Writing to Your Council
If you are interested in advocating on behalf of libraries, librarians and information professionals, an easy way to begin is to write a letter to the local council. You can see some of the consultation responses that CILIPS has written here or find a sample letter here. As each situation is unique, the letter should be updated to address your council’s actions.
In your letter, you should try to include facts and evidence to back up your points. Here are some key facts about libraries and more can be found in our #LibrariesAreEssential campaign and legislation that directly impacts libraries can be found here. Additionally, you can gather evidence from LIS research and also via Freedom of Information Requests.
Another really useful tool for evidence is the Community Dashboard, containing lots of useful open data about libraries.
When writing to your local council, it is important to aknowledge that the local government funding model in Scotland has significant funding challenges often with large budget shortfalls and a legal obligation to balance budgets. On this basis you may also wish to contact either your local MSP or a relevant Cabinet Secretary or Minister to ask what they can do to help.
Below is a breakdown of councils by branch. Each council links directly to their contact page. You can find a full list of public sector organisations here.
North Branch
North East Branch
Tayside
West Branch
East Branch
Central
Interested in what else you can do to lobby and advocate? Visit What is Advocacy and Lobbying? for more information. Are we missing something? Feel free to email any suggestions to add to this page to admin@cilips.org.uk.
Resources
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.doc
Sample Letter [14KB]
Author: CILIPS
Publisher: CILIPS