Advocacy Committee

News

Making the Most of Your Legislative Meetup
October 18, 2023
First of all, thank you for going to an ILA Legislative Meetup! I know from experience that it was an informative and rewarding use of your, your staff’s, and your trustees’ time. The Legislative Meetups are a coordinated effort between I…
Committee Spotlight - Advocacy Committee
February 10, 2022
The first goal of the ILA Strategic Plan is Advocacy. We don’t think this is only an alphabetical coincidence. Advocacy is a cornerstone of ILA and for all libraries. Everyone loves the library, but we are easily overlooked. The Advocacy Commit…
Committee Spotlight - Advocacy Committee
November 21, 2019
Folks often think that ‘advocacy’ is just talking with elected officials when you need something. And since that’s the case, they don’t need to worry about it because their director or their Trustees or the ILA staff know…

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Events

  1. Jun 2 2025

    Advocacy Committee Meeting

    Monday, Jun 2, 2025 1:00pm–3:00pm

    Zoom

More events »

Committee Charge

  • Supports the targeted advocacy efforts set forth by the American Library Association and the Illinois Library Association
  • Strives to unite ILA members behind advocacy efforts set forth by the ILA Executive Board;
  • Works in tandem with the Public Policy Committee (PPC) to implement an annual legislative agenda;
  • Provides ILA members with the tools to make local, statewide, and national advocacy an integral part of their professional life;
  • Develops a long-range advocacy plan in conjunction with PPC and the Executive Board; and
  • Within this broad framework collaborates with the ILA President and ILA Executive Director to set an annual calendar of advocacy activities and to create communications, materials, and training in support of these activities.

The Advocacy Committee chair(s) serve(s) ex officio on ILA's Public Policy Committee.

Committee Composition

Composed of twelve voting members, serving three-year, staggered terms. Non-voting ex officio members are the ILA executive director, the director of the Illinois State Library, ILA president, ILA vice president/president-elect, and the chair of the Public Policy Committee.

Follow the Advocacy Committee's activities

  • View the ILA Advocacy Committee calendar for association-wide events and deadlines that guide the committee's work.
  • Access the Ready, Set, Advocate tool kit and video modules, designed as program-ready content for you to show and/or use for professional development opportunities and advocacy training events
  1. Amanda McKay Amanda McKay, Co-chair Effingham Public Library

    Co-chair Term ends 06/30/2025
  2. Sara Murray Sara Murray, Co-chair Executive Director at Algonquin Area Public Library District

    Co-chair Term ends 06/30/2026
  3. Brittany Adams Brittany Adams, Member Cataloger at Sallie Logan Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2027
  4. Sam Adams-Lanham Sam Adams-Lanham, Member Community Engagement Librarian at Barrington Area Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025
  5. Dennis Danowski Dennis Danowski, Member Macomb Public Library District

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025
  6. Monica Dombrowski Monica Dombrowski, Member Executive Director at Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District

    Member Term ends 06/30/2026
  7. John Fischer John Fischer, Member Director at Normal Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2027
  8. Rene Leyva Rene Leyva, Member Director at Fossil Ridge Public Library District

    Member Term ends 06/30/2027
  9. Tim Prendergast Tim Prendergast, Member Director at Hodgkins Public Library District

    Member Term ends 06/30/2026
  10. Samantha Ralston Samantha Ralston, Member Director at Crab Orchard Public Library District

    Member Term ends 06/30/2027
  11. Jennifer Robertson Jennifer Robertson, Member Director at Carbondale Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2027
  12. Jessica Sparenberg Jessica Sparenberg, Member Director at Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2027
  13. Amy Byers Amy Byers, Ex officio Director at Chatham Area Public Library District

    Ex officio Term ends 06/30/2025
  14. Carolyn Ciesla Carolyn Ciesla, Ex officio Director A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst University

    Ex officio Term ends 06/30/2026
  15. Ryan Johnson Ryan Johnson, Ex officio Library Director at O'Fallon Public Library

    Ex officio Term ends 06/30/2025
  16. Laura Long Laura Long, Ex officio Director at Fremont Public Library District

    Ex officio Term ends 06/30/2025
  17. Greg McCormick Greg McCormick, Ex officio Director at Illinois State Library

    Ex officio Term ends 06/30/2025
  18. Alex C. Todd Alex C. Todd, Board liaison Executive Director at Prospect Heights Public Library District

    Board liaison Term ends 06/30/2025
  19. Cyndi Robinson Cyndi Robinson, Staff liaison Executive Director at Illinois Library Association

    Staff liaison Term ends 06/30/2028
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