By Lauren Young

Staff Writer

The Fayetteville Free Library may be the first community library in the nation to have a “Friends/Political Action Community” — or at least it’s the only one Executive Director Sue Considine has ever heard of.

“I don’t know of any other public community library that has a PAC (Political Action Committee),” said Considine. “But they have Friends groups, certainly.”

The library has recently created the FFL Community Alliance (FFLCA) as a group of volunteers with a mission to support the FFL through grassroots advocacy, promotions and public information sharing within their communities.

“We want to give today’s volunteers an opportunity for local advocacy and positive messaging” on behalf of the library, said Considine.

The alliance held its first meeting on March 6 with a meet and greet, followed by a training session on how to better connect with the public. They currently have 40 members, with weekly meetings scheduled until May 10. On May 15, they hope patrons “Vote Yes!” on the library’s budget — a major goal of the alliance.

The FFL community alliance, however, is not your typical “Friends of the Library” group, as it isn’t one at all.

More than “Friends”

In 2016, Considine had an idea. “I started thinking about creating a vehicle for the community to find a place to directly communicate with the rest of the community about their ideas and their impressions, and their love of the Fayetteville Free Library,” said Considine. “The community will have a direct vehicle to leverage social media, a willingness to speak, whatever it might be, to highlight those eureka or ‘wow’ moments after you’ve experienced the Fayetteville Free Library, or what it’s meant to your child and their literacy development.”

Typically, Friends groups are organized at libraries to aid in increasing public awareness and fundraising, but this is not what the alliance is about. “It’s a local advocacy group in support of the Fayetteville Free Library,” said Considine, and their mission is to publically and positively support the FFL in a variety of ways.

“I said, ‘What’s our goal?’ We need to pass a budget. The way we’re going to pass that budget is for community members to be talking to each other about the library, not for us to be talking at them,” said Considine. After discussions with various people, including the board and an attorney, the library decided a Political Action Committee (PAC) was the best route to take.

“One of the things we hold as a high priority is making sure that, in all things, we are being led by the community through engagingdirectly with the community,” said Considine. “We wanted to give the community the opportunity to tell these stories.”

There are currently three main areas for volunteers to work within: promotions, advocacy, and program and service support.

Promotions volunteers will work with FFL marketing and promotions staff to reach out to the community via social media posting, blogging, letters to the editor, door-to-door canvassing and more.

Advocacy volunteers will work with the FFL administration and promotions staff to advocate for the library through letter writing, phone calls at the local, state and national levels, and organizing and executing phone-a-thons for FFL initiatives. Program and service support volunteers will help with library programs, special events, book sales and more.

“People who volunteer can volunteer as little or as much as they like, if they have no interest in phone calls or door-to-door campaigning, they don’t have to do that. If they are interested in supporting our programs and giving us an extra set of hands during a book sale, they can do that,” Considine said. “But the most important thing that a Fayetteville Free Library Community Alliance member can bring to the table is their willingness to put a positive message about the library out into the community,” which can vary from talking to neighbors to spreading the message at PTA meetings.

“The little community alliance that could.”

At their first FFLCA training session, Considine was a bit nervous.

When EveryLibrary, a not-for-profit with a mission to help local libraries across the nation pass their budgets for free, was invited for a free FFLCA training on March 13, only 14 people attended. This, however, “was huge,” said Considine.

“At first I was concerned. When we had our first informational meeting, there were probably about 10 people in the room,” she said. AsConsidine has learned, by analyzing the number of people that sign up versus those who attend, about 30 percent attend. Using this algorithm, Considine considered the training event to be a “really good turnout.”

When the EveryLibrary representative entered the room, he was surprised by the turnout. He said that, even when he had hosted campaigns at more “cosmopolitan” communities with much larger bases, only a handful of people would show up.

“We’re truly the little community alliance that could,” said Considine.

Vote Yes!

Between now and May 15, one of the FFLCA’s missions is to share the library’s budget information with the community to increase voting participation at the polls.

After the FFL budget failed last year — following a “targeted misinformation campaign,” Considine said — the executive director knew the result showed an even deeper problem: a lack of voter participation.

“We found that after our increase failed, the majority of the people we talk to were shocked and dismayed, and our first question was always, ‘Did you vote?’” And the answer was usually the same: No.”

That was a “hard-learned lesson,” said Considine, who had never experienced such a budget rejection in her 18 years at the library. “That’s in days where you don’t have this targeted misinformation campaign happening to you.”

Last year, a campaign by Citizens for a Transparent Fayetteville Free Library defeated the FFL 2017-18 budget by more than 500 votes after the library requested a 4 percent increase to their budget proposal. The campaign was driven by questions of library administration and concerns over transparency.

While Fayetteville Free Library cannot promote the Vote Yes! campaign on their budget, the FFLCA, as a registered political action committee, can.

“I’m hopeful that [the FFLCA] continues and really defines what’s next for this effort on their own,” said Considine. “For me, I’m just facilitating a vehicle to get it together. I feel my role in this is most importantly, as the library executive director, for this to be the community’s group. I’m really interested to see what they do, and we’re just looking for a real positive response in May.”

 “There is something for everyone”

Though the alliance has just begun chapter one of its journey, some members have been waiting for an opportunity like this to support their local library.

“I was inspired to join the FFLCA because we love the library and we have felt welcomed from day one,” said member Melissa Migdal. “I’m most excited to help get the word out about how great of a resource the library is for so many families. There is something for everyone.”

“From eBooks and STEM, to groups and classes ranging from traditional offerings such as story times and book clubs, to sewing and home repair, to coding and other electronics, I truly believe there is something for everyone,” said member AmyJo Mould.

As a homeschooling parent, Mould said the library has continued to be a “valuable tool” in her teachings, and the excitement her children experience from FFL’s array of activities inspired her to join the alliance. “I am very particular in what organizations and causes I choose to serve and I knew immediately that this was worthy of my time and efforts, as my family has already received so much from local libraries, particularly the FFL,” she said.

“I am excited to be able to give back to this organization that has given me so much and continues to redefine itself to make sure it continues to meet the changing community needs,” said member Linda Shapess.

Shapess, who has been using the FFL for nearly 12 years, is most impressed by the diverse programming offered to patrons. After initially using the library for audio books to DVDs, Shapess has learned of various other programs, from their Sunday entertainment to technology assistance. In addition, the library has been a friend to her wallet.

“I used to buy all my books and if I wanted to see a current movie I needed to go to the theater. The library has spared my budget by providing these things to me,” Shapess said. “I want to be able to make sure this service continues and that I can help others learn of what’s available either at their fingertips or by walking through their door.”

Anyone can join the alliance at any time, even if they are not FFL members or Fayetteville residents. Applications may be dropped off at the circulation desk of the library or it may be accessed online at fflib.org.