You Are The Most Important Tool You Have

1. You Are The Most Important Tool You Have Janet Swan HillOhio Library Council Technical Services Retreat, April, 2008

2. WHY TALK ABOUT ADVOCACY NOW? • Library of Congress series authority decision catalyzed the cataloging community • Circumstances surrounding the announcement provide illustrations of: • why it is important to engage in advocacy and activism • things that we need to be aware of • useful tactics • Activism or advocacy should not be limited to response to some crisis • An environment of constant change means that if we are not proactive and visible, we are in danger of not being heard, considered, or understood

3. WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT RECENT ACTIONS? • Reasons given for the decision varied according to the audience and over time • There were hints of possible additional actions being considered • Studies cited were unpublished in the traditional sense • Catalogers engaged the attention of those outside their own community • Assertions were often based more on opinion than on actual data or serious research • Arguments were sometimes characterized by poorly defined terms and lack of common understanding • People outside technical services can become valuable allies and supporters

4. HOW DID WE GET HERE? • Providing bibliographic control and access to information is flying apart • People knowledgeable about bibliographic control are few in number • People knowledgeable about bibliographic control are isolated socially, professionally, and organizationally • People knowledgeable about bibliographic control are stereotyped

5. WHAT’S AT STAKE? • Your job • Respect • Influence • Participation in decision making • Pride in accomplishment • Ability to manage materials for internal needs • Service to users

6. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? • Take responsibility • No one knows your circumstances as well as you • You can’t rely on other people to make your case for you • Having many people speaking up is more effective than having one or two   • Mingle • Use your professional associations • Investigate and Publish • Watch your language • Beware of unfortunate connotations • Don’t abandon old terms for trendy new ones unless thay are an improvement • Know and use trendy terms, but be alert to possible misunderstanding • Speak English, not Abbreviation, Jargon, or Tag

7. NO STEP IS TOO SMALL TO MATTER • Get to know your public services colleagues as people • Get to know their work and concerns • Join working groups outside your specialty • Go to conference programs or meetings outside your specialty • Realize that what you do is special and point it out • If a standard or document is up for comment – comment • Never let your first answer be no • Be prepared for the outrageous • Look forward not back • Don’t grieve over the past or over hard-won skills now no longer needed • Realize that what you learned in the process of learning is still useful

8. NO STEP IS TOO SMALL TO MATTER • Understand that it’s up to us • Every one of us • All the time