Meeting Recap 2/21/25 - Consolidated Elections
We went over a LOT of material at our first meeting. Let’s see if I can recap everything in a coherent way. ;)
City libraries/District libraries – BEFORE election season:
Have an ongoing list of library users who can fill upcoming roles (or holes) on the board. For example: When I was having trouble with someone on staff, it was hard for my board to empathize/understand/suggest solutions since none of them had ever been a boss before.
If someone expresses interest, give them a Trustee Interest Application RIGHT AWAY.
It should work like a job application file: when you need someone, you should have a pile of options ready to go.
Share these applications with your board. If you have a current trustee that is burned out, it would be an easy way to allow them to leave the board without leaving the library in the lurch.
Library Directors:
Contact ALL of your candidates and introduce yourself. Wish them luck. Take them out for a coffee and ask why they are running for the trustee position. Even if you don’t agree on politics, it will help to ensure a good (or a least better) working relationship.
Ask all of your candidates for their bio and post them all on the library website. We have to be non-partisan, but that doesn’t mean you can’t inform your constituents of their options.
Especially if your election is contested, call your local journalists to reach out to the candidates. Get the word out.
Encourage your friends and staff and library allies to share “their favorite candidates” on their social media accounts.
AFTER THE ELECTION: Call to congratulate your winners ASAP. At least pretend that you want to work together.
What your trustee candidates can do for their campaign:
First and foremost: They should write a bio! Things that should be included in the bio: WHY they want to be a trustee, what their focus/topics of interest will be, relevant education or experience.
Create a website: The candidates should consider getting a Canva Pro account ($15/month or $120/year) for the election season. They have simple website templates, and they don’t have to buy a domain or pay to host it. It’s a good place to post the information that they want to share to voters. Include a head shot, bio, motivations, education, experience… like a mini-resume for the job they are running for.
Your candidates should contact whatever organizations make sense: League of Women Voters, NPR, local newspapers, etc. They should send their bio to everyone. Maybe they could offer to do an interview or write an editorial.
Create a Ballotpedia account - they can include their email and website to make it easier for constituents to reach them.
Post their website on their socials and ask their friends to share it.
Advocacy Resources:
Sign up for EveryLibrary.org newsletter and encourage your entire staff to do so as well. Use your personal email account so you can sign petitions.
Sign up for Kelly Jensen’s Button Down Newsletter (https://buttondown.com/wellsourced)
Watch this on YouTube: Intellectual Freedom In Crisis Times: Defending Library Values by Alison Macrena from the Library Freedom Project
Red Wine and Blue : This isn’t a library-specific organization, but they have excellent resources and webinars to organize and support liberal causes.
Side convo recap:
Transparency could deter your conservative nuisance patrons. Stephanie and I both think that it’s important to video record your meetings, even if you don’t want to post the recordings on the website. Wouldn’t you want to have access to the video of a public commenter that is screaming at your board? Just in case? One Lire attendee heard that if you start recording, you can’t ever stop. I asked the lawyers at RAILS (actually, I asked Joe to ask for me), and the verdict is that isn’t true. You just have to have state permission to destroy existing tape (like any public record), but there aren’t requirements to post the videos. You can post and take down whatever board meeting videos you want. However, you might have an optics problem if you start posting videos, and then take them all down.
Next meeting:
3/28: Book displays: policies, community boards, collection displays…ways to be inclusive without putting your library at risk. Register for the next meeting here.
Slide party: Since we are opening up the group to new people next month, please send us a bio (that I will put into a slideshow) to introduce yourself. This is meant to be FUN. We want to know about your weird hobbies (like Stephanie’s reality TV obsession).
Please share our newsletter and email listserv with your librarian friends!