This advocacy training curriculum was originally developed in 2007 by the Public Library Association (PLA) in the United States in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and working closely with advocacy training specialists. At the time, public libraries were making a push to incorporate Internet access and digital literacy programs and were facing funding challenges to support maintenance of the technology and related programming. The curriculum helped library leaders and staffs build the knowledge and skills they need to raise funds and become better, more empowered advocates for libraries.
In 2011, the curriculum was adapted by advocacy and training specialists for global use. It has been internationally reviewed and used by grantees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Libraries initiative. The version available on this site was updated in 2014 to reflect the experiences and successes of these grantees across the world. We are delighted to share these resources more broadly. Whether you’re organizing an advocacy training program, brushing up on advocacy skills, or looking for tools that will help you gather impact data, we hope you find the resources available on this site helpful.