2006 ALA Annual Conference

All library supporters are invited to attend the Advocacy Institute at the 2006 ALA Annual Conference. Registration for the ALA conference or ALA membership is not required to attend this half-day opportunity to develop your advocacy skills and hear an outstanding group of library advocacy experts. The program is scheduled for Friday, June 23 from 12:00 to 5:00 pm at the Astor Crowne Plaza in New Orleans. Registration is open through June 9 and costs $25, including lunch.

The Advocacy Institute will begin with a luncheon presentation where Gloria Meraz, Texas Library Association, will moderate a discussion on two timely legislative issues. Ann Dutton Ewbank, Chair of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Task Force on Instructional Classification, will discuss the 65 Percent Rule, affecting school libraries, and Kay Boies, Executive Director, Oklahoma Library Association, will provide an update on TABOR (Tax Payer Bill of Rights) Laws, which primarily impact public libraries.

The main program will begin after lunch and will address advocacy topics such as goal setting, message development, crisis communications and lobbying. Presenters include Gail Dysleski, President, New Jersey Library Trustee Association and Advocacy Institute Task Force member; Susan Schmidt, Past-President, Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA); Sally Reed, Executive Director, FOLUSA; Carol A. Brey-Casiano, Chair, Advocacy Institute Task Force and 2004-2005 ALA Immediate Past President; Fran Roscello, AASL, Dr. Ismail Adbullahi, Associate Professor, North Carolina Central University; Dr. Beth Paskoff, Dean, School of Library and Information Science, Louisiana State University; and Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director, ALA.

To register for the Advocacy Institute, visit www.ala.org/advocacyinstitute and follow the links to ALA’s registration page.

The Advocacy Institute at the 2006 ALA Annual Conference is co-sponsored by the Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Southeastern and Texas Library Associations, as well as the Mississippi State Library and SOLINET. It is a project of the Advocacy Institute Task Force of the ALA Public Awareness Committee, in partnership with the ALA Chapter Relations Office, the Association for Trustees and Advocates, the ALA Washington Office, the ALA Public Information Office, and FOLUSA. The Institute is made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation.