[Date]
[Chief Name and Address]
Dear Chief [name],
As you are aware, in 2004, the First Nation library community published a visionary
strategic plan for First Nation Libraries called “Our Way Forward: A Strategic Plan for
First Nation Public Libraries”. Since that time, library members of the First Nations
public library community have been working to begin the implementation of this vision.
Early in the implementation discussions, it became clear that the first priority was to
begin to advocate with all levels of government, not only to raise awareness of the value
of First Nation libraries, but to begin to make the case for sustainable funding. We value
the support of our Chiefs and Council, the Ministry of Culture, our communities and our
library users. However, as you are aware, there is a need for ongoing sustainable funding
for libraries in all First Nation communities. We hope that you will work with First
Nation libraries to communicate this case to other levels of government.
The result of this discussion is “Our Way Forward: An advocacy kit for First Nation
Public Librarians”. This kit was made possible through a Library Strategic Development
grant from the Ministry of Culture and the time and energy of dedicated committee
members. We are very proud of the resulting advocacy kit which has two objectives: the
first, to assist First Nation librarians in building their advocacy skills; the second, to raise
awareness of the issues facing First Nation libraries. The kit consists of tools to be used
by First Nation libraries in their advocacy efforts and a DVD to build awareness about
the value of First Nation libraries which includes contributions from various Ontario First
Nations authors, elders, librarians and library users.
In the coming months, members of the First Nation library community will be sharing
this kit on both a local, regional and provincial basis. I hope to have the opportunity to
attend a meeting of Chief and Council to present the kit to you in the near future. To start
off an advocacy campaign for First Nation public libraries, a media release is planned for
Thursday, May 31, 2007, at the conference for First Nation Librarians in North Bay. In
the meantime, I am pleased to answer any questions you may have about our library and
our plans for the future.
We wish to thank-you for your support during the implementation of our exciting
strategic vision.
Sincerely,
[Name of Librarian]