Kudos are in order for everybody involved in the Keep the Light On Levy, one of 30 successful library levies in Ohio this election season. Mahoning County residents obviously have their priorities straight when it comes to library funding, but the phenomenal effort exerted by the library’s supporters was, I’m sure, a key role in the levy’s passing.
What made this campaign so delightfully awesome? Let us count the ways:
- The perfect slogan. Keep the light on. Could it be any clearer? Mood, imperative. Focuses on the positive. Uses one of humankind’s most primal metaphors, light, implying warmth, growth, safety, knowledge. Sheer genius.
- Gorgeous web design. Love the simple primary colors. Love the inclusive photo on the front page that reflects the diverse makeup of the Mahoning Valley. Love the simple box arrangement that makes the page easy to navigate. Ditto on the tabs at the top.
- Patrons are front and center. Two of the first things you see there are “The People’s Blog” and “Real Quotes From Real Library Users.” The scrolling list of library supporters is a nice touch, too, letting people see how much they’re appreciated. The only thing that could make this even better is moving the library usage calculator up higher, so people could see and use it more easily.
- Transparency. As you navigate the site, you will see funding issues explained in a clear, concise fashion. The FAQ, in particular, explains where library funding comes from at the state and local levels, what cost-saving measures the library has already tried, and how much money fundraisers and other revenue-generators actually raise. Most importantly, the FAQ details what cost-saving measures the library has already taken, and what consequences would occur if the levy doesn’t pass. Here, in my opinion, is the money quote:
- Good use of social media/web technologies. Content on YouTube. Strong Facebook and Twitter presences. Including PayPal as a donation option. An e-newsletter. Clearly this group “gets it” when it comes to reaching out to tech-savvy patrons and including them in their advocacy efforts.
Levy FAQ 6. What effect has the loss of 31% of State funding had on Your Library? Thirty members of Your Library staff had to be laid off. Funding for books and other materials dropped dramatically. The entire staff, including the Director, took wage cuts. The library was forced to reduce hours at all locations.
Emphasis mine. Everybody. Took. Wage. Cuts. Wow. That is definitely one way to tell people that you are dead serious. Would you take a wage cut for your library? But I digress:
[Aside: Yes, I'm biased. You can take the girl out of Youngstown, but you can't take the Youngstown out of the girl. And honestly, why would you want to?]
What insanely cool, awesome thing are you doing to rock the advocacy boat at your library? Leave a comment telling me about your creative/unusual “save the library” endeavors, and you’ll be eligible to win a copy of Keri Smith’s This Is Not A Book – I just happen to have stumbled into an extra copy, and I can’t think of a better way to reward hands-on advocacy than with a hands-on, not-a-book destructo-journal.
Leave a comment by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 to be in the running. And thanks in advance for everything you do to keep the light on in your libraries!
You know what’s almost as important as keeping the light on? Lightening up. Methinks my next post is going to be both fun and silly, because, quite frankly, there’s been a dearth of that around here lately. Stay tuned.
Frontlinelibrarian said,
November 5, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Our library has suffered budget cuts in the 30% range, as well. We’ve had layoffs, and some staff hours have been reduced. But once the initial shock and drama was over, our Friends group stepped up and was able to take over all of our programming budget. Our fundraisers this year have included passive ones (such as having the Schwann Truck in the parking lot), restaurant days, collaboration with local businesses on fun events, . . . we are trying not to barrage our patrons with constant pleas for money. To this end, local business have sponsored everything from Summer Reading to our teen film festival. Once the news got out about our budget cuts, volunteers started coming through the doors that has helped tremendously, as well.
We’re not out of the woods yet, and we’re not even sure there is a light at the end of our tunnel . . . but Ohio’s “keep the lights on levy” is an inspiration. It is so well done, in fact, that I suspect that there will be other successes to follow. The doors will stay open, and people who never came through them before will want to see what this groundswell of support is all about.
Leigh Anne Vrabel said,
November 6, 2009 at 1:32 pm
What a tremendous show of unity! Your community, and your library, sound like wonderful places to be, “mystery poo” notwithstanding (your blog’s gracious prose grabbed me, and kept me reading all the way down).
One of the biggest blessings the new technologies has brought us is this ability to share stories with each other – thanks for sharing yours, Frontline Librarian!