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#LAD24 will be held on February 7, 2024, with Pre-Advocacy Day on February 6, 2024. Registration is required for Pre-Advocacy Day attendance.
Click Here for Pre-Advocacy Day Registration and Hotel Booking Information!
Why Participate in Library Advocacy Day?
Your voice during #LAD24 will benefit...
- Every New York library and citizen.
- Each library and system which receive direct state aid.
- The libraries and systems which receive indirect state aid in the form of cooperative services and shared programs from their library system.
- Legislators who need to understand how libraries can help them.
How Can I participate in Library Advocacy Day?
We need your voice during #LAD24, but how can you get your voice out there? There are several ways to tell your story to key leaders in the Legislature on why libraries are important to our communities. Learn more below...
Librarian | Library Staff | Trustee | Friend
- Attend an In-person OR Virtual Legislative Office Visit with your fellow #LibraryAdvocates. See our "Meetings" section below to see if there is a meeting scheduled with your elected official for you to attend.
- Be a Social Media Advocate. Learn more about how to get involved in social media advocacy in our "Leverage Your Network" Section.
- Send a Letter/Email to your Elected Officials. Not social media savvy? No worries. We have both letter and email templates for you to customize and send to your elected officials.
- Submit a Video for NYLA's "I Am A #LibraryAdvocate" Campaign. We are asking our #LibraryAdvocates to share with us via video why #nylibraries are important to you! Whether you are a seasoned library advocate, or this is your first Library Advocacy Day - we want to hear from you. These videos will be shared via NYLA's social media channels.
Student
- Be a Social Media Advocate. Learn more about how to get involved in social media advocacy in our "Leverage Your Network" Section.
- Share Your Story. We know you love your library and that's why we want you to share your story. Tell us why your library is important to you below using our "Tell Your Story" tool.
Library Patron
- Be a Social Media Advocate. Learn more about how to get involved in social media advocacy in our "Leverage Your Network" Section.
- Share Your Story. We know you love your library and that's why we want you to share your story. Tell us why your library is important to you below using our "Tell Your Story" tool.
- Advocate for Increased Funding & Policy Initiatives that would benefit the library community.
- Submit a Video for NYLA's "I Am A #LibraryAdvocate" Campaign. We are asking our #LibraryAdvocates to share with us via video why #nylibraries are important to you! Whether you are a seasoned library advocate, or this is your first Library Advocacy Day - we want to hear from you. These videos will be shared via NYLA's social media channels.
Elected Official | Community Stakeholder
- Learn Our 2024 Legislative and Budget Priorities. Learn more about what is important to the library community this year here.
- Share Your Story. Tell us all about how #nylibraries have been important to your communities on social media! Use the hashtags #LAD24, #LibraryAdvocate, and #nylibraries to tell your story. NYLA will retweet/reshare your post throughout the day!
Legislative Meetings (In-Person & Virtual)
Meetings with individual legislators (or their office staff) are coordinated by library systems or regional coordinators. NYLA will make available a list of all the legislative office visits and their locations, whether in-person or virtual, that are submitted to us for tracking. You can submit your legislative meetings via this AirTable Form and they will be auto populated in the table below.
**Please note the AirTable will be auto populated as meetings are scheduled. If you are interested in attending any of these scheduled meetings, please contact the scheduler via email to receive Zoom credentials.
Advocacy Materials
As we near Advocacy Day, new materials to use in your meetings with legislators will be added to this page. All materials will be compiled into packets for easy distribution to advocates and advocacy targets! Please continue to check back for more in the coming weeks. Visit the Legislative Agenda subpage for the most up-to-date information regarding NYLA's funding and policy initiatives as well as supplemental materials.
If you have any questions about Library Advocacy Day, reach out to our Director of Government Relations & Advocacy at [email protected].
Leverage Your Network
Your voice has power – whether in person or online. Using the tips & tricks below - you can leverage your network to support library advocacy.
How can I be a Virtual Library Advocate?
NYLA has created a toolkit to help you be the best social media advocate you can be. See below all the tools you need to elevate your voice virtually.
Keep Your Assemblymember or State Senator’s Social Media Handle Handy
Social media is incredibly important in the advocacy world. Most elected officials will utilize their social media accounts to keep their constituents informed in real time. Most state elected officials often manage their accounts themselves. By following and engaging with your elected officials on social media, you will have one of the most direct ways to have your voice heard at your fingertips.
Find your Assemblymember and State Senator’s X handle using our directory.
Don't know who your state representatives are? Find out who your Assemblymember or State Senator are.
Learn How to Leverage Your Network of Influence
You now have a social media account and know your elected officials' social handles. Now what? Your social media account has power and we have pulled together a one-pager to help you understand your network of influence.
Craft the Perfect Message
We have pulled together sample posts for our social media advocates to utilize during Library Advocacy Day. Each of these sample posts is customizable to make it your own but touch on all of the important pieces of legislation we are advocating for this session.
Let Us Know You’re A #LibraryAdvocate!
You’ve followed and connected with your elected officials on your social media channels – what’s next?
Share with your network why being a #LibraryAdvocate is important to you!
Make sure to use the hashtags #LibraryAdvocate and #LAD24 leading up to and on Library Advocacy Day so we can share your stories!
FAQs
I’m not on social media. What can I do to support libraries?
You can send a letter to your representatives or even give them a call. Participate using the methods (and mediums) you feel most comfortable with!
As a library trustee, I embrace my responsibility for speaking up for library funding, is there anything special I can do?
Of course. As a library trustee you play a special role in our community. Share details about your role through the story feature below or check out the other options including virtual meetings.
How do I let NYLA (and by extension library advocates) know when are meetings have been scheduled?
Scroll up just a bit to our AirTable. If you scheduled a meeting with a Senator or Assemblymember, you can add the information including time, there.
As we prepare for our meetings, along with the identified ‘speakers’, where can I find talking points and materials to share?
Coming soon.
Who should I be promoting Library Advocacy Day 2024 to?
Everyone.
How should we be reporting out on the meetings after they happen?
Advocacy Report
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