Building Influence

Abstract

The poor perception of libraries by the general public and their unfavorable position in government corridors can be corrected by library advocacy (LA). While we all struggle to gain support for our libraries, there is need to “talk-up” the library by showcasing its relevance to national development in the 21st century. As a result of this, there is need for a text on advocacy in Africa and beyond, which prompted this chapter on strategizing for library advocacy. The chapter looks at introduction to library advocacy, building team for library advocacy, strategies for developing and getting messages out in library advocacy, media of library advocacy, and getting feedback and appraisal of library advocacy. The chapter concludes by affirming that strategy for library advocacy will create a roadmap for promoting libraries among stakeholders, thus retaining its place of pride as a social and information-based institution. Thereafter, recommendations were made on how to ensure effective strategy for library advocacy.