Library Advocacy Plan

TE875 Advocacy Plan

Lori Applegate

University of Nebraska Kearney

02/12/12

Overview: 

     At this time I am not presently a LMS at a school, so I will make my target audience my previous school, and make the appropriate adjustments to my new school as needed when that time comes. This advocacy plan will target teachers at Paxton Consolidated K-12 schools.  Paxton, a small town, has about a 600 person population, and currently has a 230 student population.  This number contains about 102 elementary, and 128- 7th – 12^th grade students.  At present there is some collaboration, but only on a very small level between a few of the teachers, and the media specialist.  Teachers currently see the media center as a place to bring students for lessons in information literacy skills, doing research, learning how to use the media center catalog, and checking out materials.  They view the MLS as a person who comes into the classroom to help work with their laptop technology lessons, but the curriculum is not integrated. 

Target Audience:

When beginning in as a media specialist, in a new school, it will be important to introduce my-self, and the services that are available, to the teacher’s, and the administrator.  Along with students, and the community, they are extremely important advocates.  The teachers, and administrators, will help to provide a quality, and collaborative, educational environment, through team work with the media specialist.  “Reflecting on how others see the school librarian is the first step in developing relationships” (Howard, 2009, p. 45).  This is why I plan to focus on the teachers as my first advocacy group in my new school. The administrator will be invited, because “they are key players” in providing the support and resources necessary for a successful, and collaborative, educational environment.   The next step is to ensure that the staff, students, and members of the community see the media center, and the media specialist, in a way that fits into the vision for the media center (Howard, 2009, p. 45).  This will be the second phase of my continuous advocacy plan, but would occur simultaneously, and throughout the school year, with all of the other activities that are planned.   Even though I will be focusing on the teachers with this advocacy plan, it will also have a positive effect on the students, community, and administrators.  This is because when the media specialist, teachers, students, the principal, and other administrators, are part of a collaborative team, everyone benefits because better instruction is achieved, and student achievement scores increase (Library Power Project (2008), as quoted by Morris, (2010) p, 32).   “The SLMS must have a strong understanding of teaching and learning and must share that knowledge and expertise when collaborating with classroom teachers.  Learning as a process is at the heart of the library media program” (Levitov, 2007, p. 30).  Even though, advocacy of your school media center program occurs continuously, first impressions are very important, and will help open the door for stronger relationships, and other opportunities for advocacy, and collaboration, with school teachers and administrators.  Also, when teachers see their students experiencing success with collaboration, and pass the word, other teachers will come to you for the same experience.  Also, when you publicize the success of your teacher meetings and collaboration lessons other teachers will want the same success.  Teachers, and the principal, will have to be my first attempt at collaboration because they will help me to build a successful LMC program that I can simultaneously advocate to students, the administration, and the community through the local news television and newspaper, LMC web page, the school web page newsletter, and a social network-blog to build all of their support (Morris, 2010, p. 38).

Interests/Agenda:

Introducing my-self as the new media specialist and having other teachers introduce themselves will be the first agenda.  Visiting for a few minutes during breakfast in the media center will be a chance for us to begin forging partnerships that will eventually lead to collaboration partnerships.   The second agenda will be to go over the policies and procedures of the media center and to introduce anything new (especially technology).  The next agenda will include an introduction, and invitation, for beginning collaboration with teachers.  First, I will show  a presentation (computer or DVD) about a successful beginning collaboration, and then invite teachers to allow me to teach information literacy and citation skills, with their curriculum, in their classrooms.  I will also offer to work collaboratively as part of any unit that they would like to develop.  I will explain the benefits to them, and to the students, when schools have collaborative teams.  I realize that this type of collaboration is at a coordination level, and not at an integrated instruction or integrated curriculum type of collaboration, but it is an introduction (Gilmore-See, (2010), p. 57).  It will take a little time, and examples of well publicized successful collaboration lessons, and units with the teachers that are interested initially, before I will be able to get everyone on board.   Finally, the fourth agenda will be to invite the teachers to help in collection development, as this will help to develop a collection that is more in line with the curriculum.

Goals:

1)  Introducing my-self as the new media specialist and to begin forging partnerships that will eventually lead to                    collaboration. 

2)  To go over the policies and procedures of the media center and to introduce anything new (especially   technology). 

3)  Introduce and promote collaboration and invite teachers to allow me to teach information literacy and citation skills,          with their curriculum, in their classrooms. (However, I will offer to work collaboratively as part of any unit that they            would like to develop.)

4)  To involve teachers in collection development, to develop a collection that is more balanced and in line with our school      curriculum.

5)  To advance respect of the SLMS, and the LMC as an integral and important part of the schools educational process. 

Benefits to Teachers:

1)  Beginning to develop a strong relationship with the media specialist that will help them provide a better educational                    experience for their students.

2)  To introduce, or review, current media center polices, and procedures, for new and existing teachers, and receive a handout        with this current information.

3)  To have introduced, and explained, any new technology obtained by the school. 

4)  To see a DVD/or downloaded clip of a successful beginning collaboration between the LMS and teachers at another school,          which will help them to gain some ideas about themselves, and their students possibly receiving the benefits of such a                collaboration.

5)  To be able to view, suggest, or request media for the LMC that will represent their curriculum, and benefit their students.

6)  To receive a current copy of the AASL Standards for the 21^st Century Learner. 

      http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelines/learning standards/standards.cfm

7)  To have their students advance in research skills, note taking, and information literacy skills

8)  To have the community see their classroom success with their students

9)  To have help in the classroom teaching information literacy skills and note taking.

Benefits to LMC:

1)  The LMS will begin to develop the relationships with teachers that will lead to collaboration partnerships in the future.

2)  The LMS will be able to demonstrate leadership and knowledge about current LMC policies and procedures,                      collaboration instruction, new technologies, and new media that represents school curriculum. 

3)  Teachers will be more knowledgeable about the policies and procedures, and this will help with media center                    operations.

4)  Teachers will help the LMS to develop a balanced LMC collection that represents the school’s curriculum, which will in        turn help students receive a better education. 

5)  The administrator will begin to see how important the role of the LMS is to the education of students, and will begin to      understand the importance of collaboration to student achievement.

6)  To have their students advance in research skills, note taking, and information literacy skills

7)  To have the community see their LMC program success with their students

8)  To develop community, teacher, student, and the administration’s support of their program from the publication of                      collaborative successes, and the higher achievement of students. 

Activities:

Marketing Activities:

Reference Page

Foote, C. (2010). Every day advocacy.  School Library Journal, 56(8), 28-30.

Gilmore-See, J. (2010). Simply indispensable: An action guide for school librarians.  Westport, CT; ABC-CLIO.

Howard, J. K. (2009). Advocacy through relationships. School Library Monthly, (26)2, 44-45.

Kramer, P. K., Diekman, L. (2010).  Evidence = assessment = advocacy. Teacher Librarian, 37(3), 27–30. 

Levitov, D. (2007). One library media specialist’s journey to understanding advocacy; A tale of transformation.  Knowledge Quest, 36(1), 28-31. 

Morris, B. J. (2010). Administering the school library media center. Santa Barbara, CA; Libraries Unlimited.

ALA, School library programs improve student learning; Teacher Brochure.    Retrieved Jan. 27, 2012 from:  http://www.ala.org/aasl/learnin4life. 

ALA, 21^st century standards.    Retrieved Jan. 28, 2012 from:  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelines/learningstandards/standards.cfm.