From the Campaign Trail to Your Library: Put Your Library Staff in the Spotlight and Win Library Support

Authors

  • Erica Findley EveryLibrary
  • Kate Lasky Josephine Community Libraries

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1855

Keywords:

Oregon, Oregon libraries, academic library, libraries, librarians, northwest, information science, information literacy, social media, writing, library trends, books, donors, library funding, Oregon library association, quarterly, Oregon library association quarterly, American library association, ala, ola, reading, library success, success, evolving roles, new discipline, changes in libraries, career, careers, library careers, library career, new department, student workers, spring, 2016, access services, professional journal, scholarly, academic, circulation, public, Portland, access, aspen institute, report, Oregon libraries answer the challenge, re-envisioning, beer, EveryLibrary, library campaign, vote, voting, ballot measures, non-partisan, PAC, political action committee, digital resources, e-book, ebook, digital collections, Erica Findley, Kate Lasky, Josephine Community Libraries, Multnomah County Library, librarian as candidate, Oregon humanities, ole award, cataloging, metadata, director, funding, ballot, measure, election, campaign, information only, consulting, oclc, marketing, media, newspapers, opinion, facts, yellow envelope, drive, Josephine county, highlight, library staff, feature, stories, positive, future, growth, strategy, strategies, practical, radio, relationships

Abstract

When there is a funding measure on the ballot for a library, a local independent group is formed to run the campaign for the measure. This political group, sometimes called a local ballot committee or political action committee, educates voters on why they need to vote ‘yes’ on the measure to fund the library. This group can include library workers who volunteer their own time to help with the campaign.

In addition to and separate from this, library staff also have an important role during election time to provide voters with information on the measure and what will happen if the measure does or does not pass. These ‘information only campaigns’ are within the role of librarians as the professionals that are trusted by the public to provide the facts on issues that impact their communities. Library staff in any position have a responsibility to share this factual information with the public.

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Author Biographies

Erica Findley, EveryLibrary

Erica Findley

Erica is a passionate library supporter and is influential in the broader library advocacy ecosystem. Ms. Findley is the Cataloging/Metadata Librarian at Multnomah County Library (OR) and is a 2008 MLS graduate from Emporia State University. She is an OLA member and an active member of the American Library Association where she is an at-large councilor and serves on the ALCTS Leadership Development Committee. Ms. Findley is a co-convener of the ALA Think Tank and regularly hosts “pop-up libraries” when traveling by train or plane. Ms. Findley can be found online at www.ericafindley.com.

Kate Lasky, Josephine Community Libraries

Kate Lasky

Kate Lasky has been the executive director of Josephine Community Libraries, Inc. since 2010. She holds a master’s in education and serves on the Oregon Library Association Public Library Division Board of Directors and the Legislative and Development Committee. She is also a board member for Oregon Humanities. In 2015, she was honored by the Oregon Library Association with the Olé award which annually recognizes an Oregon public library employee who has displayed exceptional effort and excellence.

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Published

2016-10-10

How to Cite

Findley, E., & Lasky, K. (2016). From the Campaign Trail to Your Library: Put Your Library Staff in the Spotlight and Win Library Support. OLA Quarterly, 22(2), 17–22. https://doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1855

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 2 (2016): Re-Envisioning with the Aspen Institute: Oregon Libraries Answer the Challenge

Section

Articles