All communication from the library is a form of advocacy. Communication is also the cornerstone of vision building. By communicating regularly with library stakeholders like administrators, teachers, and students, you shape the school’s view of the library.

Some questions to consider:

• How does each school communicate with faculty, students, and parents?
• Does the school use different methods of communication for different groups, different types of events, etc?
• What role does face-to-face communication play? What is the meeting culture of schools like?
• Who are your allies in each school? How can they help you implement your communication strategies?
• What strategies does your CLAC suggest for communication?

Website

Your library website is one of the first contacts users will have with your library. The website is your opportunity to present your vision for serving all the communities on your campus.

BEST PRACTICE: Include a link to your library website on each school’s website.

The following section is a reprint of the website section from “Virtual Face of the Library” of the NYC School Librarian Guidebook.

Emails

Some school librarians report “email is my life,” while others say “I write and send emails to have things in writing, but no one ever reads them. I have to follow up in person.” If your campus has schools where email is part of the culture, take advantage of this by sending notices about important events, closures, new resources and other special programs. Even in schools where email is part of the culture, keep emails short and to the point. Use short sentences and bullet points to get your main idea across quickly.

Manage your multiple email addresses wisely. Use email forwarding, and check all email accounts.

Social Media

Many librarians are “meeting students where they are,” in spaces like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Posting books you’re reading, new acquisitions, or pictures of events help to build interest and keep the library on people’s minds.

Twitter can also be a great space for professional development. By following professional organizations and prominent school librarians, you can stay on top of the field. You can also build relationships with other librarians who tweet from outside the NYC area. The NYC School Librarian Guidebook page on Networking has lists of professional organizations that are great to follow on Twitter.

Know what social media sites you school blocks. Which schools allow cell phones, which do not, and under what terms? May the students do work on their phones? Each school will have a different approach you will need to find out.

Keep personal social media separate from school accounts. Be careful soliciting or asking students to “follow you” Do not communicate with students personally. Always balance “meeting students where they are” with your professional responsibilities within student/teacher interactions.

Library Reports

Many campus librarians rely on monthly and annual reports to communicate their effectiveness to principals and library stakeholders.

Monthly Reports

Monthly reports can share a snapshot of what’s going on in the library. Even if principals only glance at the report, you are staying on their radar, and demonstrating the library’s relevance. By keeping these reports, you are also cataloging important stats you may want to use for future annual reports or grant applications. Details you may want to include:

• circulation stats
• class visits to the library by school, both statistics and a brief description of some classes held
• new books or resources
• highlights of events that happened in the library
• images!

In the resources for this section, you will find a template for a monthly report.

BEST PRACTICE: Foreground the library’s learning mission by including details about instructional work in the library and about instructional collaborations with colleagues, and information about how to contact you to set up collaborations.

Annual Reports

Annual reports are a great way to share your goals for the upcoming year and reflect on past achievements. Annual reports show that you have been active all year, and give some details on what you’ve been up to. Since administrators often don’t understand the nuances of the campus librarian’s role, this report provides a resource for them to learn more. The NYC School Librarian Guidebook has a helpful guide to annual reports, linked in the resources for this section.

Consider hosting your annual reports on your web site or in a LibGuide, like this example from campus librarian Teresa Tartaglione: https://mlkcampus.libguides.com/endofyear2018

BEST PRACTICE: Build toward your annual report one month at a time. Create infographics to use data from monthly reports to show the year at a glance in circulation and visits. Highlight special projects or events in the library, feature popular books, and programs that students loved.

Building Relationships Face-to-Face

Being visible around campus is one of the best ways to build relationships with students, teachers, administrators, and anyone who might become a library ally.

• Roam the halls between classes. Say hi to students, take a book cart of new releases, promote a library program.
• Visit new spaces in the school. Get out of your comfort zone! Make it a point once a week to go somewhere that you never go, even if it’s just to use the restroom in a different area of the school! A stroll to the gym, cafeteria, or art room might result in crossing paths with teachers you never see, but who are dying to collaborate with you.
• Attend meetings when you can. While we don’t recommend stretching yourself too thin, attend meetings where you think there is potential to meet teachers who may want to collaborate.
• Visit student clubs (or host clubs in the library!). Student clubs based on interests outside the classroom, or on academic topics, can be a great way to connect with students and engage them with resources.

Host events in the library. If you are willing to invite groups to meet in the library (encouraging them to respect the space, of course), this can be a great way to expose more community members to the program. Often a meeting can result in a future collaboration with an interested teacher, student, or parent who sees a cool display or who talks to you after the meeting ends.

Instruction & Programs

Like any school librarian, campus librarians are first and foremost teachers. Even though the administrative portions of campus librarianship can at times seem in the forefront of our work, like all other academic personnel in a school, we are teachers. Library instruction is a key way to engage with the pedagogical mission in a school.

While providing instruction across your campus may seem like a challenge, it also presents some great opportunities to build community. As a librarian, you possess pedagogical expertise on essential 21st century skills that teachers often don’t have time to address. Promote your specialized knowledge of inquiry, research skills, digital literacy and digital citizenship. Below find some strategies that campus librarians find helpful in maximizing their instructional abilities.

Communication! Communication, covered earlier in this guide, is an essential element to building instructional rapport with teachers. Sending emails to the English, History, or Social Studies departments might be a great way to remind teachers that you are available for research skills sessions. Chatting with teachers in the halls or after meetings, or reminding folks in any meeting you attend that you are available is a great way to promote your teaching skills. Reach out to your teachers according to the communication style of their school.

Promote! When new materials arrive, alert anyone who might be interested on campus. Use events in the library as opportunities to promote new materials. Creating new book displays before picture day can help bump up circulation!

Offer Professional Development to Teachers. Showcase your knowledge about information and digital literacy, research, literature, resources, and technology by delivering professional workshops or short tutorials for teachers at each school. You will build collaborative relationships, demonstrate leadership skills, and develop curricular and instructional insights and strategies to strengthen best practices.

Play to your strengths. If you love YA Lit, start a book club. If you are passionate about the environment, reach out to biology teachers or the science department and offer to help with a relevant project. Starting with material that you are excited about will produce great results, and serve as a springboard to more collaboration. Even a club that is outside of classes but related in some way will generate interest in you as a contributor to the school. This will get folks on campus talking about you, which leads to…

Word of Mouth. Many campus librarians say that teachers often contact them to collaborate on instruction at the recommendation of another teacher in their school or subject area. Ask teachers who you’ve worked with to talk up their experiences.

Displays. If appropriate, display work in the library that has come out of librarian/teacher collaborations. This reminds anyone in the library that you are first and foremost a teacher. Book displays are also a great way to build interest, and can even be curated by students.

Student clubs. Campus wide clubs are a great way to build community and promote the library. Many school librarians are the sponsors for clubs such as LGBTQ groups, manga clubs, comics clubs, and gaming clubs. Find out what resonates with your campus community and sponsor a club. Or, make your space available after school to relevant clubs, co-sponsor their events, and make them feel welcome in the space.

Calendar. In your scheduling calendar, make sure to include instructional sessions, color coded by school. These visual representations of library participation help remind anyone who wants to use the library that you also teach.

Colleagues and Resources. The Campus Librarian Network provides access to wonderful colleagues and materials, including New Visions curriculum materials that can support collaborations with a variety of subject area teachers! Additional instructional resources are available in the NYC School Librarian Guidebook

Resources and links

• Virtual Face of the Library, NYC School Librarian Guidebook
• Networking, NYC School Librarian Guidebook
• Monthly Report Template
• Annual Reports, NYC School Librarian Guidebook
• Instruction, NYC School Librarian Guidebook
• Campus Librarian Network

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