Digital Privacy & Technology Guide: Advocacy

If you haven't already, meet Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 78!

A compilation of laws, regulations, and web sources on privacy law in general.

Laws, regulations, cases, and web sources on internet and online privacy law.

Laws, regulations, cases, and web sources on freedom of information and public records law.

Locate your State representatives using your address.

Join Massachusetts Library Association, the Commonwealth's official chapter of ALA. MLA is the leading library advocacy for Massachusetts libraries. Support its work in advancing the library profession and communities.

Legislative agenda information from Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Sign up for Massachusetts Library Association's (MLA) Legislative Alerts and make sure you receive Massachusetts action alerts and updates on policy issues related to the library field.

Central Massachusetts Library Advocates are a group of librarians who have begun discussions on how best to represent Central Massachusetts libraries, both as library advocates and as a continuing education source for librarians, library staff, and library supporters.

Western Massachusetts Library Advocates is committed to promoting the best in contemporary library service based on the unique resources and needs of libraries in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties.

Patrick "PC" Sweeney, Political Director at Every Library, explains the details of the Power Mapping technique and how this framework can be applied locally in libraries.

Blog post by PC Sweeney on the basics of power mapping and how to use this framework to advocate for your library in your community.

Every Library offers a free on-demand webinar for School Librarians to learn how to Power Map the school ecosystem and your broader community to influence the superintendent, principal, board, or funding partners.

From the Commons Social Change, this tool can help guide teams through a power mapping analysis to inform a library's campaign strategy.

Provides the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency.

Michael Morisy introduced archivists and librarians to the basics of requesting and following up on Freedom of Information Requests. He also highlights some of the tools MuckRock offers, which are invaluable to information specialists and their patrons.

MuckRock can help you file a public records request – a great way to find out the types of surveillance technologies that are being used by police, schools, and other entities in your area.

Directory of National consumer privacy laws organized by State.

Directory compiled by ALA.

Locate your Representative in Congress

Locate your US Senator

A regional organization whose membership represents a wide range of library‑related interests. Its objectives are to initiate, plan and support regional activities; to encourage the exchange of ideas; and to cooperate with regional and national agencies having related interests.

Learn how you can advocate, what the issues are, and how your library can best advance the needs of your communities.

Resources for library advocates.

A collective of library workers, students, and community members taking action to divest from all forms of policing in libraries and invest in collective liberation.

The first and only national political action committee for libraries. It is a gold-rated non-profit organization that helps public, school, and college libraries secure new funding through tax and advisory referendum, bonds elections, negotiations with school boards, and advocacy at municipal, state, and federal levels.

Data Justice Lab's guidebook offers a range of useful examples from citizen juries to community oversight boards to participatory budgeting and a host of further resources to get started.

Free self-paced course to develop advocacy skills that culminates in the development of an Advocacy Training Implementation Guide.

An initiative that provides library leaders and technologists with training and tools they need to advocate for improving library technology and digital readiness.