The PLA Spring Symposium Turning the Page workshop continued this morning with PLA Executive Director Greta Southard reviewing for the group the definition of advocacy. For the purposes of our workshop, advocacy is defined as:
The process of acting on behalf of the public library to increase public funds and ensure that it has the resources needed to be up to date.
Greta pointed the group to the OCLC study that explores attitudes and perceptions about library funding and the potential of a large-scale marketing and advocacy campaign to increase public library funding in the U.S. and told us we’d hear more about this study later in our small groups.
Next up, Greta introduced Kevin Carroll. In spite of a chaotic and troubled childhood, abandoned by his parents at age 6 and raised by his grandparents, he has achieved much. As a young man he joined the Air Force where he served as a language interpreter and translator, gaining fluency in Croatian, Czech, Serbian, and German. Following the Air Force he went on to receive a degree in sports medicine and communications, becoming an athletic trainer at the high school and collegiate levels in Philadelphia. His lifelong love of sports and expertise in sport performance recognized by the 76ers organization and led to his job as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers and while there, Nike tapped Kevin to bring his unique experiences to them. Although no job “officially” existed at the time, Kevin was directed to create a position at Nike that would add value to the overall mission of the brand. Kevin accepted the challenge and stayed for seven years as “Katalyst” (the ‘K’ is for Kevin) – a creative change agent. He is also the author of a series of books on creativity, problem solving, and following your passion.
Mr. Carroll’s message to our group can be summed up in two words: Dream Big. Despite tremendous obstacles, he followed his passion with drive and creativity and he never gave up. Librarians, library workers, trustees, and friends advocating for libraries are well served by Kevin’s inspirational message.
