The document outlines strategies for school library media specialists (SLMS) to effectively advocate for their programs within the educational community. It emphasizes the importance of professional communication, problem-solving, and aligning requests with school strategic plans while showcasing achievements and needs. Additionally, it encourages building positive relationships through thoughtful interactions and presentations.

1. Advocacy for SLMS
Steven M. Baule
Community Unit School District 201

2. Recently on an Illinois Listserv
• Question from Supt.:
– I have to replace a retiring librarian next year,
what do other districts do regarding extended
contracts?
• Answer from another Supt.:
– I hired an aide for each building and let the
remaining SMLS work between two schools,
saved money, no downside.
• Paraphrased for space

3. • School Board Members
• Administrators
• Other Educators
• Potential SLMSs
• Students
• Parents
• Community

4. Succinctly
• Let people know what you are doing!

5. • Never identify a problem without providing a
potential solution as well
• Don’t belabor points or point out issues that are
obviously beyond his or her control
• Mention what positive things the administrator has
done in the past for you
• Always follow up with a thank you note, even if
just for taking time to meet with you
Communicate Considerately

6. Communicate Professionally
• Avoid folksy styles unless that is the administrator’s
style
• Type memos: don’t handwrite notes on the back of
the school bulletin
• Always provide enough detail that the administrator
can start to consider the issue without having to seek
you out simply to clarify the concern or need

7. Communicate Professionally
• Draft memos about your issues
– Don’t ever expect that the administrator will have time
to write a letter for you without providing a draft or at
least an outline
– Do not send five page memos to an administrator
except for the most important and detailed of issues. In
those cases, provide an executive summary
• If you need a letter of support, especially for
grants, provide a draft that can be modified or just
signed

8. Communicate Professionally
• Dress in business attire for presentations – P.E.
teachers shouldn’t come to Board meetings in
sweats and SLMSs should not come to such
meetings in I Love Books vests, etc.
• Prepare presentation materials in a professional
manner, provide covers, executive summaries, etc.
• Ensure there are no obvious typos, grammatical
errors, etc.

9. Balance Communication
• Don’t continuously
complain, ask, or plead,
etc.
• Compliment when
possible
– Unsolicited and justified
compliments will go far
towards building a positive
relationship
• Preemptively serve your
administration as the
mind-reading librarian
you are

10. Focus on Their Needs not Yours!
• “I need four new computers for the library
catalog system”
• “If we had four more computer
workstations in the library, students would
be able to …….”

11. Always Frame your Requests
around the School’s Strategic
Plan, Technology Plan or SIP
• Quote the plan in all requests
• Focus on the student impact
• Speak in the terms of “student
achievement”

12. Recent Studies
• Let’s not hang our hats entirely on recent
studies….
– They are correlative, they show a possible relationship
– They do not show causation
– Given to an administrative team who knows research as
an “imperative” for stronger SLMPs, they may really
backfire
– That doesn’t mean those studies don’t have value, they
are a first step

13. As a professional community
• We need action research that shows causation
• You can do this at the system or district level with
potentially significant results
• Look to a small part of the Iowa Study that does
show causation in the number of books checked
out
• Talk to your library software vendors about
software modules of enhancements that can track
library usage to test scores, etc.

14. At the School or District Level
• Ensure that the administrative team knows
what you do and what you need
• Send copies of your newsletters to the
Board & superintendent

15. Showcase your program
• Apply for grants
• Apply for awards
– Look to DGS as an
example
• Nominate others
• Communicate with
the PTO/PTA/LSC

16. Excel at what you do – Merit
does have its place