The fall issue of YALS focuses on advocacy with four articles featuring helpful, hands-on tips for librarians who work with teens. On January 1st, 2013 why not make a resolution to make advocacy something you are active in throughout the year. Why not:
- Make a calendar of advocacy activities that you want to participate in? Write down an advocacy related activity for each week of the year or if that seems like too much to start with, make it one advocacy activity a month.
- Regularly talk with others about what they are doing to advocate for teen library services? You’ll get ideas on what you can do and maybe find out you are already advocating without even realizing it.
- Use social media – Twitter, Facebook, etc. – to help advocate for teen library services? Why not post at least once a week on your social media presence something about why what you do with teens in libraries is important to teens and the community? Use an advocacy hashtag, like #yaadvocacy, to help organize your posts. Continue reading
Who are the decision makers you need to influence and when will they be making their decisions? There is no point harassing people who cannot give you what you want and even the right people might be useful to you for a short window of time. Do some homework so you don’t waste your time and energy before talking to the right person at the right time. 
Soon YALSA members (and YALS subscribers) will see the fall issue of YALS in their mailboxes. The theme of the issue is advocacy and it’s filled with articles on the importance of speaking up for teens in school and public libraries. For example: