All things Library Advocacy Day 2012: March 6

Library Advocacy Day in Albany
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Empire State Plaza Meeting Room 6
Albany, New York

Library Advocacy Briefing WEBINAR
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
This free webinar provides a detailed review of NYLA's 2012 Legislative Priorities and Talking Points, to better prepare library advocates for their upcoming legislative visits.

To register to participate in the webinar - click HERE.
***
Pre-Advocacy Day Activities 2012 – Monday, March 5, 2012
NYLA Institute is pleased to offer workshops to allow to you to make the most of your visit to Albany.
Courtyard by Marriott on Wolf Road - 189 Wolf Road, Albany, New York 12205
(see link for detail)
***
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 – Library Advocacy Day
8:00am - 9:30am - Legislative Meet & Greet: NYLA hosts an informal buffet breakfast for legislators and staff to meet with library advocates from around the state in Meeting Room Six in the Concourse of the Empire State Plaza. Legislators are also given the opportunity at this time to have their photos taken for the annual READ posters and bookmarks that are used to promote the Statewide Summer Reading Program.
9:30am – 11:00am - Advocacy Day Briefings: Briefings on the current status of budget negotiations and NYLA’s Legislative Priorities will be given at regular intervals in Meeting Room 6, Concourse Level of the Empire State Plaza.
11:30am – 12:00pm - Rally and Speeches: Library advocates rally in Meeting Room 6 to voice their support for library funding and provide a visual demonstration of the strength of the library community to legislators and their staffs. Various speakers are scheduled (elected officials, NYLA leaders, etc.).
Special Guest
Kenneth C. Davis is the author of Don’t Know Much About® History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don’t Know Much About® series, which has a combined in-print total of some 4.7-million copies. In June 2011, Don’t Know Much About History: Anniversary Edition was released in hardcover by HarperCollins. A newly revised, updated and expanded edition of the book that started the series, it now presents a complete survey of American history, from before the arrival of Columbus in 1492 right through the events of the past decade –from 9/11 through the election of Barack Obama and the first years of his administration.
To learn more about Kenneth C. Davis - Visit dontknowmuch.com.
Several publishers have donated books that will be available for free to Library Advocates who visit Meeting Room 6 on Library Advocacy Day.

Meetings / Materials & Handouts
Library advocates can visit one-on-one with their legislators to inform them of NYLA's 2012 Legislative Priorities.
Organizing a Group or meeting with a Legislator? Please fill out the Library Advocacy Day Contact Form.
Advocacy Day Handout: Advocacy materials are distributed to Library Advocacy Day attendees to use in their meetings with legislators and staff.
Stop by Meeting Room 6 to pick up handouts.
Getting There & Getting Around
Directions & Logistics

Bus & Regional Coordinator Information - Find a bus heading to Albany for Library Advocacy Day! - Don't go it alone!
Security Information
Please plan for airport-like security measures in place in the New York State Capitol, the Legislative Office Building and its surrounding buildings. Please be prepared to pass through a metal detector and have your belongings go through an X-ray machine to enter. All adults (16+) must show a photo ID to enter - it is recommended that attendees carry a photo ID at all times. In addition, items that are sharp or may be construed as weapons are not allowed in any of the Empire State Plaza buildings (including "sticks" attached to Rally signs). Due to the security measures and the number of people expected in Albany that day, please leave yourself plenty of time to travel between Meeting Room 6 and meetings with legislators.
Who's going to gain?
• ALL NY libraries and citizens.
• ALL libraries and systems which receive direct state aid.
• Many libraries and systems which receive indirect state aid in the form of cooperative services and shared programs from their library system.
• Legislators who need to understand how libraries can help them.
What can I do now to support this effort?
• Call your legislator's office, either at his or her district office, or in Albany.
• Tell him/her how important your library is to the community—and its voting citizens.
• Tell him/her that increased funding for libraries is ESSENTIAL and CRITICAL.
• Use our helpful advocacy tools to help shape your personal message.
We have a great opportunity to speak out for additional funding for electronic resources, construction, and aid for all libraries. It's not hard—and we all need to do our part in strengthening New York's libraries, systems, and special collections.