Miami-Dade Coalition Follow-up

We received a very nice note from John Quick, the president of the Friends of the Miami-Dade County Public Library, about our work supporting the Coalition to Save Miami-Dade Libraries (of which he was a co-chair).  

We're very proud of our early support of the grassroots movement in 2013 to lobby county government to back-fill cuts to the library budget.  We're even prouder of our ongoing work during 2014 helping the Coalition convene, plan, and execute a communications and advocacy campaign that succeed in adding $8 million in new funding to next year's library budget.  

With the guidance provided by EveryLibrary, the Coalition to Save Our Libraries in Miami-Dade County was born, resulting in a grassroots effort that ended four years of consecutive and crippling budget reductions; closed a $30 million budget shortfall; prevented further layoffs; provided a slight funding increase for new materials, programs, technology upgrades and expanded operating hours at some locations; and created a solid foundation upon which to build.  Without the support of EveryLibrary, none of this would have been possible.  Thank you for the assistance, direction, and input you provided during our advocacy efforts to support the Miami-Dade County Public Library System.
– John Quick, President (2013-2014), Friends of the Miami-Dade County Libraries – Co-Chair of Coalition to Save Our Libraries  

Without Mr. Quick's leadership and the personal involvement of a wide-ranging group of library, education, arts, and labor stakeholders, the Miami-Dade library would be in a much worse place.  We're grateful to them for being engaged and willing to step up for the library.  It is a game-changer in the county and around the country for library funding.