ALA Presidency

Loida’s ALA Presidential Efforts

National Library Tour Libraries=Strong Communities

During her presidential year, ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo (2018-2019) launched Libraries = Strong Communities, a national advocacy library tour to ignite public awareness of the value of libraries and library professionals and create a groundswell of support at the local, state, national, and global level. Libraries were encouraged to use the Libraries = Strong Communities platform locally to highlight the value of their library and empower patrons to advocate for libraries. From her national library tour, ALA still uses de hashtag #LibrariesStrong to advocate for / highlight the value of libraries! Visit the Libraries=Strong Communities website for checklist on how to celebrate libraries, downloadables, videos and more. Watch the video above to know more about all the libraries Loida visited in the USA, and the countries she visited to advocate for libraries united with librarians from different regions of the world!

Advocacy Resources

New advocacy resources were commissioned as part of the campaign Libraries = Strong Communities by ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo, whose presidential advisory committee provided guidance and feedback as ALA undertook a full redesign of the advocacy tools on the site. “The time is ripe for fresh resources to inspire and challenge our advocacy,” Garcia-Febo says. “We all agree on the need to tell our library stories. ALA wants to give members specific tools and guidance for how to do that effectively.”

The resources include “Advocacy Storytelling 101: Getting Your Library Story in Local News.” The first in a series of three short videos on advocacy, “Advocacy Storytelling 101” shows how one ALA member, Tom Brooks, communications specialist at Cobb County (Ga.) Public Library System, built strong relationships with his local news media. By pitching his library story effectively to reporters, the local paper put the library on the front page and highlighted for the entire community how the library has changed the lives of hundreds of children. While the video shows Brooks’s success story, resources on ALA’s advocacy website show step by step how to reach out to journalists and leverage social media to tell your story.

Advocacy 101: Inviting Your Elected Leaders to Visit Your Library shows how one ALA trustee from Loudoun County Public Library built strong relationships with his member of Congress. By sharing his library story effectively with his Congresswoman, he was able to bring her into the facility and highlight how the library is at the center of his community. Resources on ALA’s advocacy website show step-by-step how to start invite your elected leaders to visit your space.

Other resources include Download ALA’s checklist for reaching out, and Social Media Toolkit and Checklist to advocate for libraries using social media!

EDI in Our Libraries / Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Our Libraries

This EDI video series gives visibility to a diverse representation of library workers, champions, and patrons to help deepen the understanding of the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in action in our nation’s libraries. Each video is anchored by three core questions:

1. How does equity, diversity, and inclusion factor into your daily life as a librarian?
2. What’s the single biggest challenge facing libraries when it comes to equity, diversity, and inclusion?
3. What are some effective ways that libraries can promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in our communities?

Visit the website to watch the three-part video series featuring academic, public, and school libraries. Here is the video from the public library:

I am ALA International Spotlight

I am ALA International Spotlight is one of several new initiatives by ALA Immediate Past President Loida Garcia-Febo to expand ALA’s global presence. By highlighting and recognizing talented international members from different regions around the world, ALA is truly a global association with a strong mission in supporting library workers and advocates. Each month, I am ALA INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT will feature a new international member who will share how ALA has supported their work and how they see the profession today.  Website is pending update.