Grant Support Materials - Communicating about Your Grant

Banner

ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵ

Getting the community involved is key to success in community engagement! With this in mind, ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵhas created the following communications templates to help spread the word to your primary audience and your community.

Navigation

  1. Training Videos
  2. Ready-Made Templates/Graphics
  3. Creating Your Own Communications
  4. Accessibility in Communications

Training Videos

  • (11:43)

  • (7:20)

  • (13:06)

You are not required to use these materials, but you are encouraged to. If you prefer to write your own announcements, please see below for credit requirements.

Ready-Made Templates/Graphics

Announcing Your Grant

The following templates can be used to share the news that you have received an LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Libraries grant and to briefly explain your plans. You can distribute these any time after ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵannounces the grant.

[Note: Documents will download as Word documents.]

  • Communications plan template: Use this template to create your own promotion plan.
  • Round One Grant announcement press release: round one grantees: Use this template to share the news of your grant with local media.
  • Round Two Grant announcement press release: round two grantees: Use this template to share the news of your grant with local media.
  • Elected official email: Use this template to share the news of your grant with elected officials. You can edit this email to invite them to an event, ask them to help promote a new library service, or to generally inform them about the grant.
  • Community group letter: Use this template to share the news of your grant with community groups/nonprofits and/or to ask for their involvement.
  • Social media posts: Use these templates to post the news of your grant on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media channels.
  • NEW: Tell a friend email template: Use this email template to encourage colleagues to apply for round two of LTC: Access. You can customize it to your own voice and share it widely with friends.

Inviting People to Your Conversation

The following templates can be used to invite people to participate in your conversation or get involved in your LTC work. You can distribute these whenever you are ready, but you should try to give people several weeks’ notice to attend a conversation. Per the grant guidelines, conversations must take place between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024 for Round 1 grantees.

  • Email invitation: Use this casual email template to invite people to attend your conversation or learn more
  • Media alert: Use this template to invite representatives of the media to attend your conversation, or submit it to the media so they can add it to the calendar section of their website/publication
  • Social media posts: Use these templates to invite people to your conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media channels

Reporting and Sharing Out about Your Conversation

Per the grant guidelines, you are asked to share information about the content/outcomes of the conversation in at least one of the following ways.

  • Write a letter to a local newspaper or other media outlet or post it to the library's social media
  • Create a video and post it to the library’s YouTube, Facebook, or other social media account
  • Write and send a letter or email to a state legislator or other elected official (see elected official letter template above) about the library's community engagement effort
  • Create a library blog or podcast about issues discussed during the conversation or the process itself
  • Use PLA’s Civic/Community Engagement or ACRL’s Events & Programs areas to collect and share feedback about the conversation with community leaders

Printable Materials (customizable)

Graphics

Add these graphics to your library’s website or social media channels when talking about your LTC work.

Creating Your Own Communications

If the above templates do not meet your needs, you are welcome to create your own materials, provided they include the proper logos/acknowledgments. As a general rule, any materials you create related to your LTC work (e.g., press releases, media alerts, webpages, invitations, flyers, posters, bookmarks) should include a “nod” to ALA.

Logos: Note: Grant recipients are authorized to use logos only for LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities project purposes for the duration of the grant.

Acknowledgment statement: “Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵ (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).”

On some pieces (e.g., a large poster), you will find it easy to include both the logos and acknowledgment. Other pieces (e.g., bookmarks or graphics for social media) may be too small to include both. In that case, one or the other is sufficient.

You do not need to obtain additional permissions, but you are welcome to email publicprograms@ala.org with any questions.

Accessibility in Communications

Training Videos

Standards for Digital Accessibility

  • (WCAG)
  • (W3C)

Continued Learning on Digital Accessibility

Tool for Testing and Correcting Readability of Content

  • (also available for Desktop)
  • (suite of evaluation tools that helps authors make their web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities)
  • to shorten long links

Accessible Documents Tools

Stay on top of the latest news

Accessible Social Media’s

Previous Section: Conversation and Project Resources

Next Section: Additional Resources