TLA 2008 Conference Notes, Day Two: Alire on Advocacy, plus CULD Business Meeting

(CULD= College and University Division. They combined their meeting with this session, so the business meeting came after Alire's talk. I did stay for the meeting too, and I did introduce myself and offered to volunteer. We'll see if something comes out of it. I think this session was added late since it was not in the first printed program, but it was in the little booklet they give at the conference. Anyhow, here we go.)

Title of session: Academic Library Advocacy from the Frontline.
Presenter: Camila Alire

Notes:

• Advocacy, articulating the value of libraries, librarians, and library support staff. Alire is concerned about our ability to do this. Interested in looking at power of personal persuasion and self-confidence, which needs to be developed.
  
• We need parallel advocacy for academic libraries. Library administrators on one side; academic librarians and staff on the other.
  
• "Action. . .is best implemented by individuals who have a frame of reference on which to build advocacy." --Sandra Kaplan.
  
• (Her bragging moment: getting 700K added to her library's base budget at U. of New Mexico. To which I think, must be nice.)
• Check the ACRL Toolkit. (I think she was referring to the advocacy one, but you can find that and others here.)

(Dr. Alire is running for the ALA presidency, and I have to say she seems sincere about her commitment to grassroots advocacy. I am not quite sure she is inspiring enough to get me to renew my ALA membership, but she made me think about it for a moment, if that says anything.)