In the new College and Research Libraries News you’ll find the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Annual Report for 2006.

My eye was instantly drawn to the “Advocacy” section of the report. Although there are both a legislative advocacy component as well as a “grassroots” advocacy component (that is, “To provide training for academic librarians in influencing, persuasion, and advocacy”) – there is no component for advocacy to the public.

While I realize that academic libraries don’t necessarily have an agenda to bring the general public into an awareness of their successes, trials, and difficulties, it leads me to wonder about the success library organizations have had in getting their issues to the general public.

In my mind, legislative advocacy has to be undergirded by an awareness in our polity about the issues that concern libraries. The voting public needs to know. So don’t we need “public advocacy”?

Each month American Libraries has a section on banned books and the battles they raise. I wonder how much of this gets attention in local and national media – any ideas?

Are our organizations (ALA, ARL, etc.) doing enough of this kind of outreach to a wider audience?

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