A tweet referring me to Speaking Volumes by Carnegie UK Trust made me cheer!

It is so important that we make people aware of what libraries do, the difference they make on a daily basis, the lives that are changed. Advocacy might come through a short conversation where a carefully chosen snippet of information is given to the right person. It can also be through much larger scale promotion about the impact of libraries.

Either way it’s the storytelling that is the critical factor and often I find, that with so much to say, it can be hard choose the most powerful and impactful story to relay.

So when I come across something from an external organisation that articulates perfectly what libraries are working hard to advocate I have to shout really loudly “Hooray!”

Speaking Volumes is a really ‘neat’ advocacy toolkit that clearly outlines the impact libraries have on wellbeing through ‘cultural’, ‘social’, ‘education’ and ‘economic’ factors.

These messages are clearly laid out in a leaflet and poster which link back to databases of evidence – hundreds of stories demonstrating the four themes. And there is also an accompanying blog ‘Why are libraries good for you‘.

I sat in work and declared “I couldn’t have put it better myself” and that’s the best bit! This is an organisation looking in, collecting evidence, seeing impact and actively promoting the potential power of libraries. Speaking Volumes is a wonderful tool precisely because it was compiled by an external organisation.

Now, let’s get advocating …

Thank you @DigitaalSkills for the heads up and THANK YOU @CarnegieUKTrust