Music Library Advocacy Committee Annual Report 2022

submitted by Linda Fairtile

Current Roster

  • Linda Fairtile, chair (2023)
  • Stephanie Bonjack, member (2023)
  • Laurie Bailey, member (2025)
  • Rebecca Littman, member (2025)
  • Carol Lubkowski, member (2026)
  • Sarah Ward, member (2026)

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  1. Create, seek Board approval for, and distribute infographics addressing the questions “Why do we need a music librarian?” and “Why do we need a music cataloger?”
    • Completed.
  2. Continue to pursue collaboration with the Theatre Library Association on specific advocacy efforts.
    • We have identified areas of commonality with the theatre library community and have named a new committee member to coordinate with TLA for the upcoming joint meeting in March 2023.
  3. Maintain our Humanities Commons site, adding and publicizing advocacy resources on a monthly basis.
    • The HC Music Library Advocacy group currently has 63 members. Since our last annual report we have added eight links to our advocacy resources page, posting each to MLA-L as an “Advocacy Resource of the Month.”
  4. Serve as the designated MLA liaisons to the Library Futures Coalition.
    • Committee members have attended most of this organization’s monthly “coalition calls” and have compiled notes on their content.

List of Future Goals

  1. Create a music library advocacy toolkit offering resources for a variety of basic advocacy needs and scenarios.
    • This supports Goal Area 2, “Develop and maintain membership,” by providing tools to support the preservation and growth of music libraries and their staff. It addresses Objective 2.4 by supporting members working in various disciplines within an organization that also includes aspects of music librarianship, as well as Objective 2.5, by encouraging member retention through targeted programs and support for member engagement at all career levels.
  2. Present an advocacy session at the 2023 annual meeting.
    • This supports Goal Area 2, “Develop and maintain membership,” and specifically Objective 2.6, as it will help promote MLA as being an Association that will advocate for our profession, our members, our users, our institutions and for diversity.
    • A proposal has been submitted to the Program Committee.
  3. Continue to attend meetings of the Library Futures Coalition and share information about their activity with MLA members.
    • This supports Goal Area 1, “Organize strategically,” specifically with regard to Objective 1.6, which supports open-access publishing (OA is a major focus of the Library Futures Coalition).
  4. Include members of the Theatre Library Association in planning our 2023 business meeting.
    • This supports Goal Area 1, “Organize strategically,” and specifically Objective 1.3, to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations.