A service offering that libraries should consider adding is a free legal clinic. This may seem like a complicated thing to start, but do not fear, it is simple. Access to legal services should be a basic right that every American should enjoy, but sadly, it is not (at least, not until it is too late). Having access to a lawyer is dependent upon having the ability to pay for one. Access to the courts is a social justice issue that librarians should be interested in helping correct. Legal advice should not be available only to those who can afford it.

Common legal inquiries that patrons might have:

• Creating a will;
• Researching patents;
• Starting a business;
• Filing for copyright;
• Legality of a certain action;
• Whether someone can be sued;
• How to file paperwork with the courts;
• Divorce;
• Adoption;
• Eviction.

Hosting a legal clinic can be as simple as making volunteer lawyers in the community available for certain days and times during the week to the public. Just devoting space a few hours a week can make a difference. Getting volunteers should not be difficult. Attorneys are encouraged by the American Bar Association to perform so many hours of pro bono services a year[i]. Contacting the local bar association and letting them know that your library is looking for volunteers might be a good idea. Advertising for volunteers on social media and in the library, is also another way to raise awareness.

The first step a library should take before trying to obtain volunteer lawyers, is to create a policy for the legal clinic. This should set the hours and expectations of the clinic. The policy should be created in conjunction with the library’s legal team. A library needs to decide whether services will be on a first-come basis, or via a predetermined appointment.

All librarians, not just those managing legal clinics, need to learn how to interact with those who are conducting legal research. Every librarian is asked at some point a question that can only be answered by an attorney. A librarian should tell the patron that they are not an attorney, and cannot answer their question, but can point them in the direction of someone who can, or towards information resources that the patron can use to arrive at their own conclusion.

Librarians cannot do the following:

• Answer legal questions directly or indirectly;
• Tell someone which legal forms to use;
• Advise on whether a patron should go to court;
• Interpret legal statues or code.

What librarians can do:

• Show patrons the legal research services that the library offers;
• Point patrons towards valid legal information sources;
• Offer legal clinics staffed by licensed attorneys.

Recommended items for a legal reference collection:

• NOLO legal guides (as many as your library can afford);
• A legal dictionary;
• A legal database, such as LexisNexis/Westlaw;
• State legal directory;
• Rules of local and federal courts;
• Book of template legal forms.

References

[i] https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_6_1_voluntary_pro_bono_publico_service.html

The post Lawyers in the Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

What we see in New York City repeats itself over and over as city governments across the country have been clamoring for sport franchise bragging rights, subsidies, and public funding of stadiums. Only when local officials understand the value public libraries bring to their communities and view them as investments will we see budgets parallel to their importance.

Why is that? Well, as you know, libraries are not meant to be a revenue stream, although a library will generate some minimal income in the form of late fees, used-book sales, book bags, ear pods, and the like. If local officials do not recognize the human capital that libraries create, they will never see them as an investment but more so as an expense. But what if local and state officials acknowledged that investing in the creation of human capital pays off?

Though the field of library valuation is relatively new, in Worth Their Weight: An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation, it is noted that public library researchers have already adopted economic valuation methods to determine a dollar value of a library’s programs and services.^[2] Tools such as The Individual Return on Investment Calculator first appeared online in 2006 and have since been adapted by many libraries to show the return in value for every dollar in taxes spent on libraries. Worth Their Weight also seeks to quantify learning values and cultural benefits^[3]; such quantification would allow local libraries to express human and social capital as data values that refer to citizens’ well-being. Herein lies the crux of our challenge.

How can libraries demonstrate the return on investment tax payers gain in collective human capital or social capital? Let’s talk a bit about investing in human capital. Human capital refers to intangibles—such as the collective knowledge, talents and skills—of an individual or a group of people. Local governments invest in human capital by adequately funding things like education and libraries, which, in turn, results in less crime and poverty through higher literacy rates and a skilled workforce, ultimately increasing community welfare.

Major league sports teams can dangle extra zeros at the end of their annual/seasonal cost/benefit analysis reports, usually with more success than public libraries; how can libraries numerate their value propositions to get a larger piece of their local budgets?

We continue to advocate by using the tools we have right in front of us (and teach others to advocate on our behalf):

• Visit and use the tools at ALA’s Advocacy University
• Read “Showing Library Value to Local Government”
• Use the Libraries Transform campaign to demonstrate value and impact

We continue to help local government solve local problems (and show just how indispensable libraries are):

• Enlist public libraries to help fight homelessness
• Start a seed library
• Support entering the workforce and networking

While sound arguments have been made for the community benefits of local and state sports teams,^[4] it’s no secret that cities and towns across the country continue to lose taxpayer money on sports endeavors.^[5] Using valuation tools, we can (and need to) demonstrate the value libraries provide to the citizens who, in turn, can advocate for our library budgets and let their local officials know just how the library has transformed them. Advancement in library valuation is essential, as well as patrons’ stories that illustrate the library’s social return on investment.

Further Reading

• David Giles, “Branches of Opportunity,” Center for an Urban Future, 2003.
• A. Zimbalist, Sports facilities and economic development. Government Finance Review 29, no. 4 (August 2013): 94+.

References

[1] Jim Dwyer, “Denying New York Libraries the Fuel They Need,” New York Times, April 23, 2015.

[2] Susan Imholz and Jennifer Weil Arns, Worth Their Weight: An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation (New York: Americans for Libraries Council, 2007), p. 5.

[3] Ibid.

[4] David Swindell and Mark S Rosentraub, “Who Benefits from the Presence of Professional Sports Teams? The Implications for Public Funding of Stadiums and Arenas.” Public Administration Review 58, no. 1 (1998): 11–20.

[5] Jeffrey Dorfman, “Publicly Financed Sports Stadiums Are A Game That Taxpayers Lose,” Forbes, January 31, 2015.

The post Demonstrating the Library’s ROI first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

These outdated views of what libraries were create a negative impact on our libraries and tend to erode support for libraries with this logic: if libraries stand for books, and if books can be downloaded from the cloud at the drop of a dime, then why do we need libraries? Library members and frequent visitors know better. In fact, our regulars have been visiting public libraries for so long they have witnessed our transformation from pre-computers to free Wi-Fi and can testify to how libraries have impacted their lives.

Not only do the new videos align with the E’s of Libraries, they support the initiatives of Project Outcome, which focuses on outcome-based reporting favoring impact over numbers and helps librarians demonstrate to local funding authorities the difference the public library is making in the lives of their local residents. And if increased viewing, creating, and sharing of video content is the direction our society is headed (see Pew Research Center’s log of articles about online videos), then certainly our clever and creative use of these videos in our own libraries can be quite impactful.

So, how do we put these videos in the front of those who need to see them?

Because the films were intended for you to use in your library, they are devoid of library names or patron names, making them perfect for repurposing. Extend the E’s of Libraries brand by not only posting the videos to your existing media channels but also consider creating additional digital content. For example, when posting information about your library’s job events link to a locally created web page that displays the video created for employment and relevant statics[1] to accompany that video:

• Every day, 300,000 Americans get job-seeking help at their public library.
• In a year, 30 million people use library computers and internet access for employment or career purposes.
• Ninety-two percent of libraries provide access to online job databases and resources.
• Seventy-six percent of libraries help people complete job applications online.

Perhaps people who do not normally view the library as a place to get job help will think twice after seeing the video.

Consider using them in local PSAs, incorporate them into your talks and speeches, and play them at your next Friends meeting. The videos can also be created as a tool to request additional funding. For example, if your library is seeking to be that entrepreneurial spot in the community, show the video to your funders and let them know that you aspire to be that place, and that you need their support to get there.

The possibilities are endless! What’s most important is that you use them. If you found an impactful and powerful way to use the videos in your library or have some ideas on how you might use them, you are welcome to post in the comments below.

Resources

PLA Premieres Library Advocacy Video Series at National Conference

Project Outcome – Looking Back, Looking Forward

Public Library Association Conference in Denver showcases new advocacy series

Public Library Association Advocacy Videos

References

[1] “Employment,” Libraries Transform, accessed May 18, 2016.

The post Can Videos Change Perception that Libraries are Only About Books? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The campaign overview defines its goals and objectives and gives an explanation of how this campaign dovetails with existing ALA public awareness efforts. Over the course of the campaign, the Libraries Transform brand will replace the “@ Your Library” campaign brand as ALA’s signature public awareness campaign. The campaign has several components including provocative “Because” statements that answer the question, “Why are libraries transforming?” Answers include, “Because employers want candidates who know the difference between a web search and research” and “Because why shouldn’t you be able to bring your Grande Caramel Snickerdoodle Macchiato.” The “Because” statements are part of a toolkit and made available as downloadable posters and banners.

Libraries are expected to create their own “Because” statements and encourage their end users to do the same. It goes without saying that the “Because” statements offer multiple answers to the “why libraries matter” question and/or statement posed throughout the last several years in various articles, speeches, and posts. Because transformative libraries are forever forward-thinking, the campaign outlines major trends providing perspective on how they impact libraries and what librarians should know about them. Trends like the “internet of things” focus on smaller devices, many unseen such as wearable technology and the further chasm between the technology haves and have-nots. Other trends include the increase of digital natives (those born after 1980), drones, robots, economy sharing, flipped learning, and curiously enough, the unplugged movement (of which I am a big fan). Each trend is described and its impact for librarians outlined.

Frankly, I’m quite jazzed about the campaign and can see many ways to incorporate the public awareness elements of it into advocacy efforts I am already making. How can librarians embrace and enable the campaign locally? Start early, begin speaking about the campaign to colleagues, incorporate it into one’s state or regional library association, and share it with friends of the library groups, boards, and trustees. Convene local library advocates to create “Because” statements that resonate and speak to your local community. As the campaign develops, so will your local efforts. Keep an eye out on how other libraries are implementing it by signing up for updates on the campaign’s web site.

If you’re planning on using the Libraries Transform public awareness campaign I invite you to comment below on your thoughts and ideas on how to localize it in your community.

The post Because Libraries Transform: ALA’s New Public Awareness Campaign first appeared on Public Libraries Online.