Sociologist, author, and New York University professor Eric Klinenberg believes that libraries are the greatest social infrastructure our country has.
“I don’t know of another institution that has the capability to make such a diverse set of people feel dignified and welcome when they walk in the door,” Klinenberg told attendees at the outset of United for Libraries Virtual, a three-day virtual conference hosted by United for Libraries (UFL) July 30–August 1, 2024.
Klinenberg’s latest book, 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed (February 2024, Knopf), examines the seminal year in which the COVID-19 pandemic upended life for nearly everyone. During his keynote speech, he praised the mission of libraries and activated listeners in furthering their good work. He noted his message comes at a time when some in American society are challenging libraries’ relevance and librarians’ professionalism.
“In a certain way, librarians are the essential workers of 2024,” Klinenberg said. “I can’t imagine many professions where people are more under fire than librarians these days, given attacks on libraries, on library funding, on books, on ideas.”
He continued: “The job for all of us who don’t work in libraries is to make sure that librarians are honored and respected and protected and taken care of.”
Klinenberg’s words set the tone for United Virtual, which offered a slate of programs focused on how trustees, Friends groups, and foundations can support libraries and their workers in the areas of advocacy, fundraising, marketing, succession planning, and fighting book bans.
American Libraries highlights some key takeaways from the conference.
Getting ahead of bans
When a resolution was introduced in the city council of Huntington Beach, California, that would ban and restrict books for minors at the public library, Dina Chavez thought the measure would be easily defeated. Chavez, president of Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library, says that prior to 2023, the library had received only five book challenges in five years.
Instead, the resolution passed 4–3, Chavez explained in the session “Championing Library Freedom: How Friends Groups Can Fight Back When Our Library Is Under Attack.” Her Friends group has found itself rallying supporters for over a year with hopes of reversing the ordinance. Supporters have attended council meetings, put up yard signs, and written letters to local media outlets.
“It was so surprising to see this kind of attack,” Chavez said. She urges Friends groups experiencing similar situations to focus on gathering resources rather than worry about the exact messaging.
To start, libraries should build coalitions with national-level organizations like the American Library Association and American Civil Liberties Union as well as local groups that can help advocate for intellectual freedom. In Huntington Beach, for instance, locals raised awareness by forming a banned book club and setting up a table outside of the library with books that had been removed from the collection.
“If we knew then what we know now, we’d be doing more to find these allies,” Chavez said.
She also recommended teaching elected officials about collection development policies and focusing on successful programming that benefits the community. When making points, Chavez urged advocates to refrain from getting personal and avoid mentioning public figures by name.
Heath Umbreit, adult services librarian at Morrill Memorial Library (MML) in Norwood, Massachusetts, agrees that education is essential in getting ahead of censorship attempts. At the session “Rising to the Challenge: The Trustee’s Role in the Culture Wars,” they spoke about opposition to MML’s Pride Month celebrations and lessons that trustees can put into practice.
“When you come across antilibrary information, please correct it,” Umbreit said. “Libraries work for the benefit of the whole community—and yes, the whole community might include people we don’t agree with.”
In addition to educating patrons, Umbreit said trustees have an obligation to educate themselves. This means learning the responsibilities and expectations of their role, understanding library policies and operations, talking to staffers about their greatest difficulties, and attending regular trainings—including media trainings.
“Boards of trustees and librarians are all part of the same team, so we need to pull together toward the common goals of access and community benefit,” Umbreit said.
Libraries work for the benefit of the whole community—and yes, the whole community might include people we don’t agree with.—Heath Umbreit, adult services librarian at Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, Massachusetts
Above all, Umbreit stressed that trustees should not go on the attack against antilibrary activists. “Please, if you do nothing else, deescalate exaggerated rhetoric,” they said. “Make it clear that name-calling and baseless accusations are inappropriate, that violent backlash is never acceptable, regardless of how someone might feel about any given book or individual program.”
Everyday advocacy
Many presenters at United Virtual said they wished their library had better relationships with community members, media, elected officials, and potential advocates before a challenge or ban occurred. But a need for allies doesn’t just kick in amid a threat to intellectual freedom. A library might need help passing a bond measure or fixing a leaking roof, for instance.
“When you need that relationship, it’s too late to build that relationship,” observed Kathy Dooley-Smith, president of the Friends of Tennessee Libraries. She presented the session “Libraries Are Better with Friends: How to Foster a Strong Group of Advocates” and offered pointers for running an effective Friends group that can help funnel support to the library ahead of an emergency.
Dooley-Smith said that Friends groups should start by making their mission, bylaws, and objectives clear to members. She recommends creating a “Friends 101” checklist that spells out what the group needs to function properly and scheduling regular sit-downs with library leadership.
She also suggested that Friends groups broadcast their good work to patrons. Groups can publicize their advocacy by writing social media posts and newsletters, delivering reports at board meetings, creating library displays that explain their role in the organization, and reaching out to local news outlets.
In addition to media connections, library advocates should work to cultivate ongoing relationships with local, state, and national officials. Presenters at “Advocacy: The Importance of Leveraging Your Community” recommended that libraries should have a list of names they can turn to when a crisis strikes.
“One of the things we’ve seen the most the last three years is people being caught off guard,” said Carolyn Foote, a retired Texas librarian and author who cofounded the FReadom Fighters advocacy group alongside Becky Calzada, American Association of School Librarians president.
Foote suggests that library workers and supporters meet with their representatives by scheduling a visit or calling their office and offering themselves as an expert. “Ask for the legislative aide,” she said. “We found that that was really the most important connection we could make.”
Internal advocacy is just as important as external, Calzada said. It looks at processes and decision makers before a crisis occurs, which can prepare staffers for a challenge or legislation that attempts to limit access to library materials.
“Often, policies that are not very recently updated have gaps, and that is where we see problems come up,” Calzada said. She urges library workers and supporters to regularly act out scenarios, like what to do if a commissioner requests that all books on a certain topic be removed from circulation.
Unsure who the potential advocates in your community are? MacKenzie Ledley, executive director at Pulaski County (Ind.) Public Library, suggests that trustees try an exercise called power mapping, which involves drawing on one’s personal and positional networks to create a living document of influential contacts.
“We like to talk about [power mapping] as the six degrees of separation concept,” Ledley said at “Preparing for Troubling Times: Tips for Trustees.” “It is a very helpful tool that can be used to move decision makers up and down the ladder of engagement.”
By identifying those in the community who make decisions—and being aware of opportunities that support their interests—trustees can go beyond their direct connections to build relationships. If a legislator is working on an economic development bill, for example, Ledley suggested inviting them to check out the library’s economic development resources.
“Power mapping is something you can do in your pajamas, you can do it at home, you can do it when your flight is delayed,” said Ledley, who stressed that these contact lists have been successful in her own community.
“Is it possible for a rural conservative community to value the principles of intellectual freedom?” she asked. “I can tell you, yes, it is wholeheartedly possible, I’ve seen it happen.”
Finding the funds
Trustees, Friends groups, and foundations are often tasked with fundraising for their libraries. But what types of efforts actually pay off?
Think twice before undertaking a 5K event or silent auction, said Rachel Heine, director of development at Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library (CML), who presented the session “Fundraising Tips and Tricks: Some Novel Ideas.”
In addition to being expensive, “events are a time suck,” Heine said. Instead, she suggested five ideas for raising money: major gifts, grant writing, year-end giving, planned giving, and expressions of gratitude.
With major gifts, Heine said, start with current and frequent donors and be clear that you will be making an ask. If your institution can do only one big annual ask, it should be at the end of the year—despite the competition.
The more we thank our donors, the more we’re going to raise. End of discussion.—Rachel Heine, director of development at Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library
“It’s the absolute best time, and it’s the most successful,” Heine said. “That’s why everyone’s doing it then.” CML’s year-end giving campaign starts on Giving Tuesday and goes through January 15.
She also reminded libraries to show gratitude to all donors: “The more we thank our donors, the more we’re going to raise. End of discussion.” Institutions can do this by sending narrative emails or handwritten notes from volunteers, kids, staffers, and others who have benefited from contributions.
Cathi Alloway, a consultant with Library Strategies, agreed that gratitude should be prioritized. One of the reasons, Alloway shared at “Donor Engagement: Acquiring and Inspiring Committed and Faithful Supporters,” is because retaining donors is more lucrative than trying to acquire them. Yet according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, the average retention rate for charitable givers is only 40%–45%.
“They drop primarily for one reason: They got an insufficient amount of gratitude,” Alloway said. She recommended sending acknowledgments to donors that include a signature from a library director or board member within a month of receiving a gift. Additional communications, like newsletters, annual reports, and facility tours, can help donors understand the impact of their dollars. And events that celebrate donors, such as annual brunches, luncheons, or family-friendly happy hours, allow supporters—regardless of their gift size—to feel seen and appreciated.
“You need to show them the love,” Alloway said, “because they’re going to give it back to you in even more ways.”
Securing tomorrow
Raising funds is one way that trustees, Friends groups, and foundations can work to sustain libraries. But marketing and succession planning are also instrumental in ensuring longevity.
The Chicago Public Library Foundation (CPLF) focuses less on raising money and more on growing awareness. At “Marketing Is the Future: How to Build a More Sustainable Library Foundation Model by Integrating Marketing in the Organizational Culture, Strategy, and Practice,” members from CPLF discussed how leveraging digital content and engagement data has yielded transformative results in converting audience members into donors.
“So much of marketing is just trying things and testing messages and listening to our audiences,” said Brenda Langstraat Bui, CPLF’s president and CEO. She and marketing director Rica Bouso discussed how the foundation expanded its offerings during the pandemic to include podcasts, videos, and storytimes—and began tracking the kinds of content that brought visitors to the website.
By analyzing the popularity of their offerings, CPLF was able to successfully reduce the number of times the average person came to their website before clicking the “donate” button.
Another way libraries can stay strong is by anticipating inevitable board departures. During “Securing Tomorrow: Effective Succession Strategies for Library Boards,” presenters explained that succession planning can promote resiliency ahead of a trustee leaving.
Maura Deedy, executive director of Libraries of Eastern Oregon, said libraries should start with an assessment of the current board, including how members’ skills and capabilities match potential leadership vacancies. Assessments should consider tenure, levels of experience, community connections, geographic diversity, and diversity of identities.
Boards should then analyze this data to decide whether gaps can be filled with internal or outside talent, said Stephanie Chase, founding principal of the Constructive Disruption consultancy.
“Board members really need to recruit and engage,” Chase said. “You need to be willing to work your network. And most important, you need to be willing to build new networks.”
For more on the programs offered at United for Libraries Virtual, visit elearning.ala.org.
