Library News Rodeo May 23, 2019

Campaign Updates

The 24 Hour Campaign of Blount County

On May 9th, we were contacted by the Blount County Public Library (BCPL) telling us that their funding was at risk of being seriously infringed upon by Blount County, the City of Maryville, and the City of Alcoa in Tennessee.

Over the next four days, we worked with the library and its staff to put together a petition to circulate. The petition was aimed at local leaders who had a say in the issue.

On Monday, May 13th the petition went live and within 24 hours it collected over 1,000 signatures. The massive influx of library supporters messages prompted the City Council and County Commission to reach out to the library director to begin working out other methods of procuring funding for the library.

We are happy to support campaigns like this with a petition on our platform. By working with us on our platform, the Blount County Public Library (BCPL) gained access to all of the pro-bono tools, data, funding, and training that EveryLibrary has to offer.

This incredible achievement could not have been achieved without the dedication of the Blount County community and the determination of the library staff.

Head on over to the Friends of Blount County Library page to support them. 

Donate to EveryLibrary today to help us make a difference in communities just like Blount County

Launch Your own Petition

Is your school or public library being threatened with budget cuts? Is there a compelling piece of legislation in your state that would support or disrupt library services? Are there organizations or government agencies that are disrupting library services, programs, or events? If so, then let us help!

By utilizing our platform, you will gain access to all of the features EveryLibrary has to offer. For example, we will:

• Provide free consulting on the content of your petition to ensure that it is highly engaging and actionable by your community
• Provide up to $500 in digital ads in your community to ensure that library supporters in your area are given the opportunity to see and sign the petition
• Email our lists of pre-identified library supporters in your community who we know will take action to support their local library.
• Post your petition to our social media where we have a reach of over 1.5 million Americans each week
• Provide pro-bono consulting on engaging with your community and building more structured support for your library
• Provide you with the list of library supporters who signed your petition at the end of the campaign.
• Send emails to your supporters and signers on your behalf to encourage further action, give updates, and thank them at the end of the campaign.

Local Spotlight

Support Libraries for just $1 a Month

Supporting libraries with just $1 per month doesn’t sound like much but it makes a big difference for many small and rural libraries across the country. That’s because we are able to turn every dollar that we raise into over $1,600 in stable yearly library funding through our political work and, with one year of your $1 donations, we will be able to help libraries raise almost $20,000 with your contribution. Plus, if we reach our goal of just 100 new monthly $1 donors like you, we’ll be able to help libraries earn almost 2 million dollars in stable funding!

EveryLibrary Events

RSVP to our Annual Fundraiser at ALA 2019

We're excited to bring you another fun fundraiser during the American Library Association Conference in Washington DC. Built on the success of the sell-out fundraiser at ALA in New Orleans and the fun we had throwing axes in Philadelphia during PLA, we are planning another sell-out event with a lot of fun activities, free drinks, light snacks, and networking opportunities for attendees as well as special guests!

This year, we'll be hosting our event at Buffalo Billiards, just a short distance from the Convention Center. This fun space offers billiards, skeeball, shuffleboard, ping ping, darts and much more. Your ticket includes access to everything that Buffalo Billiards has to offer and an open bar with beer, wine, and well. Plus, don't forget about those opportunities to meet with and connect with some of your favorite friends and colleagues and meet new people.

Neat Stuff Libraries and Librarians Do

"Bring back your books": Worthington librarian reminds students to return books with song parody

Liberty Elementary school students in Worthington have one more thing to check in before checking out for summer: the school library books.

Mary Evelyn Smith sends a reminder to students by singing "Bring Back Your Books," a parody to Walk the Moon's hit song, "Shut Up and Dance."

Libraries of Stevens County offers free online educational courses

“Providing Lynda.com is another way the Libraries of Stevens County supports our local communities and small businesses,” said Amanda Six, Director of Libraries of Stevens County.

Lynda.com, now owned by LinkedIn, offers over 12,000 courses. The courses are free to those with their library card number and PIN. The database can be accessed by any device with an internet connection, and there is an option to download course content to view later without an active connection.

Middle Georgia Regional Library touts value, classes offered to community

In a first annual report released this year, the Middle Georgia Regional Library system estimates that it added almost $18 million in value to the communities in 2018. The figure was calculated based on the quantity of resources checked out and the classes offered free of charge at the libraries.

In that same period, the library region received about $4,800,100 in local, state and federal resources, according to a press release from the library. The release adds that for every dollar spent on libraries, an estimated $3.70 was returned to the community.