school libraries and advocacy

What is the role of advocacy in the school library? To whom should you apply advocacy efforts, why? In investigating advocacy efforts what do you see that you like? What concerns do you have? What challenges are facing school libraries?

There always seems to come a point in classes where I hit the theory-vs.-practice wall. That is to say, I read or hear or learn things in my courses that sound good in theory, but I’m not quite sure how I will implement them in my practice as a school librarian. Advocacy is somewhat like that for me. I think advocating for the importance of school libraries (and library funding, programming, resources, etc.) is tremendously important, and an undeniable necessity in this profession right now. But it’s hard to know what it looks like in practice—or how to find the time to do it.

Given all of that, I really appreciate the depth of the resources at the AASL website— to know that there are ready-made, readily available sources of information and advocacy ideas is so helpful. All of the advocacy toolkits are resources I can definitely imagine using and revisiting over and over again. They really help distill a big concept like advocacy into manageable, easy to understand ideas and suggestions for action.

While I’m not totally sure how advocacy efforts fit into the day to day workings of a school library, I do feel like those efforts should be an integrated piece of any school library program, as opposed to an afterthought added in only occasionally. I work in a school library right now which is exceptional in several ways—it is well-funded, with three library staff members (for a 500 student school); there is money for new books and author visits and professional development, and a good deal of collaboration with classroom teachers. At first glance, an outside observer might argue that there’s relatively little need for library advocacy. But I see the ways it is a part of the head librarian’s thinking all the time. Whether it’s creating a parent volunteer program, holding community events in the library, or thinking of ways to partner with other local schools with fewer library resrouces, there is a consistent, subtle way that she is promoting the library all the time. The goal is for the library to feel like (and be) an essential part of the school community, and for the community members to feel connected to the library. This work is ongoing.

Certainly contemporary libraries are challenged by budget constraints, first and foremost, and advocacy is necessary on all levels. From library promotion efforts in individual schools, to events like the ALA’s annual Library Advocacy Day, getting the message out that libraries are essential to learning is critical. We need to be able to explain why our efforts and programs are important to all kinds of stakeholders—students, parents, administrators, school boards, etc. Fortunately, there seem to be lots of resources out there to help librarians navigate the terrain of advocacy, and put theory into practice.