VLA to co-sponsor Advocacy Institute at ALA 2007 Annual Conference

Contacts: Marci Merola
PR Specialist, Advocacy
312-280-2431
mmerola@ala.org
John Amundsen
Administrative Assistant
312-280-5041
jamundsen@ala.org
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2007

VLA to co-sponsor Advocacy Institute at ALA 2007 Annual Conference

CHICAGO – The Virginia Library Association (VLA) has announced that it will co-sponsor the Advocacy Institute at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2007 Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

Scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on June 22 in the Grand Ballroom South of the Renaissance Washington Hotel, the workshop will feature topics tied to a library’s overall goals and ongoing public awareness programs, and how to mount an effective advocacy program. Presentations on message development, coalition-building, budgetary issues, crisis communications, resources available from ALA, and an extensive lobbying session will enable program participants – from public, school and academic librarians to friends and trustees – to develop an action plan that they can use in their libraries or campuses.

Appropriate for beginners and those wishing to brush up on their skills, the Advocacy Institute provides a valuable opportunity to network and share ideas with library advocates from across the nation. All attendees of the program will leave with the tools necessary to initiate and sustain effective advocacy efforts for their institutions.

The Advocacy Institute is open to ALA members and non-members, including those who are not registered for the ALA 2007 Annual Conference. Advance registration for ALA members and non-members is $35 and includes lunch. Onsite registration is $50.

To register, visit www.ala.org/annual.

The Advocacy Institute is co-sponsored by the Virginia Library Association, the Delaware Library Association, and the District of Columbia Library Association; and is coordinated by the Advocacy Institute Task Force of the ALA Public Awareness Committee in cooperation with the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), The Chapter Relations Committee, The Committee on Legislation and Friend of Libraries USA (FOLUSA). For more information, visit www.ala.org/advocacyinstitute.

The Advocacy Institute is made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation. For more information, visit www.fordfound.org.