Elizabeth Elford

For the past decade, Elizabeth has helped public and private sector organisations communicate the importance of their services to the key audiences, from promoting small business development and civil society work in Russia to writing and publishing a history of an international law firm's expansion into Eastern Europe. Before moving to London and advocating for public libraries, Elizabeth served as the public affairs and communications manager for the US Agency for International Development in Russia. Currently, Elizabeth is working with the Society of Chief Librarians to shift public and government perceptions about libraries using positive stories about how libraries help people improve and enrich their lives.

Detail session 1

Windows of opportunity – promoting the public library service

In 2008 the Society of Chief Librarians and the British Library joined forces in a new initiative to promote and advocate on behalf of libraries at a national level. Elizabeth will lead a session on how libraries can raise their profile at both local and national level. What are the key messages that will win the hearts and minds of the key stakeholders, how should this message be conveyed and what can public libraries do at the various levels of government to help raise the profile of the public library service?