It’s is almost time for District Days! For those that don’t know, District Days refers to the time that congressional representatives are on recess and are able to return to their home district. This year, the break is from August 8th through September 5th. During this time, representatives often hold town hall meetings, office hours, and meet with a variety of constituents to get their perspectives on current issues.
Here are the Top Ten Reasons Why Every Librarian Should Contact Their Local Legislator’s Office During District Days
10. This is your chance to educate elected officials about a particular area of interest that you have in common.
9. Keeping advocacy efforts at the forefront right now is very important in this tough economy.
8. It is easy! YALSA provides a Legislative Advocacy Guide with information on how to request a meeting and what to say. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/profdev/LegAdvocacyGuide.pdf
7. Get involved! As librarians we are responsible for the promotion of the interests of the library profession and to speak on behalf of library patrons, especially teens.
6. District Days can help increase appreciation of your library’s work, tell your legislators about your library’s activities/assistance/programs/needs/etc. in your community.
5. It is a great time to show off your library. In today’s tough economy, libraries offer free resources to help people find jobs and learn new skills.’ Provide to your elected officials stats, use examples, and show how the budget/laws/etc. hurts or helps or changes things.
4. District Days can garner respect for your staff’s knowledge of the community, its needs, and assets.
3. People of all ages and backgrounds find entertainment, develop skills and come to find their place in the community @ the library-tell someone about it!
2. District Days offers the chance to strengthen relations with elected officials and/or their staff who may not be very familiar with the work of libraries.
And the number one reason Why Every Librarian Should Contact Their Local Legislator’s Office During District Days is
1. Be a library champion and invest in your library-if you don’t who will?
To find out where your legislator’s local office is and how to contact them, visit http://capwiz.com/ala/home/. Enter your zip code in the box toward the lower right of the screen, and your Congressional representatives will appear on the next screen along with contact information for their local and Washington DC offices.
