Real data about your community's needs and what your patrons value is critical when you communicate with decision makers about the social and economic value of the library, especially when you are making a funding request.

The Impact Survey arms libraries with user-level data showing how technology services at their library are used and how they benefit users' lives. The data can also provide a clear picture of what additional services—or service changes—are needed to adequately meet the needs of a community.

Your Advocacy Toolbox

This page contains customizable advocacy tools that you can use in combination with your custom data reports to effectively share your findings with policy makers, funders, and your community.
You can also use these tools to:

• Share data with local organizations when you are developing new partnerships with community groups that share your mission
• Enhance fundraising efforts by including data in grant proposals

Advocacy Communication Documents

• You can use your survey reports to support your advocacy outreach.
• Technical handout: Provides a brief technical overview of the goals and research methods employed by the national U.S. IMPACT Study for your library board or others who want to learn more about the survey tool.

Training Videos

These training videos will show you how to effectively communicate with funders and policy makers and best practices for advocacy. The videos were produced by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), a leading national association for city and county professionals.  

Videos: How to use your results in advocacy and to improve your services

Making Connections: Chapters 1 - 4

Learn about how understanding your community's digital needs can help you prioritize and allocate resources in your library's budget. The video also includes instruction on different budgeting techniques including Line Item, Cost Center, and Performance Budgeting. 

Making Connections: Chapters 5 - 10

Learn about advocacy techniques that will catch the attention of policymakers and share the results so they are compelling to your audience.

Making Connections Bonus: Dealing With Budget Challenges

Take an in depth look at how Anne Arundel and the Burlington Public Library used their Impact Survey results to effectively dealt with budget cuts. 

Video Stories

The Impact Survey team hopes these short videos will inspire you to find new and creative ways to communicate the value of public access technology and training at your library. 

Our resident film maker and UW iSchool graduate student, Ryer Banta, has created a Video Tips and Tricks document to help you create your own public access technology video stories.

Making Connections: Internet Access @ Your public Library

In this video, library public access technology users share their stories about how this service has made a difference in their lives. Statistics from the U.S. IMPACT Survey are also included to help viewers understand the impact of these services on a national scale. This video demonstrates the effectiveness of combining stories and statistics in advocacy messaging.

Making Connections: We Can Help You With That!

Each day, public library staff provide one-on-one technology assistance and training to help members of their community find the information they need to accomplish important tasks, as well as acquire needed digital literacy skills. This short, humorous video narrated by Nancy Pearl highlights the role of the librarian as information and technology guide, and the library as your go-to place when confronted with an information need. Have a question? The library can help you with that!