United for Libraries will present Get Ready, Stay Ready: Supporting Proactive Community Advocacy for Library Professionals on Sat., June 24, 11 a.m. to noon at McCormick Place, W185a, at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference.
Join a panel of expert speakers as they discuss ways to proactively advocate for inclusive libraries in partnership with community organizations. Explore the Get Ready Stay Ready toolkit, a collection of resources that intentionally focus on educating trustees, friends of the library groups, foundation members, community members, and caregivers on the power of inclusive library collections and programming. Then learn how to apply the resources shared to organize effective social media campaigns and organizational responses to material and programming challenges.
Presenters will include:
Dr. Lucy Santos Green, Professor and Director of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa. Her career as an educator and researcher spans twenty-five years and four states including Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. Learn more about her work at www.lucysantosgreen.com.
Alan Fishel, Partner, ArentFox Schiff. Alan is nationally recognized for his transactional and advocacy skills, and he also provides training in both areas to enhance the skills of clients, associations, and others. In addition, Alan has been counsel to ALA on several matters over the years, including in connection with E-rate where the fund was increased by well over a billion dollars, and he is now along with a number of lobbyists at his firm representing ALA in connection with opposing book bans. Alan has also been a member of the United For Libraries Board of Directors for many years.
Valerie Byrd-Fort, Instructor at the University of South Carolina in the School of Information Science and the Coordinator of Cocky's Reading Express, USC's literacy outreach initiative. Valerie received her Masters in Library Science from the University of South Carolina and is currently working on her doctorate in Language & Literacy from the University of South Carolina. Her research is focused on diverse children's literature and its use in the classroom and school library. She is a Past-President of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians and an active ALSC member.
Dr. April Dawkins, Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. April has over twenty-seven years of experience as a classroom teacher, school librarian, library and information science educator, and internationally recognized intellectual freedom expert with presentations and publications in material selection policies, e-book usage, self-censorship, and diversity in youth literature. She is currently a lead reviewer for the Council on Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP) and past chair of the American Association of School Librarians CAEP Coordinating Committee where she was responsible for leading revisions of the AASL Preparation Standards for School Librarians, chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee and past president of the North Carolina School Library Media Association. She is the editor of Intellectual Freedom Issues in School Libraries (Libraries Unlimited, 2021) and co-author of the 7th edition of The School Library Manager: Leading Through Change (Libraries Unlimited, 2023).
