Speaking Up for Libraries

WLA is asking for your assistance on a very important election-year library advocacy project. It won’t take much of your time, and we’re doing the hard part!
If you haven’t already experienced them yourself, you’ve undoubtedly heard about cuts to library budgets throughout the nation at the city, county and state levels. These cuts are resulting in reductions in the number of staff, hours of operation, and branch and library closures. But more importantly, they are negatively impacting the ability of residents to access the information and resources they need.  

To avoid drastic library cuts and reduction in access to information here in Wisconsin, where state officials are projecting at least a $2.7 billion deficit for the next biennium, we need your help. Over the next several weeks, we’ll share information that you can disseminate to library supporters in your community. These messages share a bit of information and ask them to “Speak Up for Libraries.”

We hope Wisconsin communities don’t experience the kinds of drastic cuts that have been reported nationwide, but sitting and hoping is not a course of action we can risk.

Libraries are vital community resources that continue to adapt to changing user needs and wants. These valuable public institutions are busier than ever, but we need your library supporters to speak up to secure our future.

We’re providing a series of advocacy messages that you can use in your community, available at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/legis/speakup.htm. Tailor them to suit your needs, add your own statistics and make them resonate with your supporters – or use them as is. Please plan to share these messages with your local Friends of the library, trustees, and other library supporters in your community. Help them “Speak Up” for your library!
We’ll also email you a reminder message each week, featuring one or two messages to share. The first two weeks you’ll need to share two messages to get them all sent before the November election.  (This week, share messages 1 and 2.)

If you have questions about this program, please contact one of us. Thank you for taking time to “Speak Up for Libraries!”

Mark Ibach, WLA LD&L Committee                                
SCLS Marketing & PR Coordinator 
                                
Lisa Strand, Executive Director
Wisconsin Library Association
4610 South Biltmore Lane, Suite 100
Madison, WI 53718
(608) 245-3640
(608) 245-3646
strand@scls.lib.wi.us