Comments on: All (Advocacy) in the Family http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/ the neverending reference interview of life Fri, 24 May 2013 07:03:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Why Closing More Public Libraries Might Be The Best Thing (…Right Now) « Agnostic, Maybe http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-778 Thu, 27 May 2010 05:12:27 +0000 http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-778 [...] and passive supporters (people who support the library as an institution) [Otherwise known as my parents.]  It benefits the institution to promote and cultivate this relationship in order to direct [...]

]]> By: The Radical Patron – The LoC & Twitter: the horror, the horror – http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-743 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:13:50 +0000 http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-743 [...] and deep thoughts on librarianship (What’s a Real Book?, Open Conversation: Being Human and All (Advocacy) in the Family). I found no mention of this library news that everyone else seemed to be talking about  — save [...]

]]> By: thewikiman » Blog Archive » the curve of engagement http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-741 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:14:46 +0000 http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-741 [...] The point being, as I’m sure you’ll have worked out by now, that we’re wasting our energies on those who literally hate libraries and those who literally love them. The former are not convert-able, and the latter are already so converted they’ll be fine on their own. The regular patrons shouldn’t be ignored, which is why they’re lower down the curve; it’s easier to retain a customer than it is to snare a new one. But it is the currently indifferent we really ought to be targeting – those who don’t use libraries, but might do if we can tell them what we do these days. (People like Andy’s Dad…) [...]

]]> By: Andy http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-740 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:36:23 +0000 http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-740 I don’t think they are lame. I think they might have limited appeal; you want to make the broadest case in a newspaper article. This means demonstrating the value of a library in terms of how it influences the non-user by pointing out the good that it does in the lives of the people around them. If you can appeal to them on the basis of, oh, I’d say something along the lines of “You already know someone in your life that uses the library”, it puts the value in their immediate reach.

The stat that gets tossed around is that one from ALA that says libraries enjoy a 97% support from the general public. This to me raises two questions:

(1) Who are those other 3%? Are they like the 5th dentist that thinks brushing is for suckers?

(2) How many of those 97% are also in favor of proper funding for the library? Because I can support lots of things if I don’t factor in the cost.

Off the top of my head, there are a couple of ways of reaching the advocates like my dad. Media is certainly one way, but being able to activate advocates like my mom to get active and share their concern with people like my dad is a better more personal route. At least, that’s the hope.

]]> By: Helen http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-739 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:58:36 +0000 http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/all-advocacy-in-the-family/#comment-739 Great post and an interesting question. People like your mom are sure to get on the bandwagon (so to speak) when the library needs them, but people like your dad need coaxing. I am not sure how to do it either. I’d put both my parents in your dad’s category. Perhaps a week where people could bring in their donations, take a tour. Or, see if the local paper will run an article including the latest non-fiction/fiction acquired by the library and listing all that the library provides for free and also mention how the library is struggling.

These all sound lame as I write them. I guess I don’t have a good answer.

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