Dear AAAL members,

AAAL is inviting expressions of interest from members who would like to join its newly established Advocacy Sub-Committee.

Advocacy has emerged as an important area of development for AAAL. As a provincial association, AAAL has an opportunity to increase awareness of the value and contributions of Alberta’s academic libraries, support members in advocating for their unique mission within their own institutions, and contribute expertise on issues that directly affect academic libraries, their workers, and the communities they serve.

The AAAL Advocacy Sub-Committee will help AAAL develop this role thoughtfully and sustainably. Its initial work will include:

• clarifying the scope and priorities of AAAL’s advocacy activities, including developing a protocol for advocacy initiatives;
• gathering evidence and examples that demonstrate the contributions of academic libraries
• brainstorming on potential advocacy workshop themes and protocol development for AAAL members

Because this is a new initiative, the Advocacy Sub-Committee will begin with a deliberately modest and manageable scope. For the first year, the objective is not to undertake an ambitious advocacy program immediately. Rather, the group will together: 1) establish a sound foundation for evidence-informed academic library advocacy initiatives and 2) develop practical priorities that reflect AAAL’s wide-ranging and diverse mandate.

Interest is encouraged from members working in different academic library roles, all career stages, and all regions of Alberta. Experience in advocacy is very welcome but not required. Members who bring knowledge of communications, assessment, institutional planning, research, teaching, equity and accessibility, or other relevant areas are also invited to share their interest. Most importantly, colleagues are sought who are interested in helping AAAL to develop a credible and constructive advocacy profile.

The AAAL Advocacy Sub-Committee will meet monthly beginning in November 2026, with an initial appointment extending to November 2028. Meetings will be held virtually.

If you are interested in this exciting new service opportunity, please send a brief expression of interest to duffyj@macewan.ca by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10. Please include your current library role and institution, along with a few sentences about which AAAL Advocacy objective interests you most.

Thank you all for considering this opportunity to shape the direction of an important new area of AAAL’s work.

Warm regards,

Jane Duffy
Chair, AAAL Advocacy Sub-Committee