Advocacy and YouRenee Gentry

Active support of an idea or cause

We need to be heard!

What is advocacy?

Talking with legislatorsWithin our professional organizations

Within our school and district

Ways we can advocate

◦ Stephanie Vance – presenter at NCSLMAhttp://

www.advocacyguru.com/about_stephanievance.htm◦ Know your legislator (party, their special interests)◦ Build relationships (staff)◦ Talk to the right person – ask who handles library issues◦ Educate and inform but also have special stories about

real people◦ Have a clear, specific, and POSITIVE message◦ Follow up at a later date◦ Invite Legislators and School officials to

library events at your school

Talking with Legislators

◦ Join an organization - ALA, AASL, NCSLMA, etc.

◦ Join the NCSLMA list servehttp://www.ncslma.org/NCSLMAList.htm

◦ Network and meet people at conferences

◦ Volunteer◦ Present a session at conference◦ Assist at the conference

Within Our Professional Organization

◦ Be heard – talk about what you do to your principal, teachers, parents, & students

◦ Fill your calendar – empty spots in your schedule look like you have free time – write on your calendar when you are doing admin work such as shelving or processing books. Make teachers aware that you ARE doing your job.

Within Our School & District

◦ Know quotable facts about your library Numbers of books circulated Number of students you see weekly Etc.

◦ Publicize your events – talk it up, newspaper, school web site, etc.

◦ Attract attention – in a good way of course – make the library fun

◦ Read- articles, ways others have been successful.◦ What can we do in Wilkes?

Within Our School & District

Creating a mission statement for your school library program is and essential first step to knowing what message should be shared with your school community.

Send an email via your school’s parent distribution list about how the monies from the successful Book Fair will benefit the school’s library program. Dollar amounts are not necessary, but a well-worded “Thank You” with this information is always well-received.

Start small. Talk about your successes one teacher at a time and share the credit.

AASL Advocacy Tip of the Day

When teachers pick up students at the end of class, be sure to mention college-career readiness learning activities you engaged the students in.

Invite students from a nearby high school to read with younger students in your school library after school, or encourage your high school students to tutor younger students at a nearby elementary school. This is a win-win situation .

Have a student write an article for the school newsletter or community paper that tells why the school library is important to them, or that addresses a special issue that is important for the school library to communicate.

AASL Advocacy Tip of the Day

Host at least one program for students in your school library during the school year. To make it easier, collaborate with a school department and share the responsibilities.

To bring the school library program outside the walls of the library post photos/artwork on the walls of the school to get kids talking and thinking about material to be presented in a lesson.

AASL Advocacy Tip of the Day

Have a bookmark competition in which students design and then the entire student body votes on best bookmark. The top three can then be printed and distributed throughout the year.

Turn up the power with word of mouth… Add your school library program’s mission statement to the signature line of your email.

Write an article for your PTA newsletter. Attend PTA meetings and get on the agenda.

AASL Advocacy Tip of the Day

◦ Stephanie Vance presentation at NCSLMA November 3rd, 2010

◦ AASL Advocacy Tip of the Day http://aasl.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9011bdd5ff860316c0afae3f0&id=bcb45fea1b

◦ ALA Office for Library Advocacy http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ola/index.cfm

◦ AASL Advocacy Toolkit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/toolkits/aasladvocacy.cfm

◦ NCSLMA Advocacy http://www.ncslma.org/Advocacy.htm◦ Act 4 School Libraries http://

act4sl.wikispaces.com/What+to+Say◦ I Love Libraries.org http://www.ilovelibraries.org/◦ Library Advocacy Brochure by the Illinois Library Association

http://www.ila.org/advocacy/advocacy.htm

Web Resources & Bibliography