STANDARD 4: ADVOCACY AND LEADERSHIP
Candidates advocate for dynamic school library programs and positive learning environments that focus on student learning and achievement by collaborating and connecting with teachers, administrators, librarians, and the community. Candidates are committed to continuous learning and professional growth and lead professional development activities for other educators. Candidates provide leadership by articulating ways in which school libraries contribute to student achievement.
Candidates demonstrate the ability to establish connections with other libraries and to strengthen cooperation among library colleagues for resource sharing, networking, and facilitating access to information. Candidates participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
Through observations and my mentor Robin at Myers Park, I have been building a professional network in my district. Staying in contact with other media specialists will result in sharing ideas and possibly resources once I am working full-time in a library. For now, it has already secured me a long-term substitute position and lead to my increased interest in adding aspects to my library program.Contacting other librarians and building relationships with them gives me an opportunity to see new things that they are trying, and things that I might personally change in my own library. The makerspace program Robin has built is fascinating, and I loved how much use I saw ebooks getting at South Charlotte.
Candidates model a strong commitment to the profession by participating in professional growth and leadership opportunities through membership in library associations, attendance at professional conferences, reading professional publications, and exploring Internet resources. Candidates plan for ongoing professional growth.
I use a variety of methods to participate in professional growth opportunities and stay up to date with relevant research and resources.I receive and read the bimonthly AASL journal Knowledge Quest, and am a member of ALA, AASL, and NCLA. I also follow several blogs relating to education/ libraries and receive and read newsletters from ALA and AASL. With research, methods, and technology constantly changing, we have to do what we can to stay on top of it. The publications I read help me stay up to date on what’s going on in the field. I have already made plans in my Professional Growth Plan to attend conferences in upcoming years.
Candidates are able to articulate the role and relationship of the school library program's impact on student academic achievement within the context of current educational initiatives. Utilizing evidence-based practice and information from education and library research, candidates communicate ways in which the library program can enhance school improvement efforts.
In LIS 653, we wrote an elevator speech. The elevator speech is a way of communicating the value of the school library program to administrators, parents, and other stakeholders in the school community. These are the people who will be making decisions about your library program in regards to funding, legislative support, and more, so it essential that they understand the value of your library program. That's why it is so important to know how to speak up for your program and show what you have done for student learning. The elevator speech should be brief, tailored to your audience, and should explain with evidence how your library and others impact student achievement.
ALA. (2013, May 08). Elevator Speech. Retrieved November 01, 2017, from http://www.ala.org/everyday-advocacy/speak-out/elevator-speech
Wescott, A. (2014, June 11). The Elevator Speech. Retrieved November 01, 2017, from https://hacklibraryschool.com/2011/09/22/the-elevator-speech/
Candidates identify stakeholders within and outside the school community who impact the school library program. Candidates develop a plan to advocate for school library and information programs, resources, and services.
Advocacy plan from LIS 653
In LIS 653, we had to create an advocacy plan to promote two aspects of our library program. I chose to advocate for our digital resources and our makerspace program. Each part of the plan required that I identify the audiences who most needed to hear about this aspect of the library program and develop a plan to share that knowledge with them and get them interested in using it. I learned to tailor advocacy efforts to specific audiences to achieve best results. Later in the MLIS program, I used part of this plan as a jumping off point for my PD session on ONEAccess, because I realized that by promoting the program to the teachers I was effectively turning them into advocates for it to the students.