Advocacy

Advocacy and activism is a goal in the association's 2022 - 2025 Strategic Plan.  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!  Share your advocacy ideas, successes and challenges with us on Twitter by using the #act4teens hashtag.

What You Can Do

Tools to Get You Started

If you have 5  minutes or less...

  • Spread the word: share this brief video with library supervisors, school principals, elected officials, policy makers and other local VIPs, or link to it from your site.  Send them this Fact Sheet from IMLS "How Library Programs Benefit Teens" (.pdf)
  • Inform: share this report or its executive summary and infographic (.pdf) with library supervisors, school principals, elected officials, policy makers and other local VIPs, or link to it from your site
  • Share: tell YALSA how you & your library help teens via this quick online form.
  • Plan to 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.

If you have 15 minutes...

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 free Advocacy 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.
  • Send a resolution in support of libraries to an elected official in your state and ask them to sponsor it in the state legislature.  Everything you need is in this MS Word document. Or send this resolution (MS Word) in support of school libraries.
  • Engage supporters: print out these postcards and have library advocates fill them out and mail them to your members of Congress

If you have lots of time...

  • Start a Teen Friends of the Library Group with free resources from UFL, 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.
  • Invite your elected officials to your library as part of District Days, or any other time during the year.  Adapt this sample invitation letter (.docx) and these press materials (.docx).
  • Build your skills: take the free, self-paced online training from PLA, Turning the Page

Resources