Looks at School Library Month and other related celebrations (Naional Library Month and Library Workers Day) and discusses advocacy and advocacy plans.
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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
AKAAdvocacy
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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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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.