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The Ineffectiveness of Advocacy

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years, 4 months ago

The Ineffectiveness of Advocacy

 

 Don't be fooled.  Words count. We've all heard the tales of what happens when some unsuspecting American product name translated into a foreign language is actually a 'naughty' word or a word meaning something derogatory about the product. With few exceptions, business writers and advertising copy writers are some of the highest paid writers in the field. They are trained to recognize the power of words, not just in definitions but in connotations and tone. Writers that specialize in creating a brand name are among the highest paid writers per word (think how much J.K. Rowling would be worth if she got $1 million per word!). Businesses think nothing of spending several million dollars to 'brand' a sports or convention arena. Why? Because they know that a positive feeling toward their product translates into market share, which also translates into increased revenue ($$$).
 
The American Library Association has an Office of Advocacy. They educate and train others to advocate for libraries. Let's take a look at the whole definition and concept of advocacy. The three definitions of advocacy (1,2,3) viewed all contain the phrase "pleading". Pleading has negative connotations of powerlessness, lack, or desperation.  When you look into the definitions of pleading,  we find it contains the word "beg" (4). This shows that the word 'advocacy' is not coming from a position of power. These words such as pleading and begging and defending are all words stripped of positive power. We can conclude that in American English, one uses the term advocacy when one is in a position of great need and powerlessness.
 
When you negotiate, you do not want to find yourself in a position of powerlessness. The very definition of negotiation implies that both sides have something of value which they are willing to trade or share in order to receive something in return.  Negotiation is done among equals. In advocacy, it implies that the other side has something you need (money, resources) but you have nothing of value to offer. You are seeking charity or largess. It is the weak asking from the powerful. However, when one views the recent statistics on library usage, we see that libraries are of value - libraries do contain something that is needed. Libraries are in a position of equality.
 
Now, more than ever, we need to rid ourselves of the concept that we must advocate for the library. What we and the ALA must do is market and re-brand the concept of libraries. Just like the product name that is translated into a derogatory term, we must scrap the term advocacy. The hidden emotions and conotations of that word are too negative in these competitive times.  And libraries must be competitive. Libraries need to understand the basic concepts of marketing in order to successfully negotiate increased revenue over other competing community needs.
 
 
 
1advocacy. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/advocacy
2 advocacy. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/advocacy
3 advocacy. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/advocacy
4 plead. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plead

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