Advocacy

The AASL Advocacy Committee's definition:

Advocacy is the "on-going process of building partnerships so that others will act for and with you, turning passive support into educated action for the library program. It begins with a vision and a plan for the library program that is then matched to the agenda and priorities of stakeholders."

"What Is Advocacy?", American Library Association, April 26, 2007. http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/definitions (Accessed February 3, 2023) Document ID: ac77fcb7-d049-7a14-c548-d1030a8b64f1

The “Who, What, Why, and How” of Advocating and Marketing School Libraries
(from Shannon Miller, NCTIES 2023)

• Why should they care?

  • How can you help them meet their goals?

  • How can your space help THEM?

  • How can the library be part of their story (teachers, students, families, communities) too?  

    • Don’t just list services or what your library tangibly offers. Connect to FEELINGS!

Community Partnerships

• GOALS Partnership (with Greensboro Public Library and High Point Public Library)

  • • Tutorials for accessing resources with the GOALS library card.

• Partnership Ideas and Examples (from American Library Association)

• Developing a School Volunteer Program (from Scholastic.com)

Posters adapted from The Library Bill of Rights and Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights by Kaitlyn R. Carpenter and used with permission.