President's message: advocacy from the outside and from within.(Ala)(President's Page)

Library advocacy can take many forms and include countless people. From telling fellow shoppers in the grocery line how libraries have changed to speaking up at a city council hearing in support of better salaries for library workers, everyone who cares about libraries--trustees, volunteers, patrons, and staff--are indeed spreading the world about the importance of libraries.

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The need for advocacy is greater than ever in this challenging fiscal environment. At a time when there is a nationwide increase in library usage, funding for our beloved institutions is dismal, and in some instances shortages are severe. Stories of closures, reductions in …