ARSL Advocacy Center

Build your advocacy muscles with the new ARSL Advocacy Center! Built and maintained by the ARSL Advocacy Committee, our advocacy resources are tailor-made for addressing the needs and effectively communicating the impact of small, rural libraries. These tools are available for all libraries, regardless of ARSL membership.

In addition to valuable professional education materials, the Advocacy Center features our new Advocacy Support Request Form. This form will enable the Advocacy Committee and the ARSL Office to connect you directly with the resources and expertise you need to address your specific advocacy needs. Whether it’s content for advocacy-oriented staff training or letters of official ARSL support to present to your library board the ARSL Advocacy Advisors are here to help!

Coming soon to the Advocacy Center! ARSL Intellectual Freedom Video Explainers. These short-form videos will cover the basics of intellectual freedom. Their bite-sized length makes them a perfect conversation starter for staff training days or board meetings. Videos will be produced by working library staff members and written in an easily-digestible, no-nonsense style that communicates important information without pretense.

Together We Read

OverDrive’s next Together We Read title is River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan.  This ebook will be available for unlimited checkouts in the Libby app from March 1st to March 15th.

Feel free to take advantage of these marketing materials and share with your community: https://togetherweread.com/us/marketing-materials/

Reminder: application due March 6

Applications are being accepted through March 6 for the 2023 Wisconsin Library Association Leadership Development Institute (LDI 2023).   Based on several overarching leadership competencies, participants will interact in cohort groups throughout the six-month program. Each module includes the introduction of problem-solving skills and real-life applications.

Instructors represent a wide range of disciplines both within the library community as well as outside the library profession.  Participants can earn 30 CE hours. https://www.wisconsinlibraries.org/leadership-development-institute

Coming soon at IFLS

  • Executive Committee Meeting, Fri Mar 3rd 10:00am – 1:00pm
  • Youth Services Series: Virtual Workshop, Thu Mar 9th 1:00pm – 3:00pm
  • Webmaster Office Hours, Tue Mar 14th 10:00am and Thu Mar 16th 10:00am
  • MORE Directors Council meeting, Fri Mar 17th 10:00am – 1:00pm

The details are all in the calendar.

New on the website

  • ILL Damage Guidelines: What should you do when an ILL item is received or returned damaged? Please see our new Damaged ILL Guidelines page, which includes updated procedures for these situations.
    Questions? Contact Cecelia Cole, Resource Sharing and Collection Consultant
  • IFLS created a handout for Library Legislative Day 2023 that included some photos and all the testimonials that had been submitted by the deadline.

From our IFLS libraries

Thomas St. Angelo Public Library in Cumberland will double (or possibly even triple) the size its native plant garden thanks to an AARP Wisconsin “Small Dollar, Big Impact” grant.

Submit your library news by Wednesday each week to Rebecca Kilde (kilde@ifls.lib.wi.us)

Resources: spotlight on board relations