Five Rules of Effective School Library Advocacy

Support for school libraries must come from outside the library. Therefore effective advocacy efforts are essential to strong, well-funded, secure programs. Learn simple, but effective strategies that will result in a good library program being important to not just you, but to your entire school and community.

Powerpoint slides in Dropbox

Rules of Advocacy, Head for the Edge, LMC, March/April 2012Whose Voices Are Most Powerful?, Head for the Edge, November 2005

AASL Advocacy Resources

Doug's Five Rules of Effective School Library Advocacy

1st Rule of Advocacy: Use, but don’t depend on, national studies, statistics or publications.

2nd Rule of Advocacy: Build relationships so others will advocate for you.

3rd Rule of Advocacy: Never advocate for libraries or the librarian - advocate for library users.

4th Rule of Advocacy: Don’t depend on the library supervisor to make your case.

5th Rule of Advocacy: Advocacy must be on-going and continuous.

Reframe these requests from a benefit to the user POV:

1. We need a bigger budget for fiction.
2. I need the hours of my library para increased.
3. I don't have time to be in charge of textbook inventories.
4. We must limit the number of kids who can be in the library at one time.
5. Please replace/upgrade the computer in the library's lab.
6. Can I get a laptop instead of a desktop
7. Can I get staff development funds to go to the TLA conference this spring?
8. This media center needs air conditioning!
9. I need a new laptop computer and a document camera.
10. The library needs more wireless access points.

12 Point Library Checklist (make a copy on your device)