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A spring forward

with planning!

LIB 600 Libraries and Education

2015

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What is School Library Month?

School Library Month (SLM)

is the American Association of School

Librarians’ (AASL) celebration of

school librarians and their programs.

Every April school librarians are

encouraged to create activities to help

their school and local community

celebrate the essential role that strong

school library programs play in

transforming learning.

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SLM is 30 years old!

The first national observance

kicked off with a ceremony

on the west steps of the U.S.

Capitol on April 1, 1985,

and its theme was Where

Learning Never Ends: The

School Library Media

Center.

More about the history of

School Library Month.

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A related event

National Library Week

Celebrate National Library Week

2015 (April 12-18, 2015) with the

theme “Unlimited possibilities @ your

library®.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library

Week is a national observance sponsored by

the American Library Association (ALA)

and libraries across the country each April.

It is a time to celebrate the contributions of

our nation's libraries and librarians and to

promote library use and support.

Best-selling author David Baldacci will serve as Honorary

Chair of National Library Week 2015 (April 12-18, 2015).

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Another related event

National Library Workers Day

What is National Library Workers Day?

NLWD is a day for library staff, users,

administrators and Friends groups to

recognize the valuable contributions

made by all library workers.

Nominate a stellar library worker!

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What’s it all for?

Promotion of the library!

Public Relations

AKA Advocacy

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What Is

Advocacy?

http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/

definitions

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Advocacy: The Teacher Librarian as

Advocate

. . . It’s important to ask yourself: What

are you really advocating, marketing,

or promoting? Yourself, your

program, your teachers, information,

or lifelong learning? What’s the

purpose of the activity? How will the

outcomes of the activity impact

students? How does it relate to your

mission?

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Frontline advocacy

Frontline Advocacy Every Day: Library

Media Center Leadership, Staff, and

Others Working Together

“Informal” frontline advocacy is simply

using everyday opportunities to tell or

remind people about your library media

center’s resources and value to students,

families and staff.

“Planned” frontline advocacy is more

deliberate, and it requires the knowledge

(and possibly the approval) of school

library leadership.

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https://youtu.be/HdPYRo0zYw4

Some guidance from Oz . . .

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Another Karen Bonanno product

http://www.scoop.it/t/school-library-advocacy

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A Kentucky presentation

https://prezi.com/6kb9hak2ywhj/school-library-

advocacy/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=

copy

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Advocacy Plan

http://10slm501summerwikigroup1.pbworks.com/w/

page/27134672/Advocacy%20Plan

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http://www.ala.org/advocacy/adv

leg/advocacyuniversity/frontline

_advocacy/frontline_school/ever

yday/crafting

See also:

Ten Basic Steps to Successful

Frontline Advocacy for School

Library Leadership

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http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Kaaland2011-

v28n3p29.html

http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Kaaland2012-

v28n4p29.html

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http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/2010/06/

01/being-tactical-with-advocacy/

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4 Rules of Library Advocacy

1. Johnson’s 1st Rule of Advocacy:

Don't depend on national

studies, statistics or publications

2. Johnson's 2nd Rule of Advocacy:

Build relationships and inform

so others will advocate for you

3. Johnson's 3rd Rule of Advocacy:

Never advocate for libraries or

the librarian - only for library

users

4. Johnson's 4th Rule of Advocacy:

Don't depend on the library

supervisor to make your case

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A recent article

If you know anyone who still imagines a

librarian is a glorified book clerk whose main

interaction with patrons is sshhhh!, I urge you

to have them visit a library and talk to a

librarian about their work. The rise of the

internet and the search engine and digital

media has not rendered librarians any less

essential; their expertise and dedication are

needed more than ever, and those of us who

value them must step up our advocacy in light

of short-sighted library policy and budgeting.

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