Bringing in the Masses:

Making Your Library EssentialRachel Grover

LibrarianFairfax County Public Schools

Advocacy: What It Is and Why It’s Important

• Speaking up for you, your programs, resources, and abilities

• Requires deliberate, consistent relationship building

• Kirkland (2012) warns if the school librarian cannot demonstrate the program’s worth, it is impossible to expect others to understand.

• We teach everyone (including staff)!

What Drives It All• Focus Question: How do we

further our mission of patrons becoming effective users of ideas and information?

• An advocacy program/plan based on your students’ and staff’s needs

• PLAN: Craft messages around students and learning, NOT the school library itself.

Building Awareness for Library Programs

• Back to School nights• Social media/Website• Morning announcements• Show off student work using your resources• Public library/Cross promotion• Parent volunteers• Contests – 12 Days, Bookmarks, Guess the

Book• What do YOU do?

Promoting Yourself as an Instructional Partner• New teacher orientation• Ask for pacing guides @ beg. of

year• Using the physical space of the

library• Follow up with teachers you

work with• Be seen in other places of the

school besides the library!• Photos of collaborations

Promoting Yourself as an Instructional Partner• Displays for current units• Calendar with big projects per

subject• After-school trainings• Visit department meetings for

subject-specific staff development & just being friendly.

• Highlight instruction & reading guidance, not just collections and computers

• What do YOU do?

Being a Leader• “Library Minute” at staff meetings• Serve on school leadership teams• School & District Curriculum Committees• Be a mentor!• Conduct professional development at

the school and/or district level• Pilot technology projects• What do YOU do?

Proving the Impact of Your Work

• Monthly newsletters shared with administration, staff, parents, & students

• Collect data! • Logins, purposes for students coming to the library,

no. of collaborations with each teacher or subject area• Pre- & Post- Advocacy data around year goals,

initiatives, or programs• Back up stats from your own library with district, state

& national stats• Student input: What do they like? Not like?

• Frequent fliers, reluctants, and average readers• Random classes survey vs. posting on your website

Proving the Impact of Your Work

• Be thankful to “investors”!• Do a “Year in Review” for your staff –

and yourself!• Follow up with SOL data that you

collaborated on with teachers• Why is it worth it for others to

invest in what you do?• What do YOU do?

Questions to Ask Yourself…

• Do you have an Advocacy Plan for your library? (and who knows about it?)

• What does your library do to support personal & academic student growth?

• How often does your school – and community – hear about the great things going on in your library?

• How could a student “Library Advisory Group” further your plan?

Questions to Ask Yourself…

• Do you document the happenings in your library? How do you disseminate that documentation?

• Is your library welcoming 100% of the time? – Is it ready to be the inspiration for a

new program or teacher collaborative opportunity?

• Does your print (and online) collection currently reflect every subject area’s standards?

If you don’t advocate for your programs, instructional abilities, and the impact of

your work…WHO WILL?

Thank You!Rachel Grover ragrover@fcps.eduFairfax County Public Schools @rgrov1013