Autumn Schreiber Creative

Tag: activism

  • the library hiatus is over

    After all of the advocacy work I’ve done for the library, I was hopeful that I was done. However, with the shutdown of the Institute of Library and Museum Services (ILMS), I am far from it. A lot of South Dakotans (myself included) made numerous calls to our SD legislators in hopes of restoring the library budget. We were able to come to a compromise and fund the library enough as a state to qualify for the federal ILMS grant.

    It honestly feels like such a huge blow. I love my library so much. The resources it offers are vast and so helpful. In these trying times I’m able to go to the library without the expectation of having to pay for anything.

    The loss of the ILMS grant means that South Dakota will no longer be able to continue the interlibrary loan system. The ILL facilitates the free delivery of books, movies, articles, etc., to patrons across state lines. Well, not anymore.

    Despite nearly drowning in schoolwork as I race to graduate, I am still trying to get the word out. I made a slapdash Instagram post in Canva. But it’s still something. I guess I will be making calls to my state legislators this week. I’m really trying not to be discouraged.

    In times like these, I try to remember that speaking up and gathering community is so important. We cannot remain complacent and must fight for what we love each and every day.

    Anyways, go visit your library and soak up some sunshine yall.

  • quick library flyer design

    After the exhausting saga of calling my local legislators, I wanted to draft up a quick library flyer design. I’m not looking to print them en mass from another site, so I want to print them on a 11 x 8.5″ sheet of paper.

    The Process

    1. I opened up InDesign and started with a 11 x 8.5” size file. I snapped guides to divide it into four even sections.
    2. I looked at my original poster design. I wanted to take the elements of the big poster and condense it into a small flyer.
    3. After looking at the previous poster, I decided I wanted: a headline, short summary, and a qr code with resources.

    The Final Flyer Design

    Side by Side Comparison

    The Flyer
    The Original Poster

    I can’t decide if I need the black outline or not. It might make the flyers easier to cut (or at least, that was the idea).

    How do you design flyers? I’m off to finish some homework. Ciao!

    Posts

  • how do you even contact your reps?

    I’ve been wanting to make an informative social media post about contacting reps for my library awareness campaign. So, the only way I could give a lot of helpful information was to do it myself.

    The Process

    I didn’t want to go in completely blind so I found some articles. Here’s one on calling reps. Here’s another one on emailing/writing reps.

    I found my legislators and called the first one. There was only one number listed, so I called and got an intern. I was expecting a robot to direct me to my legislator’s phone (can you tell I’ve never contacted my reps before?!). I explained to the intern that I wanted to contact my legislator about library funding.  I was given the option to either let the intern leave a message or to give my name and number so my legislator could call me back. I went with the latter. I didn’t get a call back from that legislator that day. (I plan to follow up with an email or call again if I don’t get a response in a few days)

    I went on to call my next rep, but I called his personal phone. It went to voicemail, and I started reading off my script, but I got cut off after two minutes. I’d suggest keeping your messages concise and/or giving a summary with a request for a callback. My second rep called me a few hours later and left me a voicemail the same day. In his voicemail, he mentioned that he would try to restore some funding, but that cuts would have to be made and might make other people unhappy. I suggest maybe having some compromises in your back pocket (ex: I understand budget cuts need to be made. I suggest cutting the four million expenditure for private school vouchers to restore the SD library budget.)

    For my third rep, I ended up emailing him. I found the email along with his phone number. I went back and edited my phone script before sending my email. I got a response later that night. 

    The Social Media Plan

    I wanted to share my experience and tips on contacting my legislators on Instagram and Facebook. I used a Canva template. It’s a lot of information to share! I tried keeping my post simple and then linked a detailed experience in my linktree. I really hope this helps people contact their reps!

    Have you ever contacted your local rep? Let me know below. Until next time!

    Posts

  • managing library social media efforts

    Well team, figuring out how to find your legislators has been a hassle. It’s what I’m working on currently for my library awareness social media campaign. Right now I’m in the midst of finding out how to contact legislators about library funding. I’ll update yall on that later.

    Right now, I try to post every other day on my Instagram and Facebook accounts. I primarily repost SD Library Association updates, resources, and legislature updates.

    I usually make Instagram posts using Canva templates. Ideally, I’d like to hand craft each post in Adobe programs, but I don’t have that time with school and work.

    A recent post
    The second post image

    I’ve also started hanging up flyers in my spare time. I don’t have as many hung up around town, but I’m trying when I have time.

    One of my posters I hung up

    In the meantime, I’ll be starting up school and going to work. I’ll keep you updated!

    XOXO

    gossip girl (jk, it’s me, Autumn)

    Posts

  • winter break update #3

    I’m alive I swear! I’ve been busy with work and catching up on adulting. The current library campaign has also been taking up a lot of my energy. (sdlibraryadvocates on Insta and FB if you wanna take a look!)

    I’ve been trying to create posts highlighting library resources and spreading awareness of the proposed budget cuts. I also had to make Instagram and Facebook accounts. That was the easy part, figuring out how to connect them was more difficult. I printed off 30 posters at my local library and have yet to hang them around town. I’ll get to that on my days off, this Wednesday and Thursday.

    An Instagram post I designed in Canva

    In other news, I’ve been preparing for school and buying books. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum going in the effort to save the library! I was able to talk to the president of the SD Library Association and find out that there will be more resources coming.

    Until next time! Stay warm out there 🙂

    Posts

  • winter break update #2

    Well guys, it’s been a busy break! I visited more family, worked on more projects, and am trying to stay in my software.

    Adding the yarn
    Almost done!
    Hung out with my family at Falls Park

    After seeing my mom’s side of the family for Christmas, I used my days off of work to start an awareness campaign. Right now, the proposed South Dakota budget reduces the SD Library budget by 64%! Click here for the article. I’ve always loved the library and want to let South Dakotans know. Together we can let our voices be heard and retain our amazing library resources.

    So as a start for my campaign, I wanted to create posters. I like my initial Lorax idea but upon second glance, the Lorax is a copyrighted icon. So he had to go.

    The first poster idea

    I decided to keep my poster simple. I really wanted to make it eye-catching and memorable, but time is of the essence in this moment. By going with a simple poster, I’m able to redirect my energy into the social media aspect.

    The final form! (for now)

    Now that I have a poster made, my plan is to print off copies and hang them up around town. Maybe even in surrounding towns. I also created a social media account (sdlibraryadvocates) on Facebook and Instagram. My goal is to highlight the many resources that our state library provides for us, as well as how to fight the proposed budget cut.

    I’ll keep you posted on my library crusade! Until next time 🙂

    Posts

  • delving into magazines and zines

    delving into magazines and zines

    Today I started my morning with a video from one of my favorite Youtubers, Mina Le. She made a video essay detailing the rise and fall of fashion magazines. It was a fun watch, especially because I grew up with magazines like American Girl, Highlights, and even Seventeen. Even magazines like People and Us Weekly hold a certain sense of nostalgia because I remember reading headlines while unloading groceries with my mom. But somewhere along the way magazines fell off. With the rise of the internet it makes sense. You didn’t have to rely on magazines for gossip, national news, or trends when you had the internet at your fingertips.

    While some magazines survived the internet age, some went digital or died completely. Despite this, I really want to make my own. A magazine is a big undertaking, so I’m more drawn to zines.

    What is a zine?

    According to Purdue University a zine is a “small-batch, independently published work that circulates less than 1,000 copies”. Purdue also walks through zine history and a tutorial (click here).

    Zines have a history of activism, science fiction, and punk culture stemming back from the 1930s. Although zines are known for their rebellious nature, the content can be anything and everything. Read on for some examples.

    Sniffin’ Glue is a punk fanzine from the 70s.
    Riot Grrrl is a punk driven feminist zine that started in the 90s

    When creating a zine (or magazine) it can be done digitally or created by hand. I tend to gravitate towards making my zines by hand because it comes naturally to me. I’m still learning and improving my Adobe skills, but I’m not as adept as I’d like to be. I’ve decided to go about it with Adobe InDesign to stay in the software.

    However, creating a zine by hand can be just as much fun as doing it digitally. You can draw, glue, and glitter to your hearts content! After finishing your master copy zine, most people scan the pages to print and assemble additional zines.

    Next week I’ll detail my zine process, but until then…

    Rock on and read my latest posts below!