The concept of influence

July 12, 2012

Originally published in Feliciter, 58 (2012): 93

Kelly Moore
Executive Director, CLA

“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time.”
J.S. Knox

The 2012 CLA National Conference and Trade Show has just wrapped up, and by all accounts it was one of our most successful events. There was a decided focus on advocacy this year, taking advantage of the fact that we were meeting in Ottawa. And given the impact of the recent federal budget on programs and services provided to and by libraries, this opportunity for advocacy was very timely.

On Wednesday 30 May, we held our inaugural “CLA on the Hill” day: more than 50 members received training at an Advocacy Boot Camp in the morning, and then headed up to Parliament Hill for a packed schedule of group meetings with 63 MPs and Senators. Our advocacy messaging focused on 4 key issues: copyright, library book rate, the Community Access Program, and budget cuts to Library and Archives Canada and other federal libraries. We have gathered feedback from the groups who participated in the meetings, and will undertake analysis of that information to support our future advocacy efforts.

CLA has a long history of advocating on behalf of the national library community, of lobbying the federal government to try to influence policy that impacts the ability for our institutions to serve the public good. It is important that these efforts have been funded by our members, and that they continue to be funded by members. This gives strength to our voice: we are supported by and speak on behalf of libraries – the services they provide, the users they serve, and all of the library staff who make these activities possible.

To be an advocate, to attempt to influence government policy, is a long-term concerted effort. CLA’s value as an advocate comes from its ability to create relationships with elected officials and departmental staff, and its demonstrated commitment to policy issues that impact how all Canadians are able to access and make use of information. We seek to influence not for professional gain, but for public good.

While it is important for CLA to react to particular issues as they arise, it is critical that we continue to build our relationships within government so that we can influence those issues as early in their development process as possible. The more proactive we are, the less reactive we will need to be.

The capacity for CLA members to contribute to our advocacy efforts will be crucial to our future success. Those who had the opportunity to take part in the “CLA on the Hill” day have many lessons to share, and I hope they will speak to their colleagues, local trustees and other potential allies in their home regions about their experience.

We anticipate that legislation on both copyright (Bill C-11) and the library book rate (Bill C-321) will be passed in the near future. This doesn’t mean that we will have fewer issues to address with government; but we will be able to re-direct our emphasis to other policies and potential legislation that will be equally important to our institutions and the communities we serve. And CLA will continue to educate and support our members to address these future challenges. Exciting times are ahead!