Library Advocacy Day - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016

Please note that the information below is subject to change. Contact us if you have any questions!

Each year library advocates from across New York State converge on Albany to voice their support for funding and policies that benefit libraries. Their efforts have resulted in over $7M in additional library aid since 2011.

Summary of Event

Most activities will take place in the Legislative Office Building (LOB). The LOB is most easily accessed from the Concourse, or through the Capitol Building. Prepare for airport-like security while entering the building. NYLA 'Base Camp' will be available in LOB120 beginning at 8:00AM for packet pick-up and sign-in.

Advocacy Day Packets: Materials are distributed to Library Advocacy Day attendees to use in their meetings with legislators and staff, and can be picked up in room 120 of the Legislative Office Building.

Click here for a map of the Empire State Plaza (PDF)

READ Posters
Members of the Legislature have been invited to have their photographs taken for READ posters between 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM.

The Rally for Library Advocates 12:00 PM

Gather in the "Well" of the LOB at 12:00 PM for a Library Advocate's Rally!
Join fellow Library Advocates and plan to make your voices heard!

Legislative Office Visits

Meetings with individual Legislators (or their office) are coordinated by library systems, or regional coordinators. NYLA will have a listing of all the legislative office visits that we have been made aware of at the NYLA Base Camp (LOB120).

Organizing a Group or meeting with a Legislator? Please fill out the Library Advocacy Day Contact Form

Please be sure to review the 2016 NYLA Legislative Priorities prior to your meetings.

Check out the Library Advocacy Day Video Briefing

Pre-Advocacy Day Activities

Travel to Albany the day before (March 1, 2016) and partake in some top notch professional development, NYLA's Community Conversations, the Library Advocates Luncheon, and more!

Complete details on Pre-Advocacy Day 2016

Getting There

Directions & Logistics

Find a bus heading to Albany for Advocacy Day! More information to come soon!

Where to Stay

NYLA has secured a block of hotel rooms at the Hilton Albany (formerly the Crowne Plaza) in downtown Albany.
Use this online portal to book your room and receive the discounted group rate of $175/night.

NYLA Library Advocacy Day Room Block @ Hilton Albany SOLD OUT!

Book your room by January 30, 2016!

A limited number of rooms re available to the Renaissance, 144 State Street for $199/night

NYLA Library Advicacy Day Room Block @ the Renaissance

Security Information

Please plan for airport-like security measures in place in the New York State Capitol, the Legislative Office Building and its surrounding buildings. Please be prepared to pass through a metal detector and have your belongings go through an X-ray machine to enter.

All adults (16+) must show a photo ID to enter - it is recommended that attendees carry a photo ID at all times.

In addition, items that are sharp or may be construed as weapons are not allowed in any of the Empire State Plaza buildings (including "sticks" attached to Rally signs). Due to the security measures and the number of people expected in Albany that day, please leave yourself plenty of time to through security before meetings with legislators.

If you have questions, please contact the NYLA Office at director@nyla.org.

Who will benefit from this advocacy?

ALL NY libraries and citizens.
ALL libraries and systems which receive direct state aid.
Many libraries and systems which receive indirect state aid in the form of cooperative services and shared programs from their library system.
Legislators who need to understand how libraries can help them.

What can I do now to support this effort?

Call your legislator's office, either at his or her district office, or in Albany.
Tell him/her how important your library is to the community—and its voting citizens.
Tell him/her that increased funding for libraries is ESSENTIAL and CRITICAL.
Use our helpful advocacy tools to help shape your personal message.

Virtual Advocacy

If you can’t make it to Albany, you can still help the cause! Post to your Facebook wall, Tweet about Library Aid, or add a button to your library’s website. Check out our page dedicated to Virtual Advocacy.

Outdated heating and/or cooling equipment, out-of-service bathrooms or elevators, over-crowding, water damaged ceilings or flooring… do any of these sound familiar?

The 2016 NYLA Budget Priorities include a big push for more investment in the library aid construction program, so we asked for photos from libraries that illustrate the need for increased infrastructure funding - and wow, did we get quite an overwhelming response!

View the Horror Story photos as a slideshow on the NYLA website!

Read the report, which will be placed in the hand of each elected official we meet with!