Curriculum Sessions

On this page, you will find all of the materials you need to conduct an advocacy training. Before getting started, take time to read the Advocacy Training Implementation Guide. You’ll learn how the curriculum’s 15 training sessions work together to build an understanding of the value of advocacy and how it can be effectively conducted on behalf of public libraries. Based on your needs, you may decide to teach only some of the sessions, rather than the full 15. We have identified five sessions as “core” sessions, which are essential to any training.

Below you’ll find a brief overview of each session and a link to download the materials for each one. Each session includes:

Trainer notes and talking points
A PowerPoint presentation
A set of handouts and worksheets

Remember to review the licensing agreement and to attribute the curriculum before using.

Session 1 : Introduction

This session helps you get started: it explains the agenda for the advocacy training, the format of the sessions, and the supporting materials and tools participants will be using. It also includes an advocacy self-assessment survey.

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Session 2 : Value of the Public Library

(Core Session)

This session is the foundation for the rest of the training; it looks at the value of the public library and its services to the community and motivates participants to undertake advocacy on behalf of their libraries.

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Session 3 : Defining Advocacy

(Core Session)

This session focuses on what advocacy is, why it is an important part of library work, and what advocacy activities look like.

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Session 4 : Developing Your Advocacy Goal

(Core Session)

The first step in developing an Advocacy Action Plan is to pick a library advocacy goal. This session will help participants define what an advocacy goal is and how to develop an advocacy goal for their library. Participants will use their advocacy goals throughout the rest of the training.

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Session 5 : Identifying Target Audiences

(Core Session)

This session teaches participants who they need to reach and persuade in order to be successful with their advocacy efforts.

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Session 6 : Using Library Perception Information and Impact Data

Understanding what people think and feel about the library is important context for advocacy. And evidence about how libraries improve their communities can help further persuade and motivate audiences. This session focuses on how both should be used in advocacy efforts.

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Session 7 : Creating Library Advocacy Messages

(Core Session)

Effective advocacy messages clearly explain the public library’s role in the community, and how target audiences can help the library reach its advocacy goal. This session focuses on how to write strong library advocacy messages and gives participants practice writing their own.

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Session 8 : Creating a Library Story

Building on advocacy messages developed in session 7, participants learn the elements of a good story. This session reviews how to use facts and examples to strengthen a story, and how different types of library stories will appeal to different audiences.

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Session 9 : Telling Your Library Story

This skill-building session should be taught together with Creating a Library Story. It focuses on writing and telling a short, compelling story about the importance of the public library.

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Session 10 : Effective Presentations

This skill-building session helps participants understand their personal presentation style, learn how to prepare for a presentation, personalize a short sample presentation, and practice delivering their sample presentation.

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Curriculum Sessions

Session 1 : Introduction

Session 2 : Value of the Public Library

Session 3 : Defining Advocacy

Session 4 : Developing Your Advocacy Goal

Session 5 : Identifying Target Audiences

Session 6 : Using Library Perception Information and Impact Data

Session 7 : Creating Library Advocacy Messages

Session 8 : Creating a Library Story

Session 9 : Telling Your Library Story

Session 10 : Effective Presentations

Advocacy Training Implementation Guide

Full Advocacy Training Curriculum

Advocacy Action Plan Workbook

Post-Training Guide