Nancy Bolt & Associates
Library Advocacy
I formed my first consulting company in 1982 when my son was very young and I wanted to be able to set my own hours and work from home. When I became Colorado State Librarian, I took a break from consulting, only accepting one or two projects a year, outside of Colorado. This is also when my consulting with Bulgaria began, in the US State Department Funded, American Bulgarian Library Exchange (ABLE) Project. In 2005, I left the State Library and restarted Nancy Bolt & Associates. In 2020, I moved from full-time consulting to consulting availability but more time on library advocacy.
- Cultural Understanding and Respect: I am Chair of the International Library and Cultural Exchange Interest Group of the Colorado Association of Libraries. ILCE’s mission is to increase cultural understanding and respect through libraries. ILCE is the recipient of part of the gross sales of jewelry we sell. The donations are used to fund international library projects.
- Library Service to People with Special Needs: I am Chair of the
International Federation of Library Associations’s (IFLA) Section on Library Service to People with Special Needs. We advocate for access to libraries and resources for people with physical, cognitive, auditory, and visual disabilities and for those who are refugees or who are in prisons by offering programs and guidelines.
In 2017, I was privileged to be added to the IFLA Scroll of Appreciation, for outstanding service to IFLA and international librarianship, particularly in the development of government libraries and for commitment to library services for people with special needs.
In 2016, I was privileged to receive the Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award at the 2016 American Library Association Conference. It is given to “a librarian who invests time and talent to make positive changes in the profession of librarianship.
John Ames, Humphry/OCLC/Forest Press Award for International
The ALA IRC Humphry Award Subcommittee recognized “undaunted passion” in making its selection, noting my “work with local, national and international audiences has been significant and made a great contribution to the field of librarianship and international cooperation.”
I was honored for my work with Bulgaria, establishing an international librarianship group in the Colorado Association of Libraries, as an adjunct professor of international librarianship at Emporia State University, and my work with IFLA.
Presenting a poster on our international library work at the American Library Association. With Janet Lee, Director Emeritus of the Library at Regis University in Denver.
I was invited to attend a meeting in Athens, Greece, representing Library Services to People with Special Needs. The purpose of the meeting was to develop a world-wide vision for libraries and we wanted to make that people with physical, cognitive, audio, visual disabilities and people who are refugees, incarcerated, or experiencing homelessness were included in any vision.
Professional Values
In advocacy, I usually have the privilege of working together with other librarians and with people who use, love, and support libraries.
I try and use the following professional values in my advocacy work
- Teamwork with others to achieve advocacy goals
- Focus on our advocacy goals and the best way to achieve them
- Data-based discussion points to provide accurate information
- Consistent emphasis on the importance of access to information and the role of libraries to serve all residents in a community
- Particular emphasis on library service to marginalized populations such as people with physical, cognitive, audio, and visual disabilities and people such as those in prison, refugees, and people experiencing homelessness
- Teamwork – within the NB&A team and with the client
- Customer focus – what does the client want, and how can that client be best served
- Efficient work systems – how limited resources can best be used to deliver what the client wants and needs
- Data-based decision making – what data exists, what data needs to be gathered, and how can it be used to evaluate current services and determine the best strategies to meet client needs.
With Dolly Carnugui from the Philippines. We are representing the International Federation of Library Associations at a meeting to prepare a Flagship Report on library accessibility for people with disabilities in the UN’s 2030 Sustainability Development Goals.
In 2018, we took a group of librarians and library lovers to Bulgaria to visit cultural sites and libraries. We visited the Iskra Library in Kazanluk, Bulgaria. On our visits we always hear a presentation from Library Director Anna Kozhuharova, exchange gifts, get a tour in the library, and interact with staff. Anna’s comment is below:
“Thanks for your visit! It was a great pleasure for us. We are waiting for you again next year. For us, the meetings with you are a great inspiration. Enjoy the holiday in our beautiful Kazanlak!” ~ Anna Kozhuharova, Director, Iskra Public Library, Kazanluk, Bulgaria
For those of you interested in our company profile, here it is.
NBA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JNR Associates, Inc. JNR is a Colorado corporation registered by the State of Colorado on January 23, 1991, and is in good standing. The Federal tax ID number is 84-1167365 by JNR Associates, Inc., dba Nancy Bolt & Associates (NBA). Since 1991 NBA has conducted numerous library-related consulting projects for states, counties, and cities throughout the United States and for countries abroad. Individual projects have ranged in value from less than $10,000 to over $100,000. JNR books are maintained on a cash basis. Nancy Bolt is President of both JNR Associates and Nancy Bolt & Associates. Robert Hofmann is the treasurer of both companies. NBA engages Associates to meet the needs of specific projects.
