There are so many ways for library advocates to make their voices heard these days– emailing their representatives, sending action alerts via text message, blogging to raise awareness within communities, calling a senator’s office–that writing a letter seems like an antiquated form of communication by comparison.  However, it’s still one of the most effective ways to get your message across to representatives at all levels of government.

What’s good about writing a letter?
Issues that demand our attention and support are sometimes complex.  They can’t be fully articulated in a soundbite.  Putting your thoughts into written words lets you organize your thoughts and arguments.  Letter-writing can happen anytime.  If you are seized by inspiration at 2:00 a.m., you can sit down and put it down right then and there.  Advocates who write letters can tell their own stories to support their cause, and these stories are often the most powerful evidence there is.

So I’m ready to write.  How should I do it?
Other bloggers will elaborate upon best practices for communicating with elected officials throughout the  month.  However, these are the key points to keep in mind if you plan to launch a letter-writing campaign:

• Use or create talking points for letter-writers to use in their own letters.  Often, many people are motivated to participate, but they don’t know where to start.
• Keep your letter short, sweet, and to the point.
• Tell your story.  Anecdotes make a big impact.
• Ask for a response or acknowledgment of your letter.
• If you are contacting an official at the federal level, send your letter to their Washington office.  The people who work on policy are in Washington, and though letter sent to local offices eventually get to Washington, they are delayed.
• Send your letter early (or fax it.)  All paper mail is extensively processed for security reasons, which could cause delays.

What about email?
For many of us, reading and writing email is as easy as breathing.  Sending an email to an elected official is a perfectly effective way to communicate your concerns.  There are some things to keep in mind about email, however.  If you are writing to a federal representative, you will have to use an online form on their website.  These forms automatically discard any emails from people outside of the legislator’s constituency.  In addition, I spoke with several staff members in the offices of city, state and federal offices who said that they are inundated with email.

Are letters effective?
Staffers tell me that they read every single letter that they get–from their constituents.  This is why its important for everyone to be involved–we need advocates in every city and every state!  In some cases, letters have alerted legislators and officials to issues that they’d not known about previously.  I was also told that it is useful to relate your issue to that particular official’s legislative agenda, which is often found on their website.  In addition, the staffers suggested that form letters are not particularly useful.  Personal, personalized letters are key.

You can do it.
You can write to your city council member, your county commissioner, or your state or federal representative, and your letter can make a difference.  We have tools that can help:

Find out what’s happening around the country at ALA’s Legislative Action Center.

Use these toolkits to help make your case.

Most state library associations also have their own advocacy toolkits for specific local issues.

All eyes are focused on the presidential race, but it’s important not to overlook state and local races.  States, counties and cities all over the country are considering ballot initiatives that will affect public and school library funding and services.

Some of the ballot measures directly address library funding.  Others may deal with state and local revenue streams, which ultimately affect libraries and schools. 

Measure 3-310,  Clackamas County, Oregon:  On the ballot is a proposal to create a new tax district specifically for libraries.   Currently, libraries compete with law enforcement, road maintenance, and other services for money held in a general fund; if passed, the proposal would create a library-specific allocation of money.

Question 1, Massachusetts:  This ballot initiative would eliminate state personal income tax starting in January 2010.   Opponents of the measure say that passage would cut 40% of the state’s operating budget and drastically impact funding for many public institutions, including public schools and, by extension, school libraries.

Mill Levy Election, Douglas County, CO:  Douglas County is asking voters to approve a mill levy that would allow them to build new libraries and renovate existing libraries.

Issue 127, Cuyahoga County, OH:  Voters are being asked to vote on a mill replacement/increase that would support collection funding, increase open library hours, and maintain library services.

Obviously, this is only a sampling of ballot issues being considered around the country.  It’s worth looking closely at any and all tax and levy issues, as library funding comes from many sources.

A couple months ago Linda Braun blogged about the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Act, which was introduced in the House of Representatives in May.  Now, California appears to be following suit.  Assemblyman Ted Lieu from Torrance has introduced an amendment that would allow school officials to punish students that use electronic devices to harass fellow students.

The amendment is framed in terms of student safety, and considers cyberbullying to be behavior that would disrupt the “safe, secure and peaceful” school environment to which students are entitled.  Specifically, the amendment would let school officials “suspend a pupil or recommend a pupil for expulsion for bullying, including, but not limited to, bullying by an electronic act.”  Bullying is defined in this measure as:

“…one or more acts by a pupil or a group of pupils directed against another pupil that constitutes sexual harassment, hate violence, or severe pervasive intentional harassment, threats or intimidation that is disruptive, causes disorder, and invades the rights of others by creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment…”

The full text of the amendment is available.

It will be interesting to observe the implementation of the this measure should the Senate and Governor Schwarzenegger approve it.  Cyberbullying doesn’t necessarily leave behind physical evidence of abuse or injury the way physical bullying does, possibly making it difficult to prove that it’s even happening.  In addition, the anonymous nature of online interactions may make it difficult to identify the culprits.  A recent article in the New York Times Magazine illustrates just how much online harassment people can get away with, profiling online trolls who have managed to maintain their anonymity despite having perpetrated long-term, high-profile attacks against random strangers.