Case studies for advocacy for library services

We are seeking expressions of interest from member libraries to share their successes (or not) of advocacy for their library or services. The aim is to share experiences with other colleagues who may be navigating similar issues.

The themes:

• Writing a bid for external funding (e.g., for buildings, archives, special collections):  Identifying funding bodies, cross-institution collaboration, researching and writing the bid.
• Making the case for institution prioritisation of funding for a library initiative over others within the organisation:  Articulating the need, vertical and horizontal influencing, assessing the impact and implications of unfunded initiatives, benchmarking.
• Enterprising ideas:  Monetising services or spaces, identifying hidden costs, realising the return on investment.
• Catalysing stakeholder awareness of the open access and content procurement landscape:  Communicating with academics and senior leaders, determining the pitch for your organisation, deciding what is too much or too little information.
• Launching a new or innovative service in constrained financial times:  Identifying an institution need, launching the service, assessing implications for existing resources and services.

To express an interest, please send Regina Everitt (r.everitt@uel.ac.uk) a brief outline of your story aligned to one of the above themes. The deadline is 1 May 2025. If you have any queries or questions, please contact Regina or the SCONUL office sconul@sconul.ac.uk