How do you encourage library staff and users to advocate for each other?

1 Understand your stakeholders

The first step to encourage advocacy is to understand who your stakeholders are and what they care about. Stakeholders are anyone who has an interest or influence in your library, such as users, staff, volunteers, funders, partners, and policymakers. To understand your stakeholders, you need to listen to their feedback, observe their behavior, and analyze their data. You also need to communicate with them regularly and transparently, and show them that you value their input and contributions.

2 Identify common goals and challenges

The next step is to identify the common goals and challenges that your stakeholders share or face. For example, some common goals might be to increase library usage, improve service quality, enhance digital literacy, or promote social justice. Some common challenges might be to cope with budget cuts, adapt to changing user needs, overcome barriers to access, or deal with misinformation. By identifying these commonalities, you can create a sense of solidarity and mutual support among your stakeholders.

3 Foster a culture of collaboration

The third step is to foster a culture of collaboration among your stakeholders. Collaboration means working together to achieve shared goals, solve problems, and learn from each other. To foster a culture of collaboration, you need to create opportunities and spaces for your stakeholders to interact, exchange ideas, and cooperate on projects. You also need to provide them with the tools and resources they need to collaborate effectively, such as online platforms, training, and feedback mechanisms.

4 Empower your stakeholders to take action

The fourth step is to empower your stakeholders to take action and advocate for each other. Empowerment means giving your stakeholders the authority, autonomy, and confidence to make decisions, express opinions, and influence outcomes. To empower your stakeholders, you need to involve them in planning, decision-making, and evaluation processes. You also need to recognize and reward their efforts, celebrate their achievements, and support their growth and development.

6 Build strategic partnerships and networks

The sixth and final step is to build strategic partnerships and networks with other organizations and groups that share your vision and mission. Partnerships and networks mean the formal or informal relationships that you establish with other entities to collaborate, exchange, and advocate. To build strategic partnerships and networks, you need to identify potential allies and supporters, reach out to them, and establish mutual goals and expectations. You also need to maintain and nurture these relationships, and seek new opportunities and synergies.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?