Article

Lobbying and Political Advocacy: A Review of the Literature and Exploratory Survey of State Library Associations

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Abstract

This paper will discuss lobbying and political advocacy within librarianship and present findings from an exploratory study of state library associations. Each state has a library association that works to advance the profession, the interests of its members, and library services. Articles about lobbying and political advocacy comprise only a small part of the literature on librarianship, but advocacy is crucial for maintaining and advancing library services. To fill this gap in the literature, we provide an introduction to library advocacy, describe the associated policy landscape, and evaluate literature discussing libraries and lobbying. Next, we report findings from our study. We conclude by discussing these findings and focus on how political issues might affect libraries, lobbying and advocacy in Library and Information Science education, and other issues mentioned by our study participants.

Keywords: Lobbying, Political Advocacy, Professional Associations, LIS Education

How to Cite:

Million, A. & Bossaller, J., (2020) “Lobbying and Political Advocacy: A Review of the Literature and Exploratory Survey of State Library Associations”, The Political Librarian 4(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.7936/pollib.8535