Competency D

Competency D

Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy.

Teacher librarians have skills sets that extend well beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Competency D examines a graduate’s ability to promote library services and plan programming for students and staff. Management and marketing responsibilities of a librarian are sometimes overlooked by non-library staff in a school library setting. Library management in a school setting also often involves managing technology, budgets and volunteers or student workers in addition to programming. Stephen Abram (2018) notes that the library profession is continually changing, and librarians are poised to act as agents of change. Librarians who are able to enact changes in their libraries demonstrate five key skills. “They have a clear vision, are patient, yet persistent, ask tough questions, are knowledgeable and lead by example, and maintain strong relationships built on trust” (Abram, 2018, p. 27, para 5).

Change management theory suggests ways to successfully guide libraries and individuals through the process of change in order to make the library more effective in supporting the goals and mission of the school. John P. Kotter, developed an eight-step process that can help librarians take on the role of “change agent” by creating and enacting a library management program that involves all key stakeholders. The eight steps for enacting change are to 1) create a sense of urgency so there is a time frame for action, 2) build a coalition so there are team members whose responsibility is to help support the librarian in making changes, 3) create a change vision so the end goals are clear to everyone, 4) communicate the vision so stakeholders (students, teachers, administrators, parents, community members) are kept in the loop, 5) remove obstacles including anticipated obstacles, 6) create short-term wins so progress toward the goals can be measured and visible helping to feed the sense of urgency, 7) build upon change to take advantage of momentum and interest, and 8) anchor change in the organization (Barefoot, 2018).

Change management theory can be applied practically in the library setting by developing a strategic plan. A strategic plan is a document that examines a library’s strengths and weaknesses by collecting demographics about the community, resources the community has access to (or lacks access to), and how the organization fits in within that community. A strategic plan has several parts, but as with change management, it starts with a clear vision and mission statement for the library. A mission statement communicates the purpose of the library and identifies the key stakeholders and their needs (Rosenblum, 2018). The vision and mission can be used to direct library programming and advocacy goals, as well as serve as a tool to communicate with other stakeholders. An environmental scan is another tool that informs the management of a library. An environmental scan examines resources and patterns of a given area or institution’s past to inform future practice (Rosenblum, 2018). Once the needs of the community are identified, advocacy and marketing can be more effective. For example, as a result of the environmental scan, I discovered that 42% of the high school population is non-White. This means that programming aimed at students of color and ELL students can create more opportunities for those students to receive support and resources because individual groups can use the library as a hub for dissemination of information and opportunities. One way this can happen is through effective library marketing and advocacy. Library marketing involves clearly communicating what the library can offer in terms of support for students, staff and parents. This communication should be multi-modal through email, newsletters, social media, orientations and professional development. Advocacy means helping the community to understand the role of the library in meeting community, district, and school goals by demonstrating and communicating library services. School librarians can use marketing and advocacy simultaneously to create an effective outreach program.

The evidence below demonstrates my ability to apply my knowledge of strategic planning, management, marketing and advocacy.

Evidence 1: Environmental Scan and Mission Statement

I wrote this environmental scan and mission statement in INFO 233. I used my current library to conduct the scan. This artifact connects to the competency because it demonstrates the first stages in developing library management plan. As a result of the scan, I learned that integration of services across the district is not equitable. This impacts our more vulnerable populations. This is an area where library staff can step up to provide programming that helps to integrate services to students and staff. The mission statement helps to clarify the purpose of the library for students, staff and parents.

Evidence 2: Advocacy Tools Assignment

I made this collection of advocacy tools in INFO 233. This artifact connects to the competency because it contains several different items that contribute to an overall advocacy and marketing plan. The first part of the collection is a list of individuals and groups who can support the library’s mission including the school principal, the career center, and the PTSA. The second part of the assignment is a flier I designed to market a collaboration between the library and the career center, called Lunch Time Learning. This flier not only attracts students to workshops like, “Library Resources for College Applications,” but it advertises what can be accomplished by collaborating with the library to deliver information, programs or resources. It helps the library and the collaborative partner to mutually promote each other’s goals.

The next tool is an “elevator speech” that I would use to address the staff as the new librarian. My main message to staff is to let staff know that I am available as a resource for them and students and to remind them that they are my primary conduit to the students (and students to me). The final tool in my collection is an advocacy letter to my principal inviting him to attend a library conference with me, so we can better get to know how the library can support the school’s overall vision and mission. Through this assignment, I learned that advocating for the library is an on-going goal that requires a multi-pronged approach because you never know what will resonate with someone and their needs.

Evidence 3: Budget Memo

This budget memo was an assignment in INFO 233. The memo connects to the competency because it is an advocacy letter addressed to the principal and assistant principal to request funding for an all-school read and author visit. Attached to the letter is a list of which requests are high priority and which are lower. I learned that giving opportunities for people to accept part of an offer instead of all-or-nothing, can increase the chance that at least part of the request would be funded and allow for negotiation and compromise.

References

Abram, S. (2018). Librarianship. In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (2^nd ed., pp. 26-39).

Barefoot, R. (2018). Change management. In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (2^nd ed., pp. 246-255).

Rosenblum, L. (2018). Strategic planning. In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (2^nd ed., pp. 231-245).