Ashland University Students Enter National Case Study Competition
Joe Lyons •
February 25, 2025
Ashland University Students Enter National Case Study Competition
PRSSA team develops advocacy campaign in support of public libraries
ASHLAND, Ohio—Four Ashland University students are taking part in the 2025 Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) Bateman Case Study Competition. This semester, members of the Ashland University’s PRSSA chapter Mikayla Alcantar, Dana Krukovska, Katelyn Meeks and Maksym Polianskyi are developing a public relations campaign on behalf of EveryLibrary.
EveryLibrary is an advocacy organization dedicated to supporting public libraries nationwide. The Ashland University’s Bateman team seeks to strengthen and diversify EveryLibrary’s grassroots base by reaching out to rural communities like Ashland and college campuses like Ashland University. The team’s messages focus on the role public libraries play in small towns across the country, where the local library is more than just books. It provides free services such as technology access, job search assistance, tax preparation help, craft meetups and educational workshops for all ages. It documents and preserves the community’s history. It serves as a community’s gathering place.
“A library is more than just books. Of course, literature, movies, computers—we offer all of that. But a library is also a concept of a third space: We have our homes as one place, we have our work as another place and the third place is where you go without being charged but still participating in the community life,” said Sandra Hedlund Tunnell, the current president of the Ashland Public Library’s Board of Trustees. “That’s what a library is, a gathering community spot that doesn’t require anything from you besides your participation!”
The Bateman team is creating multimedia content and implementing strategies to engage the Ashland community and fellow Ashland University students in grassroots advocacy for public funding and access to libraries. Follow Ashland University’s Bateman campaign on Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572923556563 and Instagram: instagram.com/aueverylibrary/.
