Library Advocacy

During the LIASA conference held in November 1998 in Bloemfontein, it was clear that librarians in South Africa see a great need to develop techniques to lobby their parent bodies, governmental structures and their communities for financial and other support. As a result of the LIASA conference and a subsequent request from Val Viljoen, MP for East London at the time, the United States Information Service, in cooperation with LIASA, brought out an advocacy trainer to South Africa from 27 June to 17 July.

Mary Somerville, President of the American Library Association in 1996 and a qualified ALA Advocacy Trainer conducted two day workshops in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Pietersburg, Bloemfontein, Durban, King Williams Town and Cape Town. Invitations were sent to libraries (special, tertiary, school and public) and cultural institutions (museums and archives) for the benefit of LIASA members and non-members.

Day one of each workshop provided general advocacy techniques and introduced the South African LIS profession to the concept of advocacy. Day two was designed to train a diverse group of persons as advocacy agents in order to develop a Library Advocacy Network in South Africa through LIASA and its structures.

A one day national advocacy workshop was held at the end of all the regional workshops at the National Accelerator Centre in Cape Town. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss and develop a national library advocacy programme for LIASA. The programme will be launched during LIASA's second annual conference in September 1999 and a report of the national action plan will be presented at the AGM.

Ellen Tise
30 July 1999