Communication, Awareness Raising & Advocacy for Libraries

1. Communication, Awareness Raising & Advocacy for Libraries By Kaspars Rūklis/ Latvia

2. Data and Success Stories Collecting and Using Data in Awareness Campaigns and Advocacy

3. Session Goals • Identify survey data to be used for library awareness raising, communication and advocacy • Identify “soft” data, like success stories, to be used for library awareness raising, communication and advocacy • Review the findings of EIFL’s Library Perception Study and think of potential uses of the data

4. Library Data By understanding how your target audience thinks and feels about the library you can determine the best way to approach and connect with your target audiences to encourage their involvement for support of libraries

5. Library Data • Quantitative data = numbers • Qualitative data = stories

6. Perception Study – Uganda • Perception study in Uganda shows that majority of stakeholder groups believe that libraries are very important to communities and to individuals • Public libraries are viewed as valuable: 93 % of users learned new skills; 78 % obtained new ideas; and 71 % got helpful information for education

7. Perception Study – Uganda • A typical public library user in Uganda is likely to be young, single male student from a middle class background, aged under 30. • 64 % of library users are men • 49 % are aged between 21 and 30 • 75 % have High school education • 41 % of users are students • Only 36 % of users are female

8. Perception Study – Uganda • A typical public librarian in Uganda is male, aged from 21-50, and professionally trained • 66 % of librarians are male • 86 % are aged from 21-50 • 36 % have a degree, professional training or a diploma in librarianship

9. Perception Study – Uganda • An overwhelming majority of stakeholders believe public libraries are under-funded • Only 36 % of public libraries surveyed have computers for public use • Public libraries potential to contribute to community development is widely recognized

10. Success Story: The Center of Life

11. Communication, Awareness Raising and Advocacy Target Audiences vs Partnerships

12. Session Goals • Defining communication, awareness raising and advocacy for libraries • Learning to develop advocacy goal for solving your library’s problem / perception problem • Learning to distinguish between target audiences and partnerships

13. What we mean by: • Communication = skills of communication and presentation (interpersonal and public) • Awareness Raising = content & techniques for general audiences • Advocacy = content & techniques for decision maker audiences

14. Model of Communication Westley and McLean, 1957 Kaspars Rūklis "Opinion Leaders: How Influential They Really Are?"

15. Why Libraries? • Libraries are potential engine for social and economic change • Public libraries are trusted local organization with access to information, that can power economic opportunities and community development • Libraries are important local assets that can provide access to information and technology to everyone, free of charge

16. Why all this? Why Libraries?

17. Activities • Outreach • Public Relations • Media Relations

18. Activities • Marketing • Branding • Advocacy

19. Example: Love Both Ways

20. What is Advocacy Goal? • Advocacy Goal is the specific action a library wants people to take to help solve a problem the library faces.

21. Developing Advocacy Goal • Problem / Challenge  • Solution  • Advocacy Goal

22. Example Problem  Libraries do not have computers for public use and slow internet connection speed Solution  Public internet access established as core service; funding for new computers, software and internet speed update is allocated Advocacy Goal  To have local municipality establish internet access in libraries as a core service and allocate continued funding for new hardware, software and internet speed updates X dollars per year

23. What is Target Audience? • Target Audience (for advocacy) refers to a person or group of people that can help bring about the changes to policies, funding, or partnerships that a public library needs to meets its advocacy goal.

24. Target Audience for Advocacy • Decision makers, such as a mayor or member of the City Council and • People, who can influence the decision makers

25. Two Approaches Students Your example New families Your example Seniors Your example

26. What is a Partnership? • Library partnerships are relationships that provide mutual benefit for both the library and the partner. Image from Latvia Advocacy Training Presentation

27. Existing and New Partners • Who are your existing partners? • Who are the individuals and organizations you have never approached to discuss library partnership but who you think would be interesting partners?

28. Information Channels Traditional – Broadcast – Social Media

29. Session Goals • Working with different kinds of media: traditional, self-edited, social • Experiences from Uganda

30. Traditional – Broadcast – Social Media

31. Traditional Media • Radio • Television • Print • Online

32. Social Media • Social media describes the online tools that people use to share content, opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives, and helps facilitate online conversations between groups of people.

33. Social Media Examples

34. Social Media Video Handbook

35. What to Use for What? Image from Pinnacle

36. Example: Never Say Never

37. Working with the Media Press releases, press conferences, interviews

38. Session Goals • Media today and in the future • Media outreach • Do’s and Dont’s

39. Media Today and Tomorrow

40. Media Outreach • Raise awareness of library programs and services • Highlight accomplishments • Tell your story your way and amplify your message • Raise the profile of public libraries • Build credibility for the library • Build allies in the media

41. Do’s • Do tell the truth – ALWAYS.   • Do be honest and accurate. Your credibility and reputation depend on it.   • Do admit it if you don’t know the answer to a question. Offer to get the answer, and do so as quickly as you can.

42. Do’s • Do correct mistakes immediately. State that you didn’t give an adequate answer, and you would like to clear up the confusion. • Do avoid using jargon. Speak in plain language. • Do assume that everything you say is on the record.

43. Do’s • Do be as open with the media as possible. • Do call reporters if a story appears that is inaccurate. Politely point out what was wrong and substantiate it. • Do keep a list of accomplishments. Update it frequently.

44. Do’s • Do always return phone calls, or have someone return the calls, in time for reporters to meet deadlines. • Do try to get the information reporters want even if it means an extra effort. • Do have a sense of humor.

45. Media

46. Dont’s • Don’t lie – EVER. • Don’t say “ No Comment” – EVER. • Don’t improvise, don’t speculate, and don’t guess. Good reporters check facts, if you are wrong, your credibility will be destroyed.

47. Dont’s • Don’t try to put a comment “off the record” after you have said it. • Don’t be unresponsive. • Don’t make news until you have in hand the information to go with it.

48. Dont’s • Don’t make an announcement and then later prepare a press release and fact sheets. If you have the material prepared for a press conference, you can spend your time after an announcement explaining it to the press. • Don’t cover up. If you lie or cover up, you lose your credibility. • Don’t avoid reporters’ phone calls.

49. Press Releases • Be sure there is news • Use facts, stories • Use inverted pyramide style • Write for your audience, do not use “bureaucratic” language

50. Inverted Pyramid CATCHY HEADLINE NEWEST INFORMATION What? Where? When? Why? How? SUPPORTING INFORMATION BACGROUND I N F O OTHER