Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding

Sweeney, Patrick (PC) and John Chrastka. Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding. Neal-Schuman, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1556-1

Description
Written by two experienced library campaigners and filled with easy to follow strategies, this book will guide ballot committees, librarians, trustees, and library advocates through the process of winning an election for funding their library.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1    Getting Started
Chapter 2    Surfacing
Chapter 3    Schmoozing and Networking
Chapter 4    Early Work and Political Landscape Memo
Chapter 5    Power Mapping
Chapter 6    Building Your Vote Yes Committee
Chapter 7    Committee Roles and Responsibilities
Chapter 8    Getting on the Ballot
Chapter 9    Campaign Budget
Chapter 10    Fund-Raising
Chapter 11    Volunteers
Chapter 12    Theme and Message
Chapter 13    Responding to Opposition
Chapter 14    Earned Media
Chapter 15    Paid Media
Chapter 16    Voter Data
Chapter 17    Polling
Chapter 18    Website and Digital Platforms
Chapter 19    Canvassing and Phone Banking
Chapter 20    Campaign Events
Chapter 21    E-Mail
Chapter 22    Facebook

40 New Revenue Sources

Rossman, Edmund A.,III. 40 New Revenue Sources for Libraries & Nonprofits. Chicago: ALA, 2016. 025.110973 Rossm

In recent years, levies, grants, and other traditional sources of library funding have stagnated or even been scaled back. But as they've already done in other areas, libraries can take an innovative, proactive approach to funding. Change creates opportunities, and the ability to see and exploit opportunities is what creates new revenue streams, which can help maintain and enhance library services. Offering step-by-step guidance, in this book Rossman shares more than 40 revenue-generating methods to bolster the library's bottom line. Through plentiful examples, interviews, and implementation exercises this book:

• discusses the current context of funding for libraries and non-profits, using the history of Public Broadcasting as a positive role model for libraries;
• examines how general market features from the worlds of advertising and broadcasting, such as location, traffic, the right cluster of skills, and technology, apply to the library environment
• demonstrates how to utilize these market features in the most professional and efficient manner to build new revenue streams;
• walks readers through numerous plans for raising revenue from memorial considerations, one-time events like art shows and athletic competitions, naming rights and sponsorships for permanent resources such as buildings and rooms, location specific promotions, online crowd-funding, establishing passport services, and many more;
• provides guidelines of how to establish value, craft board policies, and write comprehensive contracts using a toolkit approach that will make the sales process more efficient; and
• shows library boards and management how to address sensitive issues such as name changes, unforeseen bankruptcy or disgraceful situations with a sponsor, community concerns about selling out, and the use of technology for appeals.

Libraries can use this book's to-the-point guidance to quickly develop plans that support financial stability and better library service.

This collection is supported in whole by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library.

Researching Prospective Donors: Get More Funding for Your Library

Hammerman, Susan Summerfield. Researching Prospective Donors: Get More Funding for Your Library. Chicago: ALA, 2014.  025.110973 Hamme   ISBN 978-0838912294

Individuals, not government sources or foundations, are the largest source of giving in the United States. Right now your community has individuals ready to become enthusiastic donors to your library. But how do you find the most likely prospective donors? Hammerman, a successful prospect researcher, gives library directors, fundraisers, and board members all the tools they need to research individuals and their wealth. This straight-talking guidebook:

·        Describes how to identify and research prospects using existing or easy-to-find resources, including publicly available information on individuals' wealth and assets:

·        Spells out what information about a prospect is most important, such as previous charitable donations, hobbies, interests, and memberships in clubs or other organizations

·        Provides worksheets to document findings so the research can be used effectively for fundraising

·        Shows how to establish a confidentiality policy and securely store information on prospects

·        Includes an annotated bibliography of fundraising resources

Using the strategies outlined in this valuable book, your library's fundraising staff can focus their time and attention on the best donors and potential donors in your community.

ALA Book of Library Grant Money, 9th ed.

Maxwell, Nancy Kalikow, ed. The ALA Book of Library Grant Money, 9th ed. Chicago: ALA, 2014. ISBN 978-0-8389-1211-9

This all-in-one resource for researching library and school grants is back in a new edition, and more useful than ever, offering refreshed content and even more guidance on locating grant funding sources. Using this guide, librarians, fundraisers, and researchers will find quick, convenient access to information on the most likely funding sources for libraries, including private foundations, corporate foundations, corporate direct givers, government agencies, and library and nonprofit organizations. Edited by Nancy Kalikow Maxwell, a grant writer with 35 years of experience, this edition includes more than 200 new entries, as well as

•    A detailed introduction explaining the concept of "grant readiness" and walking readers through the steps of preparing their institution for a grant project, including strategic planning, conducting a needs assessment, and identifying potential partners
•    Guidance on the most effective ways to use the directory, with an explanation of inclusion criteria and data elements
•    Multiple indexes for finding the right information fast
•    A new section covering grant-related organizations and sources, to aid readers looking for grant writers or grant development assistance
The challenge of "finding the money" will be made easier with this guide's clear and comprehensive information.

Friends Groups...School Libraries

Reed, Sally G. Friends Groups: Critical Support for School Libraries [toolkit]. Philadelphia: United for Libraries, 2013.

About the Toolkit

...gives tips on gaining school support; raising the profile of the school library; generating excitement; establishing a friends group of parents, faculty and community members; creating a student friends group and more.

“With school libraries closing across the country, it is becoming more important than ever before for school librarians to develop friends groups,” said United for Libraries Executive Director Sally Gardner Reed. “Friends have been keeping public libraries open and even staving off budget cuts for years – they can do the same for school libraries.”

This toolkit is also available online.

Say It With Data

Dando, Priscille. Say It With Data: A Precise Guide to Making Your Case and Getting Results. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2014. 
ISBN: 978-0-8389-1194-5

Publisher's Description

Administrators, policymakers, legislators, and the public demand concrete, measurable evidence of the need for libraries and their use. The collection and dissemination of data about library service in a straightforward, convincing manner are integral components of library advocacy in the current economic climate. Addressing frontline librarians lobbying for increased programming or staff, as well as administrators marshalling statistics to stem the tide of budget cuts and prevent library closure, this vital new book explores the whys and hows of using data to build a better picture of library needs and success. With a distinctive combination of research-based information and practical application, Dando

• Demonstrates how data from surveys, focus groups, ALA, and state and local sources can be aggregated and used to craft a strong message
• Takes readers step by step through the process of using data to tailor a message to specific audiences
• Offers real-world examples from school and public libraries that can be used as models

Addressing the requirements of a variety of stakeholders, this concise resource lays out an easy-to-follow, systematic way of inspiring action through clear, compelling data. 

Table of Contents

Preface 

Acknowledgments

1 Determining Need, Message, and Audience 

2 Secrets of Effective Communication 

3 Working with the Power of Statistics 

4 Methods of Measurement: Surveys 

5 Methods of Measurement: Focus Groups 

6 Presenting Data to Get Results 

Appendix A: Survey Checklist 

Appendix B: Focus Group Checklist 

Appendix C: Data Presentation Checklist 

Appendix D: Birmingham Public Library Patron Survey 

Appendix E: Sample Student Survey, Robert E. Lee High School 

Appendix F: Sample Teacher Survey, Robert E. Lee High School 

Appendix G: Westborough Public School Library Survey (Faculty) 

Appendix H: Sample Survey Results for Analysis 

Bibliography 

Index 

Winning Grants (book & CD)

MacKellar, P.H. & Gerding, S.K. (2010). Winning Grants. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Written by two experts who have won millions in grants from an astonishing variety of funding sources, Winning Grants is a combination workbook, how-to-manual, and multimedia workshop.

Now presented in Neal-Schuman’s newly revised How-To-Do-It series layout, Winning Grants gives you MacKellar’s and Gerding’s combined decades of successful grant-getting techniques in an accessible design so you can master these complex processes more easily. The authors’ expertise is unique as they have been on all sides of the grant process as grant writers, reviewers, project coordinators, consultants, and trainers. They have maintained the popular Library Grants Blog for over five years, helping librarians find grant opportunities easily and at no cost.

This multimedia package features three sections. Part I, “The Grant Process Cycle,” presents the full grant process cycle with MacKellar and Gerding sharing invaluable procedural advice that distinguishes proposals that receive sustained funding. Part II, “Library Grant Success Stories,” showcases real-life success stories that demonstrate the process in practice and provide motivational tips from successful library staff. Part III, “The Winning Grants Multimedia Toolkit and DVD,” includes time-saving tools, such as reusable checklists, worksheets, and templates. All of these tools are both in the book and reproduced as Microsoft Word documents on the multimedia DVD so you can make these templates your own and share them with colleagues. The DVD includes the entire text of successful grant proposals plus ten instructional videos to walk you through each step of the grant process cycle.

(book description)

Winning Library Grants: A Game Plan

Landau, Herbert B. Winning Library Grants: A Game Plan. Chicago: ALA, 2011. 025.11 Landa ISBN978-0-8389-1047-4
Tightening budgets and shrinking sources for funding have made winning grants more important than ever before. Winning Library Grants offers a practical and comprehensive manual that guides you through grant fundamentals. This work will help you
• Find relevant funders
• Write grant applications and evaluate outcomes to pave the way for success with future proposals
• Increase chances of success by using additional tactics to “sell” your institution to a funder.

Libraries Connect Communities

Libraries Connect Communities : Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study 2007 - 2008, principal investigators, Denise M. Davis, John Carlo Bertot, Charles R. McClure ; editor, Larra Clark. Chicago : American Library Association, 2008.

From the publisher: Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2006-2007 assesses public access to computers, the Internet and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, and the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment and sustainability. The study builds on the longest-running and largest study of Internet connectivity in public libraries begun in 1994 by John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure of the Information Institute at Florida State University.

This comprehensive report provides information that can help library directors and library IT staff benchmark and advocate for technology resources in communities across the nation. The data also is of importance for policymakers at local, state and federal levels, manufacturers of information and communication technologies, and the communities served by public libraries.

The study provides data from thousands of rural, suburban and urban libraries in every state; information provided by 43 state library agencies; and feedback from focus groups and site visits in Delaware, Maryland, Nevada and Utah. Additional state data tables are provided online at Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study and Public Libraries & the Internet

The study is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Library Association.

Managing Budgets and Finances: A How-To-Do-It Manual

Hallam, Arlita W. and Dalston, Teresa R. Managing Budgets and Finances: A How-To-Do-It Manual. New York, Neal-Schuman, 2007, isbn 1-55570-519-7 025.11 Halla
From Booklist
This budgeting manual, another in the Neal-Schuman group of How-To-Do-It guides, offers the new or seasoned library administrators, board members, department heads, or finance professionals a way to budget carefully and clearly by offering a variety of strategies, definitions, and suggestions. The manual is divided into three parts: basics for librarians, special topics in financial management for libraries, and alternative library funding. Each chapter is divided into an overview, subtopic, and a summary. Definitions of terms, examples of reports, sources, and detailed steps in budget preparation are just some of the helpful aspects of this book. Special topics include outsourcing, capital projects, contracts, and RFP. The appendixes include a sample accounting manual, annual report, and RFP. This practical tool will enable readers to understand and prepare a budget, understand the fiscal matters, and be able to make decisions on funding or managing a capital project.

Review
"...easy-to-understand...the nuts and bolts of budgets, including auditing processes, fund allocations, capital projects, insurance, and sources of funding." --American Libraries

Library Public Relations, Promotions, and Communications: a How-To-Do-It Manual, 2nd ed

Wolfe, Lisa A. Library Public Relations, Promotions, and Communications: a How-To-Do-It Manual, 2nd ed. New York: Neal Schumann, 2005. isbn 1-55570-471-9 021.7 Wolfe 2nd ed.

This second edition draws from the author's extensive experience in both the private and public sectors and library success stories, an approach in the publisher's series for librarians that ensures real-world advice. The book is divided into two parts--"Planning and Evaluation" and "Strategies and Methodologies"--with many examples of successful communicating and the impact and changes brought by technology. Ideas on putting together a communications plan, creating clear signage and print products, effectively using a library's Web site, and communicating during a crisis will be helpful for all types of libraries and positions.

Review
"An expertly written guide to promotion, fundraising, public relations, community building, and more especially for libraries." --Library Bookwatch"Walters includes instructive examples of library success stories, sample plans, and a CD-ROM with a one-day workshop presentation." --American Libraries

From Awareness to Funding

From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America.

Principal contributors: Cathy De Rosa, Vice President for the Americas and Global Vice President of Marketing Jenny Johnson, Executive Director, Branding and Marketing Services

Free download (PDF) from OCLC or you can order a print copy.

From the OCLC website:

OCLC was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore attitudes and perceptions about library funding and to evaluate the potential of a large-scale marketing and advocacy campaign to increase public library funding in the U.S. The findings of this research are now available in the OCLC report, From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America. Though this study was based on data from the United States, there are findings in the report that could be applicable to any library seeking to understand the connections between public perceptions and library support.

Among the findings from the report:

• Library funding support is only marginally related to library visitation
• Perceptions of librarians are an important predictor of library funding support
• Voters who see the library as a 'transformational' force as opposed to an 'informational' source are more likely to increase taxes in its support

The report suggests that targeting marketing messages to the right segments of the voting public is key to driving increased support for U.S. public libraries.