The document emphasizes the importance of advocacy for school libraries, detailing strategies for librarians to effectively promote their programs and resources to students, staff, and the community. It highlights the necessity of building relationships, demonstrating impact through data, and actively engaging in various school activities to raise awareness about library services. Additionally, it encourages librarians to reflect on their advocacy plans and ensures their collections meet diverse academic needs.

1. Bringing in the Masses:
Making Your Library
Essential
Rachel Grover
Librarian
Fairfax County Public Schools

2. 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)!

3. 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.

4. 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?

5. 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!

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. 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

9. 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?

10. 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?

11. 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?

12. If you don’t advocate for your
programs, instructional abilities,
and the impact of your work…
WHO WILL?

13. Thank You!
Rachel Grover ragrover@fcps.edu
Fairfax County Public Schools @rgrov1013