Building Public Will

In the late 1990s, Multnomah County Library's central building was deemed unsafe, with many of the areas off limits to the public. It could have become a symbol for a declining system, but it didn't. Why? A shift in public will. Over the years the Portland, OR, library initiated an integrated effort to learn what customers valued, to connect to those values, and to communicate the value the library delivers with frequency and consistency. In the process, the library fostered a high level of personal conviction throughout this thriving metropolitan area that the library is a vital resource. During the last 15 years, the library has provided residents numerous opportunities to take action based on that conviction—to express their will for the library to flourish.

Public will—which effectively positions libraries as the critical educational, social, cultural, and recreational resource they so clearly are—goes beyond better promotion, clearer communication, or more partnerships to infect the people in a community with the bug to act on their notion that libraries are good and to turn belief into action.

How Do We Build It?

Public will building integrates grass-roots outreach methods with traditional mass media tools in a process that:

• Connects people to an issue through their existing, closely held values, rather than trying to change people's values.
• Results in long-term attitudinal shifts that are manifested in individuals taking new or different actions. Collectively, those actions create change.
• Is achieved when a sufficient number of community members and thought leaders have galvanized around an issue to form a new or different set of fundamental community expectations.

Too often, the urgencies of funding, driving attendance at programs, and meeting the day-to-day needs of a library mean a focus on the short term. Such efforts concentrate on changing public opinion for the near term. In contrast, public will–based strategies focus on long-term change built over time by engaging broad-based grass-roots support to influence individual, institutional, and social change. Shaping public will on any issue requires a multidimensional approach. In each of the five phases of public will building described below, we have highlighted a case study that illustrates the work that occurs in that phase and the roles of organizers and the people affected, the audience.

PHASE 1: Frame the Problem

In the past two decades, the median prices for scholarly journals from commercial and nonprofit publishers rose more than 170 percent—a rate significantly higher than the rate of inflation. This is a particular problem in the scientific, technical, and medical (STM) journals and legal serials publications arena. Pricing, as well as practices like bundling for electronic publications, makes it increasingly difficult for libraries to acquire the materials to meet their customers' needs. This results in decreased access to these valued publications.

Building on work done by groups such as SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (an arm of the Association of Research Libraries [ARL]), a coalition of organizations, including SPARC and ARL, the American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Association of Law Libraries, Medical Library Association, and Special Libraries Association formed the Information Access Alliance (IAA) in 2003 to address this challenge and advocate for change in the way state and federal antitrust enforcement agencies examine merger transactions in the serials publishing industry.

IAA identified the harms caused by reduced access to serial publications and placed the issue in the context of the societal benefits that result from having broad access. Members of the coalition—including library staff, economists, and policy analysts—explored the reduced opportunity to build off the learning of others; the decreased innovation in medical, technical, and scientific fields; and the long term economic impact. Through this analysis, the coalition members identified the benefits that both members of these specialized fields and the public reap and established a framework that positions access to scholarly work as critical to the health and wealth of society.

By defining the value of these publications in this context, IAA effectively framed the issues of decreased access as a threat to core social values, including health, innovation, and prosperity. This framing was used by IAA in direct communication with the Department of Justice, key Congressional representatives, scholars, and community leaders through white papers, direct outreach, and a broader symposium cosponsored by IAA and the American Antitrust Institute on the effects of publisher mergers. Speakers at the symposium, among them librarians, economists, and lawyers, focused on the economics of libraries and the publishing industry, the history and outcomes of mergers, and possible remedies.

IAA's demonstration of what is at risk created a strong motivator for broad involvement from all participants and community opinion leaders in advocacy efforts to encourage the Department of Justice to change the criteria by which it evaluates such mergers.

Organizers In this phase, organizers clarify what needs to be addressed by conducting research to develop a clear knowledge base about the causes of the problem, the cultural context in which the problem exists, and the entities that can impact the problem. From this foundation organizers assess current activities and the players involved and identify gaps in the change effort. In addition, organizers explore the impacts of the problem from economic, social, political, and environmental perspectives. This research helps organizers effectively define the issue as relevant to the values of the community.

Audience In Phase 1, there is a pioneering “audience” who is typically the group who first becomes aware of a problem and draws a parallel between the issues and the values of the community, creating an early sense of relevance/importance for broader audiences beyond the pioneers. These pioneers then begin a public will building initiative as they move from low or no awareness to early awareness.

PHASE 2: Build Awareness

Scholastic, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and Verizon came together to form Lee y serás (read and you will become), a national, multiyear initiative that supports parents and communities in building early literacy skills among Latino children ages birth to eight. Having identified a problem, the organizers moved to the second phase, building awareness. Currently, 86 percent of Latino fourth graders and 91 percent of eighth graders read at or below basic skill levels. Less that 25 percent of Latino 17-year-olds can read at the skill level necessary for success in college and the increasingly high-tech workplace. This gap actually begins before children enter kindergarten. The goal of Lee y serás is to create long-term attitudinal and behavior changes that close the achievement gap for Latino children. Organizers engaged academic researchers, key community institutions, business people, literacy organizations, and affiliates of NCLR in the program development, building a base of early adopters and key influencers who could both help the organizers learn as much as possible about the issue and serve as trusted sources of information with their own constituencies to establish the need for action.

Organizers also brought together Latino families and learned that while the Latino culture has a rich storytelling tradition, many non-English-speaking parents were fearful that storytelling or reading to children in Spanish might harm the child's chance to succeed in learning to read or speak English at school. In addition, parents often viewed education as something that began in school instead of seeing themselves as the children's first and most important teachers and role models. This input shaped a community-based grass-roots outreach campaign that connects back with individual families through community organizations, social networks, and libraries to give parents what they need to help their children succeed in school and in life.

Organizers During Phase 2, organizers conduct outreach to build broader awareness about the problem or need. The outreach is aimed at connecting the issue with existing core values of the priority audiences, working from the pioneers out to those with low or no awareness of the problem or need for change.

Organizers identify the audience segments that can affect the issue and gather information about each segment's level of awareness, relationship to the issue, personal values, and sources of information. This helps organizers prioritize the audiences, develop effective messages, and select the best channels to deliver the messages. Organizers then test the messages (in this case, “Read and you will succeed”) with audiences for resonance and customize them, with audience involvement, so that they ultimately connect with the cultural context of each audience.

Once the message is refined, it is conveyed through integrated grass-roots outreach and traditional media techniques (brochures, pamphlets, web content, events, publicity, advertising). Grass-roots outreach provides direct person-to-person communication, which is especially good for connecting the issues to existing values, delivering messages, and creating engagement and ownership. This supports early adopters in their commitment to champion the issue, creating a fertile environment in which others become willing and ready to discuss the issue by providing environmental cues that convey a sense of being part of a larger movement.

Audience The audience has grown from the original pioneers to include the organizers and the recipients of the outreach. Audiences become ready to “own” the issue by gaining deeper awareness of the issue and how it relates to core values. They are primed to become messengers themselves.

PHASE 3: Share Information

Washington's King County Library System (KCLS) successfully raised awareness among key audiences in 2004 when it sought to educate customers about the capital needs for the growing regional library system. KCLS needed to make sure that people understood both the upcoming expiration of the capital bond and how the replacement bond would fund the facilities, maintenance, and improvements that library users said they strongly valued. A community survey was conducted to gauge those aspects of the system that were most important to the community and a series of listening sessions were conducted through the service area to hear directly from customers what they most wanted and valued from KCLS.

KCLS then created a message framework that reflected back to the community what the library had learned about the community's desire for quality facilities and technology, lifelong learning opportunities and educational support, and expanded or new facilities. The bond education effort created opportunities for sharing information at meetings of community organizations, through material provided on the web site, direct mail, and specific, detailed information in each branch about improvements and changes that would result from the funding. Through these efforts the library was able to convey effectively its commitment to delivering on community needs and expectations.

A separate, privately funded bond advocacy campaign formed by community members then built upon the baseline of community knowledge to promote the specific action needed to ensure capital funding for the library system—passage of the bond. The bond advocacy campaign asked the community to take action in support of the library system by voting yes on the ballot measure that authorized the capital bond. The community did so with more than 63 percent of the vote.

Organizers During Phase 3, outreach moves from raising awareness to providing information about how change can occur and what needs to be done. Organizers focus on providing specific information about how to impact change through personal, community, and institutional actions (including voting; mobilizing support or opposition to a policy; speaking out against racism; voting with one's dollars through boycott; and adopting new policies, practices, or procedures).

Audience Once audience members are aware of an issue and its importance, they want to know how to make a difference. They seek answers to questions including: Who can impact the issue? What organizations are responsible and able to make a difference? What can I do? With answers to these questions, they can begin to connect their related values and awareness of the issue with the knowledge of what they can do about it.

PHASE 4: Create Personal Conviction

Returning to Multnomah County Library (MCL), the library has effectively built public will over nearly 15 years. Looking at what MCL did through the public will building lens, we see that the library first framed the issue—the library is a critical educational and cultural resource. Then it raised awareness that a great library is key to a great community. It transmitted information that change was needed to ensure a great library. And in Phase 4, MCL instilled in the community the notion that action was required—in the form of significant investments in the capital infrastructure.

As a result, a significant percent of voters acted on their personal conviction that their community needed to financially support a great library. This shift in public will ensured the passage of a bond measure in the early 1990s to renovate the central library and to build new facilities or renovate all of the branches. It also resulted in $4.5 million in private capital, including $1 million raised in approximately 90 days through a mass appeal campaign. This was the first significant private philanthropy in the community in decades, and philanthropic support continues to grow to this day. In 1997, the voters subsequently passed an expanded operating levy that extended hours and increased collections.

Organizers In order to help individuals make a personal commitment, organizers deliver clear call-to-action messages that encourage a lasting commitment and specific actions. Using an integrated grass-roots and media approach, champions and ambassadors deliver the call to action as direct requests, and messages in the media and communication materials support them. The call to action is framed within the overall context so that individual commitments and changes are positioned as part of new, aspirational community expectations. In addition to more traditional calls to action (advocacy, purchasing, and voting decisions), organizers encourage audiences to make pledges, endorse core positions, and identify themselves as part of a movement.

Audience This is the critical stage, where individuals make a choice (conscious or not) to own an issue and create change. This ownership goes beyond a specific election or a particular program. Personal commitment in this phase means that people understand the problem—and its root causes—and dedicate themselves to working for change through a variety of actions. The issue becomes a touchpoint in individual choice-making, influencing how people vote, what they purchase, and to what positions they lend or deny their support. Public will is established.

PHASE 5: Evaluate and Reinforce

In 2004, the Washington State Library (WSL) secured funding to conduct a multiyear statewide marketing effort for libraries of all types. A library marketing committee was established to represent the needs and interests of a diverse array of libraries and demographics throughout the state. WSL launched a broad-based campaign that included a media campaign, materials development and distribution, and extensive training for libraries on effective marketing strategies. The organization conducted special outreach to school and academic libraries to address their unique needs. Presentations—to leadership groups, trustees, and at conferences—were used to ensure the broadest reach, flexibility, and support for everyone choosing to participate.

Significant data collected in the first year has been used to adapt the campaign for 2005/06. This evaluation process identified a need to tweak the campaign communication tools to include the audiences libraries serve more directly. For example, the new materials allow placement of text and branding elements from individual library systems. Also, in year one the campaign told the story of customers, but in year two the campaign has shifted to a first-person, active, and authentic voice where the customers tell the story themselves. To reinforce the commitment of early adopters, WSL is extending advanced training and support for individual marketing efforts to libraries that have taken action.

Organizers By evaluating messages, activities, and results and linking successes and failures to specific strategies, organizers can make adjustments to achieve greater impact. Unlike many public opinion–based efforts, where the key focus is on undecided audiences, public will organizers focus significant attention on ensuring that both grass-roots and traditional media communication reinforce those that have made the choice to act. This reinforcement is critical to public will building because it helps ensure that people who have taken ownership of an issue are reminded of their commitment and continue to see it as part of how they define themselves.

Audience Once individuals have taken action, they evaluate the results of their action and become increasingly aware of the positions and actions of others in relationship to the issue. They either confirm their decision and deepen their conviction or question their decision and make adjustments to their actions. The more they feel reinforced in their choice, the more they will take actions consistent with their conviction, which in turn helps drive change and influence others.

Sustainable Change

Public will building is a powerful approach to creating sustainable change that ensures libraries are viewed as critical to vibrant, healthy communities. The process attracts and enlists committed champions and ambassadors who are moved to conviction, whose conviction becomes action, and whose action garners the conviction and action of others. As change occurs, evaluation and reinforcement support the efforts of early adopters, converting them to ambassadors. Ultimately, this establishes a new set of normative community expectations within which our communities—and our libraries—can thrive.