APABD #1.1
2014-2015
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TO: ALA-APA Board of Directors
RE:2015Advocacy Activities for Library Workers
ACTION REQUESTED/INFORMATION/REPORT:
No action requested.
CONTACT PERSON:Aliqae Geraci, Chair
Salaries & Status of Library Workers (SSLW)
EMAIL:
DATE:April 10, 2015
BACKGROUND:
The chair of the ALA-APA Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers (SSLW) will highlight activities related to the committee’s work advocating on behalf of library staff.
ALA-APA Board of Directors
Report on Activities Related to Advocacy for Library Workers
Submitted by Aliqae Geraci, Chair of Standing Committee on the Salaries & Status of Library Workers
About SSLW
Advocacy through education: SSLW creates, curates, and distributes educational content on issues related to library worker salaries and status.
SSLW created and promotes the Advocating for Better Salaries Toolkit 5th edition through outreach avenues and marketing materials. We create supplementary materials on library worker salary topics that highlight and augment the ALA-APA Librarian Salary Survey, such as State Libraries Reporting Salary Data, and distribute external resources like the DPE, AFL-CIO’s Library Workers: Facts & Figures. We leverage our relationship with the AFL-CIO/ALA Labor Committee to distribute SSLW content at their booth at ALA Annual.
Advocacy through programming: SSLW educates, facilitates conversation, and promotes cultural change in libraries though programming on salary issues, union membership, and pay equity.
SSLW organizes popular salary negotiation programs for ALA Annuals, featuring established library HR and hiring managers. In the future, we would like to work with the Placement Center to create an ongoing series on negotiation, allowing SSLW to focus on flexible and topical programming in our other areas of focus. There is a distinct gap in salary- and status- related programming for library workers that SSLW seeks to fill, and we would like to expand our capacity to deliver.
Advocacy through outreach: SSLW raises awareness of salary and status issues in the library
community, and promotes avenues for action, resolution, and improvement.
SSLW is actively exploring collaboration opportunities with NMRT and other division, committee, union, and regional groupings. A recent NMRT webinar on negotiation highlighting Toolkit content was well-attended, and will have SSLW representation at the upcoming DCLA NLWD discussion. Committee members participate in promotional activities for National Library Workers’ Day in support of ALA-APA staff strategy, including two recent articles in Library Worklife: Let’s Celebrate Library Workers and Looking Ahead (and Back) to National Library Workers Day. Members also participate in the distribution of social media content on pay equity, salary negotiation, and career issues for ALA-APA Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Advocacy Challenge: Effective information sharing with wider community for action and recruitment
- ALA-APA Council awareness of APA and SSLW advocacy activities
- Library community awareness of APA organization and role
- Limited organizational resources
- Accessibility and awareness of Salary Survey data and educational materials
- New member recruitment
Questions and feedback welcome! Email Aliqae Geraci at
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