Advocacy

To suggest additions, please email Kris Adams Wendt at kawendt@wvls.org.

Voter Registration Resources

September 25 is National Voter Registration Day. It’s an opportunity for community volunteers and organizations to spotlight educating and assisting voters who are not registered or need to update their registration to reflect an address or name change. Librarians do that all year long!

The League of Women Voters of the Northwoods (LWVNOW) recently announced the Voter Education and Registration Assistance Project (VERAP), an innovative new project it is offering through direct contact to libraries in the chapter’s home counties of Florence, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas. The tools are, however, available on line for any public or secondary school library that wants to set up a voter registration station. See below for links.

The primary project goal is offering community members an additional location where they can self-register to vote and learn what else they need when they vote.

Downloadable tools include an Instructional Notebook for patrons to use at library computers for self-registering to vote, either online at www.myvote.wi.gov or via paper registration, as well as a Resource Notebook containing up-to-date information on the many questions voters frequently ask: When is the next election? Where do I vote? How can I vote absentee? Who are the candidates on my ballot? Who is my municipal clerk? What is an acceptable proof of my residence? and what can I use as my photo ID? A simplified Instructional Notebook can be adapted to sit beside public computer stations.

The Notebooks are available on the LWVNOW Voter Information webpage

VERAP Resource Notebook
VERAP Instructional Notebook, Online Voter Registration Instructions at MyVote.wi.gov
VERAP Simplified Instructional Notebook, How to Register to Vote on MyVote.wi.gov

Registration may be done by mail or online up to 20 days before the election. Voters may register in person at their municipal clerk’s office up until the Friday before the election at 5:00 p.m. or close of business, whichever is later. Voters may also register at the polls on Election Day. Proof of residency must be provided in all cases.

For additional information see also Bring it to the Ballot Voting in Wisconsin and The Voter Photo Identification Law.

LWVNOW, a chapter of the US and Wisconsin League of Women Voters, is a nonpartisan political organization that neither supports nor opposes candidates for office at any level of government. VERAP was inspired by collaborations between the Kenosha Public Library and their City Clerk’s office; and by the LWV of Milwaukee County, Milwaukee School District and the Milwaukee Elections Commission. The intent is to distribute VERAP tools statewide.

Nearly 2,900 partners participated in National Voter Registration Day last year. Almost 125,000 citizens registered or updated their registration on National Voter Registration Day. Since the day was founded in 2012, more than 1.6 million voters have registered.

Voter Registration Downloadable Tools from (VERAP)

Downloadable tools for patrons to use at library computers for self-registering to vote.

www.myvote.wi.gov or via paper registration

VERAP Resource Notebook : When is the next election? Where do I vote? How can I vote absentee? Who are the candidates on my ballot? Who is my municipal clerk? What is an acceptable proof of my residence? and what can I use as my photo ID?

Libraries can also create a simplified Instructional Notebook adapted to sit beside public computer stations as shown:

Online Voter Registration Instructions at MyVote.wi.gov

VERAP Simplified Instructional Notebook, How to Register to Vote on MyVote.wi.gov

Additional Election Resources, Voter Information and Lobbying

Voter Registration Downloadable Tools from (VERAP)

Downloadable tools for patrons to use at library computers for self-registering to vote.

www.myvote.wi.gov or via paper registration

Libraries can also create a simplified Instructional Notebook can be adapted to sit beside public computer stations:

The Notebooks are available on the LWVNOW Voter Information webpage

Online Voter Registration Instructions at MyVote.wi.gov
VERAP Simplified Instructional Notebook, How to Register to Vote on MyVote.wi.gov

Basic Advocacy Resources

American Library Association

Advocacy University
Frontline Advocacy
Library Advocate’s Handbook
Quotable Facts About America’s Libraries
The Small But Powerful Guide to Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library
Spark: ALA joined the Harry Potter Alliance in an 8-part video series targeted to first-time advocates aged 3-12.
Tools for Advocacy
Cheat Sheet for 2018 Legislative Candidates

Wisconsin Education Media & Technology Association

Wisconsin Library Association

South Central Library System

Winnefox Library System

Library Use & Return on Investment Calculator

Illinois Library Association

Additional Advocacy Resources

ALA Legislative Action Center
Connectivity by CQ Roll Call: Help for Associations, Nonprofits and Advocacy Professionals
- 50 Stealable Grassroots Marketing Campaigns Ideas from professional grassroots marketing campaigns, with verified success metrics provide confidence and ideas for optimizing advocacy, growing donations or enhancing membership growth and engagement in local projects. Includes “1,190 Tweets to Congress in Two Weeks” – ALA’s 2016 campaign to encourage Members of Congress to support school library programs by reauthorizing ESEA – and recommended by ALA to state library associations.
Every CRS Report
- The Congressional Research Service (CRS), a division of the Library of Congress, is Congress’s think tank, researching and compiling nonpartisan reports on a governmental issues. This site, with bi-partisan support, make these reports available to the public. Updated regularly.
C-SPAN Video Library
- More than 228,000 hours of video (just about everything that has ever aired on C-SPAN), updated on a daily basis. Historical content includes debates, speeches, rallies, and more. Users can create custom video clips to save and share. Essential.
Getting a busy signal when you call Congress? Here’s how to get through. the Christian Science Monitor
How to Find Legislative Documents and Follow the Wisconsin Legislative Process
The Influence Game for Libraries – Stephanie Vance
Not Good with Elevator Speeches? Try ‘Taxi Chats’
Wisconsin Council on Children & Families Legislative Advocacy Guide
WVLS Fake News Resources
WVLS Libraries and Legislators Contact Information by County 2017-2018

Keeping Your Library Neutral

Keeping yourself and your collection politically neutral ensures that you are in good ethical standing and exemplifies one of the missionsof libraries: to provide the greatest amount of access to as much diverse materials as possible.

Public Libraries Online blogger Andrew Hart offers advice on how to avoid conveying perceived bias to library patrons and community that the library is for or against political parties, policies or particular candidates running for office.

Political Ethics: Keeping Your Library Neutral by Andrew Hart 10/19/2016

The article addresses ways of expressing bias, librarians as public servants, library ethical codes, evaluating your collection, and evaluating your library services (advertisements, displays, programs).

Resources

Code of Ethics of the American Library Association.
IFLA Code of Ethics for Librarians and other Information Workers (International Federation of Library Associations).

WVLS Libraries Transform Project

Carla Huston, Denise Korenuk, Rep. Jim Edming, Tammie Blomberg, Erica Clarkson 11-17-16

WVLS librarians are continuing to provide legislators serving districts that include all or portions of WVLS counties with opportunities to learn more about the way Wisconsin libraries transform their communities. Funding to support WVLS and its sister public library systems across Wisconsin is appropriated through the biennial state budget process. A new state budget will be written in 2017.

The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) began its Libraries Transform! poster project in 2016 as part of the association’s 125th Anniversary, and as a vehicle for building relationships between legislators and libraries. WLA’s goal is to create and maintain a complete set of legislative posters for display in local libraries. The project is based on the American Library Association’s Libraries Transform Campaign.

(Above) Representative Jim Edming visited the Frances L. Simek Memorial Library in Medford to receive his Libraries Transform! poster from Taylor County library directors Carla Huston (Stetsonville), Denise Korenuk (Gilman), Tammie Blomberg (Rib Lake), and Erica Clarkson (Medford). Candice Celestina-Smith (Westboro) not pictured.

(Below) Senator Jerry Petrowski at the downtown Wausau branch of Marathon County Public Library with Director Ralph Illick on the day the Senator’s poster photo was taken.

The large library card featured on each poster includes State Senator Jerry Petrowski and MCPL Ralph Illick logos from all the public library systems across Wisconsin. It is symbolic of the fact that legislative districts frequently include portions of counties from more than one public library system.

Completed Posters are available for these WVLS area Legislators: Representatives Bernier, Edming, Felzkowski, Kulp, Mursau, Snyder, Spiros, Swearingen, and Senators Petrowski and Tiffany. A poster for Senator Moulton is pending.

Additional copies of each poster may be purchased for display at local libraries (a friendly welcome when legislators return for a listening session or office hours) for $20 by contacting the WLA office at 608-245-3640 or wla@wisconsinlibraries.org .

Send us your “Libraries Transform!” News!

Do you have stories or photos of legislators’ visits to your library to share? Do you have questions about the Libraries Tranform! poster project? Contact Kris Adams Wendt at kawendt@wvls.org.

Felzkowski Transform Poster