Library Association (TLA)/Southeastern Library Association (SELA) Conference on Wednesday, April 5 from 9 to 12:30 at the Hilton Memphis.

“This is the first of Advocacy Institutes to reach the regional level and we’re excited about the potential it brings to libraries at the local level,” said Judith Gibbons, 2006 SELA president and program coordinator.

The Advocacy Institute is intended for the novice advocate, as well as those who need a refresher course in fostering grassroots advocacy. Attendees will learn strategies to successfully advocate for his or her library, including message development, lobbying basics and how to create coalitions with library professionals, trustees and Friends, and will leave with an action plan that they can implement in their libraries.

Guests include Carol A. Brey-Casiano, 2005–2006 ALA past-president and chair, Advocacy Institute Task Force, Carolyn Ingram, president, Menifee County (Ky.) Public Library Board of Trustees, and Kathleen Imhoff, executive director, Lexington (Ky.) Public Library.

In addition to SELA and TLA, Kentucky Library Assn and the Southeastern Library Network, known as SOLINET, have signed on as co-sponsors.

The Advocacy Institute is made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation. To learn more about the foundation, visit their Web site at
www.fordfound.org.

For more information, visit the American Library Association’s advocacy Web site at
www.ala.org/issuesadvocacy.