Alabama Virtual Library lobbyists' and state legislators' perceptions of effective state lobbying strategies

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare perceptions of Alabama State Legislators and Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Lobbyists relative to the use and effectiveness of lobbying techniques in contributing to the passage of funding legislation for the AVL. Also, it investigated if size of agency, age, tenure, political affiliation, and experience determined AVL Lobbyists' and Alabama State Legislators' perception of effective lobbying techniques.; The subjects of this study were 140 members of the 1999 Alabama State Legislature and 65 AVL Lobbyists. The mailed survey asked both groups to evaluate 23 lobbying characteristics according to their perception of effectiveness relating to the AVL. Each question had six possible ratings using a Likert Scale. The effectiveness of the three types of lobbying categories; electronically relevant, constituency-based, and classic direct were evaluated using independent T-test, Pearson's correlation and multiple regression.; This research found that there was no significant difference in perceptions of the effectiveness of the three types of lobbying categories for the AVL Lobbyists. However, it was determined that AVL Lobbyists had a slightly more positive perception of the constituency-based lobbying category than legislators, who in contrast had a more positive view of classic direct lobbying techniques and electronically relevant lobbying techniques. Second, Alabama State Legislators' experience had a significant positive relationship with all three lobbying categories. This relationship indicates that the more time legislators spend being lobbied; the more positive the perception of the effectiveness of lobbying techniques.; This dissertation demonstrated that AVL Lobbyists and Alabama State Legislators perceived that lobbying techniques had an effective role in influencing funding for the AVL. If a lobbyist realizes that legislators prefer classic direct and electronically relevant techniques, pursuing those techniques may be beneficial. Also, if a lobbyist has more experiences with a legislator, it is likely that the legislator will have more favorable perceptions of the lobbying methods used by the lobbyist.