Libraries make an impact on the lives of many people. And every library has their own special story to tell. Capturing and sharing these stories with local and state officials whose decisions affect the ability of libraries to impact even more people is an effective way to increase awareness and support for our libraries.

Please follow this link to send a letter to your elected officials, and tag them in your choice of social media. 

It may be easier  to do this on your phone which will have all your socials loaded up, signed in and ready to go. Use this QR code to streamline the process:

Additionally, if you’d like to go a step further and record a short video testimonial explaining why your library is important to you, please (and thank you!) do, and send to your college librarian at gordonc@ecc.edu.

The recordings will then be shared with our regional library advocacy group, Western New York Library Resource Council, who will make optimal use of their content and share directly with our elected officials. 

Video parameters:

• Length – no longer than 2 minutes in length
• Format – send as an .mov or .mp4 file
• Content – do not include any profanity or inappropriate behavior
  • Be sure that the name of the library is included
  • Make sure it is a story about the meaning of libraries, and nothing else! Things that could be described:
    •   The library makes me feel welcome and safe
    •   I can meet up with friends at the library
    •   I was able to apply for and get an internship/scholarship/job with help from the librarian
    •   I can connect with my family remotely, using the library’s technology
    •   I can access materials for school projects and research
    •   I can get books, movies, and music for free
    •   I can attend fun events together at the library
    •   I can reserve a quiet room for focused study
    •   The library staff help me fill out online forms for services I need
    •   I can borrow cool things at my library

  ….if you need some inspiration to get your patrons engaged, check out this recent piece  about ways libraries inspire their communities.