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Libraries, archives and museums find more in common The global cooperative takes shape It all comes together in the WorldCat Registry Metasearch expands the reach of WorldCat Local Download this issue (3.3 MB pdf)
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Part 2: Widening the library's circle of influence
By Tom Storey In the last issue of NextSpace, we looked at how libraries can extend their reach beyond traditional boundaries in order to better reach users in new and compelling ways. In this issue, we’ll continue to focus on this “ripple effect,” but from the standpoint of how libraries can generate enthusiasm and action within the communities that support them. Connecting with users is, of course, essential to the mission of libraries. But building civic, commercial and governmental support is key to the survival of libraries. The ripple effect needs to come full circle, touching everyone who is involved in the success of libraries and helping to show the links between support and service. Advocacy as a lifestyle choice Gerry Meek walked into the Grand Ballroom at the Chicago Hilton for the advocacy discussion. He sat down and introduced himself to the few librarians already seated around the table. Then he looked at the empty chairs. Later recalling that meeting at ALA Annual, he asked the question, “Why wasn’t that table full? Advocacy and community building are the most important things we do.”
Gerry makes sure that advocacy is a lifestyle, not just a series of programs, at the Calgary Public Library in Alberta, Canada. As Chief Executive Officer, he weaves the theme of advocacy into everything he and his staff do and into every community connection they make. Advocacy “Meek-style” is a management philosophy and a service philosophy all in one. You should, though, forget any idea that an advocacy lifestyle is preachy and self-important. With Gerry, it has to be full of energy, adventure, laughter and a sense of fun in order to succeed. Gerry’s commitment to advocacy begins with whom he hires. By his estimate, 80 percent of librarians are introverts, 20 percent extroverts. He has filled his staff with people from that 20 percent, he claims! “I’m trying to run the circus from the monkey’s cage,” he laughs. “I hire only people who smile, because one of my metrics is the smiles we create—smiles per hour.” He puts all new employees through an orientation boot camp during which he emphasizes the library’s ABCs—Always Be Connecting—and everyone’s role in advocacy. He hands out ‘blue sky’ notebooks that he tells staff to take into the community to record ‘wicked, innovative new ideas’ as well as ways to bring ‘flash to the obvious.’ Then he checks up on them. “I want a porous, sponge-like organization that is out in the community and sees the possible in every situation in order for us to extend our reach and create new partnerships. I tell staff to listen, reflect, act. Start with who you know in the community. What service clubs are you are a part of, what cultural organizations do you belong to. I tell them I have ‘creation funds’ from which we can run pilots for things libraries might not traditionally do.” Does it work? Before we get to Gerry’s results, let’s take the “ripple effect” to this topic, as well, and widen the circle of examples beyond the library profession. What can we learn from observing how other community organizations utilize their connections to succeed. The four Ps of successful advocacy: Passion, Planning, Partnerships, Promotion It was the dream of making society work better together that led Michael Brown and Alan Khazei to start City Year, a national youth service organization founded in 1988. Fresh out of Harvard Law School, both turned down prestigious job offers in order to follow their passion for creating a nonprofit venture that they hoped would engage youth to change the world.
Today, 21 years later, they have succeeded not only in building a high-impact organization, but also in playing an influential role in advocating for a national service policy in the United States. Corps members serve as tutors, mentors, role models and leaders of after-school programs to help students and schools succeed. They also transform their communities through physical services, such as:
From a small, 50-person pilot program in its initial year, City Year has grown to 20 locations across the country and in South Africa. Since its inception, City Year has:
For the 1988 pilot, Michael and Alan raised the $200,000 they needed from four corporate sponsors. In 2009, City Year has revenues of $58 million, of which about half come from contributions and private grants. It has more than 350 corporate sponsors, including local companies in the 20 locations where it operates. And about a quarter of its revenues come from federal grants. What made City Year succeed? How did it identify who to approach for sponsorship and get on their radar screen to make a pitch? How was it able to win the trust of its major supporters for ongoing funding? And how did it leverage its initial success to advocate policy changes and expand into the political sphere for government funding?
“We fancied ourselves as social entrepreneurs and like to say we built a national service organization out of our garage,” Michael remembers. “We were inspired by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (Apple Inc.), and also by Peter Ueberroff (former baseball commissioner), who really put corporate sponsorship all together as the architect of the 1984 Olympics. We figured if he could get a corporation to sponsor a volleyball team, we could get one to sponsor a team of youth for community service.”
“Getting that first meeting was very, very hard,” says Michael. “We had to knock on a lot of doors and rely on people who knew people who knew people who knew people. But we were very determined. Eventually, we met someone who knew the person in charge of giving at what was then the Bank of Boston. They liked our idea and became a sponsor. Once they did, frankly, it became easier to attract other major sponsors.” The ripple effect at work again.
“I get asked a lot about how you get money from corporations,” Michael says. “That’s not the right kind of perspective. You need to be fully knowledgeable about the company and know everything you can about their giving strategy and philanthropy efforts. Then you need to ask them about how you can help them do more to meet their goals and objectives.” “Corporations want to express their idealism. Bain & Company has been one of our sponsors for each of our 21 years. City Year is a way for them to express their civic values and engage themselves and their employees both personally and professionally. City Year youth are ambassadors for their company both internally and externally. They wear the company name on their jackets while doing their community service and go back into the company to tell about the good things they are doing, which makes employees feel very good about their company.”
“Our private strategy was very helpful to our public strategy,” Michael says. “We founded City Year at a time when the idea of public/private partnerships was coming to the forefront, but most started out the other way—public to private. That sometimes makes it hard for the private sector to see how they fit in. We had always planned on engaging the public sector, and we leveraged our relationships in the private sector to get into the public sector. Government could see that our model was already working and that it already had the support of the private sector. We could demonstrate our success.” In 1992, City Year invited all U.S. presidential candidates to learn about its mission. Then Governor Bill Clinton spent two hours with City Year talking not only with City Year youth but also sponsors, one of whom was Bain & Company Chairman Mitt Romney, who talked about how successful the company’s partnership with City Year was. President Clinton has said on many occasions that City Year was an inspiration for AmeriCorps, which now funds 800 organizations and where City Year gets about a quarter of its funding. In the end, Michael says, it’s all about developing strategic partnerships and sharing the joint space of community service. “Connecting the nonprofit space with the corporate space with the government space provides a nonpartisan way for everyone to come together and be part of a solution that demonstrates the power of service.” Translating ideas into action, and action into results
Every branch manager keeps a Rolodex file with detailed information on 25 key stakeholders in their district. Programs they’ve launched with the help of other local groups include:
The library also runs a breakfast leadership institute to raise its profile and get closer to the leadership of the community. The Institute brings in the mayor, the chamber of commerce president and other VIPs to talk about their leadership journeys to library staff. “It’s a chance for them to tell their stories and for us to provide information about the library and get exposure to community leadership. I tell my staff that we need to link to the emerging agenda in the community.” The library board is also engaged and involved personally with advocating the library to the community through speeches, presentations and appearances. To support this effort, Gerry and his staff maintain a ‘story bank’ of user testimonials that they supply to board members for use in their efforts. The story might be a grandfather who learned to read to his grandchild or an immigrant family that relied on the support of the library. No matter the topic, though, the stories are ready-made ways for board members to illustrate the personal difference the library has made in people’s lives. You can see the ripples spreading out into the community. From Gerry’s philosophy to staffing decisions and procedure requirements … to the library board … to other civic and business organizations. As often as possible, in as many places as possible, the Calgary library is seen as a player and partner, fundamental to the success of the community. The Ripple Effect in the academic setting
Among his latest achievements:
Gordon is also a strong advocate for libraries, having authored two books on the strategic importance of libraries in student learning. And he has strengthened library services at each of the institutions where he has served as president. At a September 2009 dedication of the Thompson Library at Ohio State, following a $100 million makeover, he spoke about how the library is the soul of the university and of the ways in which rich history and tradition combine with advancement and modernization at the newly renovated library.
“Libraries are transformational places, as central to our shared future as they have been to our past,” he told NextSpace. “Yet, the needs of the 21st century demand that those of us who serve the public good shed old habits and mindsets. No longer can we quietly conduct our business and expect others to provide us with necessary resources. It is imperative that we expand programs in our communities, aggressively and creatively partnering with all kinds of organizations. Now more than ever, we make our case for investment in our institutions by the moral force of our work.” Passion, planning, partnership and promotion are at the heart of academic library success, too, it seems. The fifth P? Payoff Gerry Meek’s advocacy philosophy for the Calgary Public Library has clearly been successful, based on the hardest, most realistic measure possible—funding. Between 2006 and 2008, revenues increased 20 percent, from $37 million to $44.5 million. Funding for three new branches was approved. And plans for a new central library are in the works, with the site and land already secured. At the heart of Gerry’s advocacy and community building is his desire to create and instill a deeper sense of purpose in his organization. “We’re a recession sanctuary and a thinking space. We’re a social utility and community deficit fighter against poverty and illiteracy. We serve our community with both passion and compassion. We’re also cheap and easy. There’s no sticker shock.” He continues, “We need to be recognized as a community action center, a place where hope and optimism is possible. That requires a discernible style that’s distinctively ours, a new vocabulary, and new metaphors to describe our fundamental role as a place offering access to both record and insight.”
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Passion. Both Michael and Alan had a deep-rooted belief that their
idea could change the world and they both had an exuberant, energetic,
unyielding spirit to make it happen. They wanted to transform the lives of
people in the communities they served as well as City Year volunteers,
making them all better citizens. And they wanted City Year to be the
model for public service program design and an institution that lasts way
beyond themselves.
Planning. Michael remembers that it was the City Year concept that
first attracted the attention of his initial donors. But it was their detailed,
business-like plan—complete with a long-term vision, budget numbers,
recruiting methods, work hours and achievable goals—that brought the
Partnerships. From the start, Michael and Alan found ways to ensure
that their sponsors benefitted from their partnership with City Year. Their
belief that businesses have civic responsibilities and that City Year could
help them “do well while doing good” was important, but it also was
key to take a company’s interests into consideration and to connect to
its corporate goals and strategies, rather than simply being a recipient
of a grant.
Promotion. Once Michael and Alan got their program established and
successful, word spread and attention increased. And they were able to
leverage their success into additional sponsorships, expansion into other
cities and adopting policy advocacy as a means for obtaining federal
funds and influencing larger policy decisions.
Gerry Meek’s philosophy—and the buy-in
from his staff and administration—drive the
processes and programs in Calgary that
seek to engage outside organizations in the
success of the library. Gerry makes sure that his
staffers are building influence in the community
through constant contact and interaction with
community and business leaders.
The Original Recycler. This program promotes
the Calgary Public Library as the original “recycler”–sharing library materials reduces the amount of paper
produced and, ultimately, discarded. In 2008, the
library enhanced its environmental efforts with two
special initiatives:
Perhaps one of the masters at building influence
and support is 
The new library is symbolic of the reform that Gordon
seeks in higher education.
