Join YALSA for 28 Days of Advocacy

Contact: Stephanie Kuenn


YALSA Communications Specialist


312-280-2128

skuenn@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


February 10, 2009

CHICAGO —This month, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will celebrate 28 Days of Advocacy on its blog,
http://yalsa.ala.org/blog. Jointly sponsored by YALSA’s Legislation Committee and Advocacy Task Force, 28 Days of Advocacy features daily posts on the importance of advocating for teens at libraries and the many ways in which librarians can help.Â

“In these difficult budget times, lobbying for our needs and services is essential,” said Ma’Lis Wendt, chair of the advocacy task force. “The 28 Days of Advocacy posts will help librarians develop talking points to use with their local elected officials, with directors, principals, parents, Friends groups and others to help better explain the need for library services to teens. We are also hoping that young adult librarians will use this opportunity to get their local teens involved in helping with lobbying to their local communities.”

In addition to practical tools, the series will provide librarians with ways to connect with their communities on an ongoing basis and make advocacy an everyday tool.

“We want librarians to realize that they need to advocate for their own libraries and their own programs. We often think that ‘someone else’ will advocate for us, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If we don’t advocate for our teens and our libraries, we can’t expect anyone else to do it for us,” said Maureen Ambrosino, chair of the legislation committee. “Librarians will also learn about everyday advocacy – actions to take every day to build relationships in the community and keep teen services in the forefront. They will also get practical tips for e-mail campaigns, how to overcome the fear of speaking up and how to share clear, concise messages. Hopefully, at the end of the project, they will have a whole array of new advocacy tools and skills to rely upon.”

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail,
yalsa@ala.org.