Resources for Maryland Library Advocates

Maryland Libraries Legislative Action Center
Find your elected officials in Annapolis, draft messages, and take action to support your Maryland libraries!

American Library Association's Advocacy and Public Policy
Advocacy tools designed to help libraries of every kind influence community leaders and decision makers at all levels.

American Library Association's Legislative Action Center
Find your elected officials in Washington, draft messages, and take action to support your Maryland libraries! Track if your member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives has endorsed legislation at Fund Libraries.

Legislative Panel of the Maryland Library Association
Blog providing information on legislative issues impacting Maryland libraries.

United for Libraries - Maryland Group Membership
The Maryland State Library has partnered with United for Libraries to provide all Maryland Trustees, Friends groups, and library directors and staff with access through to the wealth of resources and member publications offered by United for Libraries. These include toolkits, fundraising ideas, trustees training, newsletters, digital publications, and webinars. Contact your library administrator or United for Libraries at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 2161 or united@ala.org if you have questions about accessing these resources.

Libraries Transform
Libraries are a smart investment, transforming lives and communities and passionately advocating for lifelong learning. Libraries Transform, the American Library Association’s public awareness campaign, is spreading the word about the impact libraries and librarians make every day. Find free tools and resources to advocate for the value of libraries.

I Love Libraries
Real stories that highlight the impact local libraries and library staff make in support of their communities.

Maryland Library Trustee's Manual
A guide for individuals serving on the boards of Maryland public libraries.

Maryland Public Library Statistics
Statistics comparing funding, staffing, collections, circulation, facilities, visits, programming attendance, and other data points are available for each Fiscal Year across Maryland's public library systems.

Maryland Library Survey
Though this information dates back to 2003 and 2006, the data still has relevance today. Potomac Incorporated completed comprehensive studies of attitudes about local public libraries in Maryland for the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association, Inc. (SMRLA) and the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development and Services (DLDS). The results of the 2006 study are summarized in this report, which includes county specific information. An interpretation of the data can also be found in the slides, Advocacy and the Statewide Surveys.