T15 - Show me the Money! Effective influence strategies for sustainable funding.
Session Description
To put it simply: libraries can't operate without money. A primary responsibility of any library director is building the relationships to ensure that libraries receive stable funding to support ongoing operations. Scott Hargrove and Elizabeth Tracy, the Chair and Vice Chair-Chair Elect of the Association of BC Public Library Directors have been working with their partners at BCLA, BCLTA and the BC Libraries Cooperative over the past two years on the "20 in 2020" campaign. The goal of this campaign is to restore library funding from the provincial government that was cut by the previous government in 2009. In this panel session, both panelists will talk about best practices in funding advocacy, and what they've learned over the course of the campaign, as well as from their previous experience. In a time of tight budgets, limited tax dollars and with an ever increasing list of competitors seeking to get funding from the same sources libraries do, the need has never been so great! Come learn how to protect and grow library funding!
Speakers
Curated by Heather Scoular, Fraser Valley Regional Library
Biography
Heather Scoular is the Director of Customer Experience for the Fraser Valley Regional Library. Heather has been an advocate for creating exceptional customer experiences for over 30 years. Her passion is the creation of systems that break down silos and enable all levels of staff to truly understand their customers’ needs. Heather believes that great libraries are made one customer interaction at a time.
Scott Hargrove, Fraser Valley Regional Library
Biography
Scott Hargrove is CEO of Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL). He has over 25 years of experience in the library profession, with extensive experience in both library and technology leadership. His current professional focus includes the rapidly changing role of public libraries in their communities, new library business models, the natural intersection between libraries, communities and technology, and library leadership development. He frequently speaks on these topics at conferences and to special interest groups. Scott holds a B.Ed from UVIC, an MSc in Computer Science from the University of York, England, and the Executive MLIS from San Jose State University.
Elizabeth Tracy, Whistler Public Library
Biography
Elizabeth is the Director at the Whistler Public Library. She spent eight years at the Wilkinson Public Library in Telluride, Colorado. Her experience in libraries has taken her from special to public libraries. Living in places where she can play outside and give back to her community is the ultimate recipe for happiness. Whether in work or play she is a firm believer in the power of doing something scary every day. Elizabeth has extensive experience working in a variety of arts and culture roles, as well as special expertise in leadership and project management.