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Trustees refine advocacy talking points, ask for concise public handout and clearer hours data
Summary
Trustees reviewed a draft advocacy guide intended for speakers and the public, agreed to produce a longer presenter guide plus a shorter bookmark-style handout, asked for clearer data on hours and staffing (2019 baseline and present levels), and set a deadline for edits ahead of an April advocacy-committee meeting.
Trustees spent a substantial portion of the meeting reviewing a draft advocacy "cheat sheet" intended to guide trustees, volunteers and community advocates in talking about library services, hours and needs.
Trustee members said they want two versions: a longer speaker'oriented guide for advocates and a shorter bookmark or pocket handout for the general public. Trustee S3 recommended providing historical context on hours and staffing so advocates do not inadvertently misrepresent the library's prior or current service levels; S3 cited a 2019 baseline of roughly 52 hours per week (seven days including four evenings) and noted staffing at about 18.75 FTE in prior planning materials.
Trustees discussed wording around digital-material access, the cost and licensing of ebooks, and whether language such as "24/7 access" should be qualified as "select historical archives" or "online resources available 24/7." They debated whether donor-facing language (about what donations buy) should be kept distinct from the public'facing advocacy piece and agreed on creating a donor-specific variant.
The board asked staff to circulate the draft as an editable document, collect suggested edits, and assemble a revised version for the advocacy committee; trustees set a timeline for edits to be returned so staff could have a consolidated version ahead of a tentative April 13 committee meeting. The board also discussed distribution (printed stacks at the service desk, bookmarks, QR codes) and emphasized clarity about the target audience for each version.
Next steps: staff will send editable drafts to trustees and the Friends/Foundation for markups, consolidate edits and return a revised advocacy speaker guide and a shortened public handout for final review.
