OCLC at ALA presented on the results of their research into why voters support (or don't support) library levvys. I had hoped that their report would be available by now, but until it is, you'll have to make do with my notes.
Among the findings from the report, From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America, (which will be posted eventually at http://www.oclc.org/reports/funding/default.htm):
- The library's most committed funding supporters are not the heaviest library users
- There is no correlation between use of the library and liklihood to support the library
- Voters who see the library as 'transformational' as opposed to 'informational' are more likely to increase taxes in its support
- Transformational messages should be about the individual (ROI for me) AND about the community. The presentation at ALA used the following quote to illustrate this point: "People who've been exposed to libraries realize that there a lot of other cultures and things out there...The library is literally a window to the world."
- These messages can be about libraries increasing the beauty in life, helping you create who you are, and that libraries help you seek the truth
- Perceptions of librarians are an important predictor of library funding support. Passionate librarians who are committed to advocacy for their library and the library's role in the community can increase support for the library.
- Increasing support for libraries may not necessarily mean a trade-off with financial support for other public services
- People are aware of traditional library services, but much less aware of newer services like teen and senior programming. People aren't aware of how much money goes to supporting e-resources.
Later this week, I'll post the demographic breakdowns, but for now, let me just highlight how important it is that support for the library is not tied to use of the library and that means that all our campaigns that are geared to increasing use are not having an impact on support for library. We may need to hae 2 seperate campaigns: one for increasing use (we do still want that!) an another for increasing awareness of our power to transform a community and its individuals. I know I have seen videos on YouTube where people talk about what the library has meant to them, that may be the type of campaign we need more of!