Preparing for the 2019 Legislative Session - Public Library Survey

Help us help advocate and lobby for you!

Legislators are preparing to write the state's $32 billion budget, re-write the code related to education and workforce development programs across 9 state agencies, debate several bills related to property taxes, local income tax, the opioid crisis, IN Dept of Child Services, teacher pay, school safety, bias crimes, sports betting and much more.

Our messaging needs to be as specific as possible to policymakers' goals and values. We need data that is not contained in the reports you provide to ISL, including information about mobile hotspots, after-hours access to WIFI, naloxone, innovative education and workforce development programs and Intellectual Freedom or other challenges. For many questions below, you will find a simple YES/NO question with option to comment. Thank you in advance for your responses to this important survey.

Question Title

* 1. Contact Information

Name *

Library *

City/Town

ZIP/Postal Code

Email Address *

Phone Number (office or cell; ideally both)

YOUR UNIQUE MESSAGING, specific to YOUR community's policymakers
If you were speaking with a your legislator or the governor, what specific program or initiative from your library would you describe that would appeal to them? What does your library offer that aligns with their top-line priorities? Please be specific. Write it as a 1-2 sentence summary or tweet. Try to include the result in quantitative terms where possible.

Examples--
*La Porte PL's shared services agreements with local school corporations serve 1,271 teachers and 15,685 students through the Libraries 360 program.
* ___PL helped ## people increase job skills last year through programs and classes. The Work One office routinely refers to the library and offers two sessions at the library every month.
*Allen County PL last year received 75 kits of naloxone and trained their staff in efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.
*_______ PL maintains active circulation of 25 mobile hotspots to families who live in areas without broadband access or who cannot afford it; without it these families could not [complete their K-12 schoolwork, apply for jobs, etc.]

Don't have something like above? Then simply include a unique factoid that your legislator would know and could repeat about your library -- i.e. recently renovated Carnegie; outstanding summer reading program; home to ___ event or collection.

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* 2. What specific program or initiative does your library offer that would appeal to legislators or the governor? (Amy or Lucinda could use this example when they talk with your legislators.)

Question Title

* 3. Does your library circulate mobile hotspots/access for WIFI?

Yes

Not yet, but planned for near future.

Comments

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* 4. Does your library (through one or more of your branches) extend WIFI access outside the building for hours beyond your operating hours? (i.e. allow WIFI on your steps or parking lot at night)

Yes

Not yet, but planned for near future.

Not anymore. We used to but eliminated it for reasons described in comments.

No, not at all

Comments

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* 5. If yes to above, what best describes your hours of extended WIFI access?

24 hours a day/365 days a week

all hours except deep night (i.e. WIFI available 7am-11pm or 6am-Midnight)

extended hours by a 2-3 hours before we open and/or after we close

less than 1 hour before we open and/or after we close

Comments

Question Title

* 6. What best describes your library's experience with naloxone and training on it? (even if you keep this internal info and do not publicize it)

We keep it on hand, trained staff and have had to use it.

We keep it on hand, trained staff and have NOT had to use it yet.

Our staff have participated in training but we do not keep Naloxone on hand.

We have not done anything to date re Naloxone, but plan to take some action in 2019.

We do not plan to take any action in this space.

Comments

Question Title

* 7. Did your library handle any challenges of library materials in 2017 or 2018? (for purposes here, we are looking at informal and formal challenges, to understand the extent of current questions)

Yes

Comments - Please describe the nature of the challenge and resolution. NOTE this will be kept for internal purposes and follow up contact to you from Lucinda to understand the current range of challenges and potential local opposition.

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* 8. Did your library face a challenge to a library program(s) in 2017 or 2018? (for purposes here, we are looking at informal and formal challenges, to understand the extent of current questions)

Yes

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* 9. Did you report your challenge, even if resolved successfully, to the ALA Office?

Yes

Comments

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* 10. What specific business or community leader(s) would publicly compliment the library or are your champions?

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* 11. Sometimes a library is the subject of criticism by board members, community members, current or former staff or business leaders. Describe any community criticism that the library received in the last two years and your response, if any? (We keep this in confidence; it helps us to prepare ways to respond and support you. Feel free to call Lucinda to discuss.)

Below please offer any specific examples, stats, quotes or items you would want us to know as we advocate around the following issues and priorities that we expect to discuss with legislators in 2019:
* INSPIRE, Indiana's virtual library
* funding for your internet connectivity
* support for school librarians, library assistants and library materials in K-12 education
* expanded broadband coverage for residents and communities
* lifelong learning initiatives
* any taxation issues (property, local income tax issues)
* township merger legislation (like last year)
* library service for all
* and finally, the value of federal programs like IMLS grants and e-Rate funding from the federal government

Question Title

* 1. Contact Information

Question Title

* 2. What specific program or initiative does your library offer that would appeal to legislators or the governor? (Amy or Lucinda could use this example when they talk with your legislators.)

Question Title

* 3. Does your library circulate mobile hotspots/access for WIFI?

Question Title

* 4. Does your library (through one or more of your branches) extend WIFI access outside the building for hours beyond your operating hours? (i.e. allow WIFI on your steps or parking lot at night)

Question Title

* 5. If yes to above, what best describes your hours of extended WIFI access?

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* 6. What best describes your library's experience with naloxone and training on it? (even if you keep this internal info and do not publicize it)

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* 7. Did your library handle any challenges of library materials in 2017 or 2018? (for purposes here, we are looking at informal and formal challenges, to understand the extent of current questions)

Question Title

* 8. Did your library face a challenge to a library program(s) in 2017 or 2018? (for purposes here, we are looking at informal and formal challenges, to understand the extent of current questions)

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* 9. Did you report your challenge, even if resolved successfully, to the ALA Office?

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* 10. What specific business or community leader(s) would publicly compliment the library or are your champions?

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* 12. What other information would you want us to know about specific policy issues? See above.