On February 19th, 2008 the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee of the State of Idaho voted unaimously to recommend the Idaho Commission for Libraries’ (ICFL) 2009 budget including $335,500 in new money to fund a significant “Read to Me” (RTM) project expansion. This was an amazing accomplishment considering the ICFL was the sole state agency funded by the legislature at the Governor’s recommended level. But now I am jumping ahead of myself for I haven’t mentioned how the ICFL’s budget came to be recommended at the full requested level from a Governor who campaigned just four months earlier that he would not support any increase in government (including state agencies).
Both building political and community partnerships and establishing a reputation for an organization with the political realm are tasks that take time, energy, and strategy. Thus depicts my role as Legislative Chair for the Idaho Library Association (see Leadership).
In October 2007, the ILA legislative committee passed a resolution to support the ICFL’s budget request which included new funding for the Read to Me program expansion. Here’s a glance at the time, energy and strategy that went into coordinating the legislative campaign and the success of the Read to Me state appropriation:
History:
- State funding for the Read to Me program had been requested (and ignored by both the Governor and the Legislature) within the ICFL budget since 2005 (ILA had not lobbied for this funding until 2008).
- Any legislation dealing with Early Childhood Education has been a point of severe contention within the state of Idaho over that past few years. Funding at a state level for any Early Childhood Initiatives is strictly forbidden and any initiatives involving legislation to fund or regulate Early Childhood Education has been denied.
In January 2008, Idaho First Lady Lori Otter agrees to assume the role of Summer Reading Ambassador kick-starting a dedicated and prosperous partnership with the Idaho Library Association and the Idaho Commission for Libraries.
Three Fundamental Keys to the Strategy:
- Gaining the support of the First Lady and Governor’s office.
- Conducting key presentations to State leadership and officials to raise awareness and gain support for the Read to Me program.
- Coordinating grassroots advocacy and lobbying by Idaho Library Association (ILA) members throughout the state.
Key presentations heavily relied on a clear, succinct 1-page project summary which could easily summarize and identify the Read to Me program and the expansion budget and goals (a collaborative effort on the part of ICFL and ILA legislative liasons).
What came next were multiple and ongoing presentations by me and our association lobbyist to state representatives, committees, and individuals with the goal of raising awareness and garnering support for the program. All presentations utilized the RTM break-down and my personal testimonies and experiences with implementing current Read to Me programs and initiatives over the past four years.
Presentations were made to:
- First Lady Lori Otter (January 2007 and ongoing)
- The Executive Director of the Idaho State Board of Education (July 2007)
- Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna (August 2007)
- Legislative sub-committee on Early Childhood Education (September2007)
- Budgets analysts for the Governor’s Office (September 2007)
- Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (ILA Legislative Lunch, January 2008)
- Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee co-chairs (January 2008)
It was the combined efforts of Idaho’s First Lady Lori Otter (Read to Me and libraries were actually mentioned in the Governor’s State of the State address in January 2008), multiple effective presentations to key officials and committees, and the ongoing grassroots advocacy that took place throughout the legislative session by librarians throughout the state that contributed directly to the 2008 Read to Me funding appropriation.
Things to remember…
There truly is power in numbers. Building a support network for any idea, value, or program is fundamental to success.
The funding request for the Read to Me program expansion was not new to the Idaho State Legislature. However, once we had built a network of support through the First Lady’s Office, with the Governor’s office, and with the State Board of Education, the value of the Read to Me program reached new levels of recognition. It was no longer a program relevant only to libraries, it was a program recognized by other state agencies.
It is hard (and ongoing) work to build networks and partnerships with organizations outside of the library profession. However, these are the fundamental relationships which sustain the library’s value and place within a community.
More than ever, I have learned to recognize the value in community involvement, community outreach, and the building and nurturing of community partnerships.
