Presenter: Name: Angela Frederick

Program Description
This program will be led by Angela Frederick and Elizabeth Shepherd, two school librarians from Rutherford County Tennessee. Rutherford County Schools (RCS) and the Rutherford County Library System (RCLS) have banned over 200 books since 2023. In an effort to stem this censorship, the Rutherford County Library Alliance (RCLA) was formed. Angela Frederick is currently serving as the president of RCLA.

During this program, Frederick and Shepherd will explain the process of advocating for libraries in local communities.

They will explore:
-demystifying the local government construct that affects library policies and budgets
-crafting an effective and dynamic public comment for school board and other government meetings
-connecting with local and state legislative leaders to advocate for libraries and librarians
-finding supporters in your community who want to protect library services
-creating coalitions of those supporters
-utilizing networks of librarians in your region

Learning Objectives
Participants will learn the most effective strategies for advocating for libraries in their local community. They will be empowered to speak at local meetings during public comment or citizen communication periods. They will be able to train fellow librarians and library supporters in their own networks.

Program Outline
1. Introduction of speakers and their personal experiences
2. History of censorship in our community
3. How we became involved in the alliance and found like-minded people
4. Overcoming fears around public speaking
5. How to create an effective public comment or communication with local leaders
6. How to lobby for libraries with local leaders
7. How to form coalitions to affect policy change

We will end the session with helping attendees finding their local school board members, state representatives or other elected officials online, and finding out when the next public meeting is in their community. We will have a thought-organization template to share that attendees can fill out and share with other librarians back home.
Finding Your Voice: Fighting Censorship at the Local Level

Grade Level: Not grade specific

Session Strand: Leadership & Advocacy

Description: Learn how two public school librarians overcame their fears and joined the fight to end censorship in their community. Attendees of this session will leave with the tools they need to advocate for libraries with local school boards, city councils, and county commissions.