Webinars

Dec 19, 2017 – The Library as Cause: Lessons from Winning Campaigns

Successful political candidates know that the right way to connect with their voters starts by sharing their vision for the community they serve. For library funding – either at the ballot box or through donor support – your library strategic or facilities plan is where your vision and hope reside. In this session, learn how to create a ‘fundable plan’ using the tools of winning political campaigns to frame the community conversation. Join EveryLibrary’s executive director John Chrastka for a practical session that will help you deploy effective communications – both positive and opposition messaging – and provide you with useful take-home exercises for staff and boards.

Presented by John Chrastka, EveryLibrary Executive Director

January 16, 2018 – The Librarian as Candidate: How to Activate Voters and Constituents for Support

Voters, constituents, and donors behave the way they do for specific reasons, and very little of it has to do with what “library conventional wisdom” says. Most of what drives their behavior—at the polls, when you ask them to advocate, or when you appeal to them for donations—is not their own user experience, but is instead their perceptions and attitudes of the public library as an institution and the people who work there. In this session, John Chrastka, Executive Director of EveryLibrary, will share critical public-perception data and field-tested messages to activate those perceptions to help you shape more effective marketing for your library. You will learn short, actionable messaging and marketing techniques to begin to update community perceptions and to change their attitudes in your favor.

Presented by Patrick”PC” Sweeney, EveryLibrary Political Director

February 20, 2018 – So Why Haven’t You Gone to the Ballot in 20 Years?

Before you bring a ballot measure before voters or a funding ‘ask’ to your local government, it’s key to understand that voters, constituents, and donors are driven by their perceptions and attitudes of the library as an institution as well as the librarians and staff. This webinar explores “frames” for activating people to update their perceptions and change their attitudes. We will provide insights on how to convene and empower inside stakeholders around your message, build a local coalition about the library and its funding future, and explore ways to get past political and emotional blocks on the path to the ballot.

Presented by John Chrastka, EveryLibrary Executive Director

Speaker Bios

John Chrastka

John Chrastka is founder and executive director of EveryLibrary<http://everylibrary.org/>, the first Super PAC for libraries. Since 2012, EveryLibrary has provided pro-bono support to 72 library communities with ballot measures and tax referendum, helping win well over $255 million in stable tax funding. He is a former Board president of the Berwyn (IL) Public Library and RAILS, the Reaching Across Illinois Libraries System. Prior to EveryLibrary, he was a partner in AssociaDirect, an association consultancy, and was Director for Membership Development at ALA. He is a 2014 LJ Mover & Shaker. He tweets at @everylibrary

Patrick “PC” Sweeney

Patrick Sweeney is a tireless and innovative advocate for libraries. A 2007 graduate of the San Jose School of Library and Information Sciences, Mr. Sweeney is the a former Administrative Librarian of the Sunnyvale (CA) Public Library and was Executive Director of EveryLibrary California<http://everylibrarycalifornia.org/>, a statewide initiative to support library Propositions. He is a lecturer at the San Jose Information School where he teaches courses on political activism and libraries. He is active in the California Library Association and across library social media as a co-founder of the Library Think Tank. He is a 2015 LJ Movers & Shakers. He tweets at @pcsweeney<http://twitter.com/pcsweeney>