GODORT Education Committee
Subcommittee on the Continuing Education Fund
ALA Midwinter Meetings, January 1998

PROPOSAL for ADVOCACY TELECONFERENCE

Background: This proposal is submitted pursuant to the August 1996 charge to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Continuing Education Fund. The goal of this committee is to develop projects that make use of electronic and distance education resources in two major areas: management of electronic resources and advocacy skills for government information librarians.

Project Description: Enter a partnership with a teleconference producer (such as the Illinois State Library or the College of DuPage Educational Telecommunications Department) to create a teleconference on Advocacy Skills for Government Information Librarians. A subcommittee of GODORT's Education Committee, which will include liaisons from other GODORT committees, would provide the program content, recruit presenters, handle publicity, and assist with registration. The teleconference partner would handle the technical aspects of the production of the teleconference.

Content: The focus of this project is developing the advocacy skills of government information librarians on several different levels: advocating for depository library functions within our libraries, advocating for depository libraries within our parent organizations (city governments, campuses), and advocating for access to government information at a national level. It will include topics such as how to make connections with civic leaders, how to promote government information to your library colleagues, library administration, and the public; how to write press releases and letters; how to keep track of and call to action satisfied customers. Supporting materials would be available on the web following the teleconference.

Costs: The $2,000 fund will be used for the presenters' travel expenses. The teleconference partner will be responsible for production and telecommunication costs. DuPage estimates that we would need 50 - 100 local sites willing to pay approximately $300 each for hook up to the teleconference. Some sites may elect to charge a participant registration fee to offset the hook up charge. We do not anticipate that this project would generate significant revenues. Any partnership arrangement would include a revenue sharing provision.

Time frame:
Winter 1998 -- Draft and submit proposal to potential partners; enter partnership; survey potential audience
Spring 1998 -- Recruit presenters; coordinate creation of handouts; draft scripts
Summer 1998 -- Publicize; register local sites to host teleconference and participants
Fall 1998 -- Teleconference

Advantages:

• allows participants from across the country to interact with experts in the field; participants do not have to travel outside their area to attend
• brings together at the local host site librarians from a given area; networking possibilities

Disadvantages:

• this is a one time program (although video taping may be possible)
• costs for local hosts and participants may limit our audience size
• requires participation and coordination with 50-100 local host sites