How to use this Page

Use the resources on the Everyday Advocacy site to help make your voice heard! Photo courtesy of ALSC.

The Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC) entered its third week on Tuesday, March 15, with this Take Action Tuesday prompt:

Champion the importance of school libraries and school librarians.

Read on to find out how Skye Corey, Rosemary Kiladitis, and Stacey Rattner took on the Week 3 challenge with a few small—and even some huge—steps that make a big difference for students of all ages!

Skye writes:

At the heart of Everyday Advocacy is the belief that small steps make a big difference. As part of this week’s challenge, I took the small step across the road to visit the neighboring middle school librarian.

We had a great conversation, and I left with a page-long list of practical steps that I could take to support the work that she does. From MakerSpace outreach programs at lunch, to weeding help, to coming up with a better system of exchange for when students return public library books to the school—there were so many simple, actionable ideas discussed! I can’t wait to work together with the Youth Services team and the school librarian to make these ideas a reality!

If I had to share just three points with others who are thinking about taking that small step of reaching out to the local school librarian, I’d say the following:

1. Don’t be afraid to take the first step! School librarians are just as passionate about advocating for children as public librarians, so fear not! (Read Stacey’s paragraph to see how amazing school librarians can be!)
2. Schedule time to check-in with the school librarian on a regular basis. Cultivate this important relationship so that when they need help or have a great idea, you are the first person they contact.
3. Do all that you can to remove barriers within the relationship. Listen well, be flexible, and go above and beyond to make the relationship easy for the school librarian.

What a wonderful challenge this has been, and what a great opportunity to walk alongside all those who are committed to making a better future for children through libraries.

Rosemary writes:

This week’s challenge had us advocating for the school libraries and librarians. Boy, do they need it! These last few years, we’ve read article after article about school libraries closing as budgets shrink. “They can use the Internet for their research,” people say. But who will teach them how to research, I ask?

School librarians are increasingly in sparse supply, at least in my area of urban Queens, New York City. I had a class visit from a relatively new public school yesterday, and their teacher told me that despite having a beautiful library, there is no school librarian to run it! The children rely on public library visits to get library time. My own experience with my 7th- grade son is similar; he hasn’t been in his middle school library once in the two years he’s been there, and the only time he seems to be in the library is for a Scholastic book sale.

Limiting access to children’s school libraries limits children’s access to information. In underserved areas, this further increases the education divide and the digital divide. Everyone needs to understand that elementary and secondary school librarianship is so much more than storytime. A class trip once a year is not going to provide children with the tools they need to learn research skills; how to classify and find information; and what a good information resource looks like. Having regular access to a school library and a library professional will give kids a head start that they need in life. It will put the power in their hands, building confidence and the ability to question and learn.

School librarians have just as much to say as any other library professional! Pick up any copy of School Library Journal, Horn Book, or VOYA, and see the articles they write. They’re on Pinterest, and they’re blogging and collaborating. I thank school librarians wherever I meet one because I started out my education with a great one and think every child has the right to one.

How can we advocate for our school librarian partners? We need to stand together with them and tell the decision makers that education is important, and librarianship is a vital part to every child’s education:

1. Underserved neighborhoods need more access to libraries, not less.
2. School librarian is not an optional position.
3. Put librarians back in schools where they belong.

Stacey writes:

It’s been quite a week of advocacy for me. Monday afternoon I met with my superintendent, and think I made some inroads.

We are a small district, facing another difficult budget year. Additionally, we are closing a middle school and moving from three buildings to two in the 2017-18 school year. My superintendent asked me almost immediately why he should hire someone only to let them go in a year, and I was prepared with an answer:

With our renovations, we will be adding an “Innovation Lab” in our elementary school. Why not staff that with a certified school librarian who knows how to collaborate; is familiar with Common Core and the all the curriculum; can work with every grade level; and is comfortable with technology and makerspaces?

Well… He got it! He said he never thought of that before but it sounded like a great idea!  I might have even found a pull to get funded, albeit partially, to go to ALA to find the right person!

Today I talked more with my principal and tonight (drum roll please) I stood up (sweat dripping down my side) at the School Board meeting and shared how important it is to be consistent and have a full-time school librarian in every building. I doubt anything will happen this year, but I can sleep tonight knowing that I tried.

In the meantime, I have a great relationship with the Youth Services librarian down in our small but active public library. Mia has lead an after-school book group during my Mock Newbery project with 5th graders.  We are lucky enough that the school and the library are only about half a mile apart.

When it is warm enough, I have walked down with students on a “field trip.” Mia has talked up library programs and given out library cards (I send home applications ahead of time and actually have a stack of blank ones at my circulation desk), and kids even check out books (as many as they care to carry up the hill back to school!). She has come up to school to assist with author visits and, of course, promote summer reading.

Now I also know that Mia can fill gaps we may have in our district without two full-time secondary librarians. She can also collaborate with me and therefore increase our full-time employee at the elementary school, so to speak.

Mia and I have a date to meet next week about summer reading, and I have my list ready to discuss how this can be a completely collaborative effort.  Thankfully, Mia is always open to my crazy ideas!

Skye Corey is a librarian at Meridian (Idaho) Library District; Rosemary Kiladitis is a librarian; and Stacey Rattner is a librarian at Castleton (N.Y.) Elementary School. Skye, Rosemary, and Stacey are participants in the Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge, a 15-member volunteer cohort convening from March 1-22.

The post Spring 2016 #EAChallenge: Championing School Libraries and School Librarians appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Use the resources on the Everyday Advocacy site to help make your voice heard! Photo courtesy of ALSC.

The Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC) entered its second week on Tuesday, March 8, with this Take Action Tuesday prompt:

Introduce Everyday Advocacy to a colleague.

To help them tackle this challenge, all Spring 2016 EAC cohort members received three advocacy buttons with tip sheets and three Everyday Advocacy one-page flyers to share with library colleagues and community members.

Read on to find out how Rose Hopkins-LaRocco, Angela Petrie, and Mary Voors took on the Week 2 challenge and won big!

Rose writes:

This week’s Take Action Tuesday Challenge was to introduce a colleague to Everyday Advocacy. We were given Everyday Advocacy buttons and tip sheets and were asked to give these to colleagues and start a conversation. I gave one button to my supervisor and another to my coworker. They were both thrilled to get them and immediately put them on.

They both noted how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of the Youth Services department and forget to be advocates; however, this brought up the conversation of finding those little moments to advocate. It could be something as simple as promoting a program or a quick reference or readers’ advisory interaction. These small moments are great times to use our elevator speeches, quickly describing the value of what we do. I am saving my third button for when I encounter a colleague who may not see the importance of our roles as advocates.

These buttons have also been a great conversation starter with my family and friends. My parents live in the town of the library at which I work. In November there is going to be a referendum to allow the library more tax money to build a new building so that we can expand our space and services. There are many supporters of this initiative but also a great deal of naysayers. I had the discussion with my parents about how they can advocate for their library and help others to see its value.

Angela writes:

When I joined the EAC cohort, I thought about the mentor relationship I’m building with a new MLIS graduate, Melissa, who temporarily joined Youth Services through a Foundation Grant. Melissa is experiencing with us the implementation of a strategic plan. Prior to working with Youth Services, she interned with us. She attended board meetings and spent time with the library director which offered her the chance to see library administration from the top down. She is hoping to secure a position in library administration, which makes it even more important to express the value behind Youth Services efforts.

For this week’s challenge, I chose Melissa as my colleague to inform. I believe that communicating our efforts effectively encourages our colleagues to seek out valuable resources through ALSC. And this fit in nicely with our mentor relationship. I explained that I wanted to be involved with Everyday Advocacy to improve my ability to advocate using value-based language (VBL). I showed her the website and encouraged her to become involved. Finally, I offered her a few short sentences to show the difference VBL can make:

“I do storytime” becomes “I present early literacy enriched programming for preschoolers and their caregivers to help them better prepare for kindergarten.”

“We have stuff for teens to do” becomes “The passive programming we offer for visiting teens shows them they are valued library customers and we want to offer ways for them to be involved that’s easy and interesting.”

The conversations empowered me and encouraged my colleague.

Mary writes:

We are nearly midway through this spring’s EAC, and I am so pleased that I am participating! Last week’s challenge was to introduce Everyday Advocacy to a colleague. I used this as an opportunity to speak to a staff member in our Adult Services department about how we could work together to help adult customers find developmentally appropriate apps to use with their kids. I am hopeful that this could grow into a cooperative effort between our departments.

I also made a point to talk with a regular customer who works as a preschool teacher. She loves the challenges of her work and is always looking for ways to help “her kids” and their families. Many of the children she works with come from ESL families, and we talked about the many resources she and her families could find at the library:

1. Books, which can be used as both mirrors to their own experiences and windows to experiences of others;
2. Storytimes at which parents can assist with sharing bilingual stories or songs; and
3. Dramatic play in our Early Learning Center space, where kids and their families can build vocabulary and friendships.

Cultivating advocates within our libraries can be nothing but good not only for libraries, but even more importantly, for the kids with whom we work and their families. It is important that people both within the library profession as well as members of the general community are able (and willing) to articulate the importance and value of public libraries. To paraphrase a button I’ve taken to wearing as part of this advocacy challenge, “Together we can create a better future for children through libraries.”

Rose Hopkins-LaRocco is a librarian; Angela Petrie is a librarian and supervisor at Stillwater (Minn.) Public Library; and Mary Voors is a librarian and supervisor at Allen County (Ind.) Public Library. Rose, Angie, and Mary are participants in the Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge, a 15-member volunteer cohort convening from March 1-22.

The post Spring 2016 #EAChallenge: Introducing Everyday Advocacy to a Colleague appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Use the resources on the Everyday Advocacy site to help make your voice heard! Photo courtesy of ALSC.

Take a deep breath, Everyday Advocates: We’re plunging headfirst into the Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC), which starts today!

Even if you aren’t part of our 15-member cohort convening from March 1-22, you can still get in on the action. Here’s how:

1. Check out the Take Action Tuesday blog on the Everyday Advocacy website to join our cohort in four weekly challenges;
2. Add yourself to the EAC community on ALA Connect and follow the rich discussion between cohort members; and
3. Promote the EAC on social media using #EAChallenge and #TakeActionALSC.

Need a little inspiration before taking the plunge with us? Meet Colleen and Cathy, two members of our Spring 2016 cohort.

While initially hesitant about participating in the EAC, children’s librarian Colleen Cochran is eager to learn how becoming Everyday Advocate can help her reach current and potential patrons.

Already confident in her advocacy role, library media specialist Cathy Collins looks forward to learning new techniques, sharing her advocacy story, and discussing the EAC experience with other Everyday Advocates.

Colleen writes:

May 4th will be my first anniversary as a children’s librarian. Working as a professional librarian is, in many ways, as I imagined it would be. There are unbelievably heartwarming moments. Numerous times I’ve offered up a silent “thank-you” to my reference, youth literature, and censorship professors. I am also privileged to work with some amazing librarians.

Conversely, the realities of working in a public institution and all the innate challenges attendant to that made me wish more than once that there had been a library school class on navigating bureaucracy effectively. Some days the challenges have felt insurmountable.

The Spring Everyday Advocacy Challenge came through my e-mail on a day I felt particularly confined by institutional obstructions keeping me from reaching potential patrons. Rather than stew over what I could not accomplish, I applied to participate. When I heard I had been accepted, I immediately wanted to bow out and claim I was too busy, or too new, or just too something that would get me out of stretching myself. Fortunately, an awesome coworker told me I had to do it.

By participating in the challenge, I hope to have the chance to focus on what I can​ do for patrons, both current and potential, the opportunity to expand my view of what advocacy is and learn the most effective ways to apply it to my career.

I am really grateful for this opportunity and look forward to learning and growing with everyone this March. Thank you, and stay awesome!

Cathy writes:

Advocacy means not only wearing our many hats, but also doing a symbolic fashion spread with them! To be a strong advocate of school library programs and services, one must be willing to toot one’s own horn loudly and wear one’s collective hats boldly on behalf of the students, staff, and community we serve. In fact, we should be sporting not just hats but also superhero masks and capes to proudly proclaim our place at the educational leadership table.

When we combine our voices, we naturally empower ourselves to make a stronger difference. So many opportunities exist for us to advocate on a daily basis through both small acts and larger ones. Advocacy is not supplemental to what we do. It is a central and enormously important aspect of our jobs as library media specialists.

I am super excited to be taking ALSC’s Everyday Advocacy Challenge this March. I hope to learn new advocacy tips and strategies, to share a few of my own, and to enjoy some rich, stimulating discussion on the all-important topic of library advocacy.

(For excellent examples Cathy’s advocacy work in action, check out her latest Knowledge Quest blog post, Everyday Advocacy, from which this post is excerpted.)

Related post:

Everyday Advocacy Challenge: Meet the Spring 2016 Cohort!

Colleen M. Cochran is a children’s librarian at Glenview (Ill.) Public Library; Cathy Collins is a library media specialist at Sharon (Mass.) High School. Both Colleen and Cathy are participants in the Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge, a 15-member volunteer cohort convening from March 1-22.

The post Spring 2016 #EAChallenge: Take the Plunge with Us! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Use the resources on the Everyday Advocacy site to help make your voice heard! Photo courtesy of ALSC.

Who’s ready to take the Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC)? Our next cohort of bold and daring Everyday Advocates is—and we hope you are, too!

From March 1-22, our cohort of intrepid volunteers will do the following:

• Commit to completing four consecutive Take Action Tuesday challenges on advocacy topics/themes of their choosing;
• Collaborate with their EAC cohort members over the four-week period, sharing successes and troubleshooting issues via ALA Connect;
• Write a post for the ALSC blog about their EAC experiences; and
• Contribute a reflection for the April 2016 issue of the Everyday Advocacy Matters e-newsletter.

Before the Spring 2016 EAC gets underway next week, we’d like to introduce some of our cohort members and their reasons for taking the four-week challenge. Watch for their sure-to-inspire ALSC blog posts beginning Tuesday, March 1!

Keturah Cappadonia, Librarian, David A. Howe Public Library (N.Y.)
“I want to take the Everyday Advocacy Challenge to help develop my skills in speaking out about the importance of library services for children and build self-confidence in my skills and abilities to help make me a better librarian. I want to be better able to serve the families in my community through improved communications on behalf of my library.”

Colleen M. Cochran, Librarian, Glenview (Ill.) Public Library
“As I near my first anniversary as a professional librarian, I would love to reinvigorate my perspective and be reminded of why I became a children’s librarian. The Everyday Advocacy Challenge would be an opportunity to focus on what I can do for the patrons I serve, regardless of the challenges of entrenched ideas and layers of bureaucracy common to public institutions.”

Cathy Collins, Librarian, Sharon (Mass.) Public Schools
“As the Advocacy Chair for Massachusetts State Library Association, I want to model for my colleagues some of the easy ways that school library media specialists can effectively advocate for strong school library programs on a daily basis!”

Skye Corey, Librarian, Meridian (Idaho) Library District
“As children’s librarians, advocacy is at the heart of what we do. From the programs we plan, to the collections we select, to the city hall meetings we attend – in all of these things, we are advocating for children and for a place where these children can be equipped with the skills, knowledge, wisdom, and vision needed to succeed.

I want to participate in the ALSC Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC) so that I can be challenged, pushed, and stretched. I want to learn how to best use stories, statistics, and news to demonstrate the value of children’s library services. I want to learn how to be more politically savvy as I work at defining key stakeholders both inside and outside the library, and as I work on crafting my own stories of impact. And, of course, I want to have a lot of fun along the way, meeting fellow ALSC members who are enthusiastic, inspiring, intelligent, and committed to learning how to be the best everyday advocates that they can be!

Once I have completed the EAC, I want to share my experiences with others (both those within the library and those outside of the library) so that together, we can work together to create a better future for children through libraries.

Katherine Paterson once wrote: ‘I discovered gradually and not without a little pain that you don’t put together a bridge for a child. You become one – you lay yourself across the chasm…’ It is my hope that through participating in the ALSC Everyday Advocacy Challenge, I will better learn how to be this bridge – a bridge to wonder, joy, friendship, and hope.”

Rosemary Kiladitis, Librarian
“I want to be more involved, and I want everyone to understand how important libraries are!”

Kimberly Patton, Supervisor, Kansas City, Kansas Public Library
“It’s important to be a voice for our library in our communities. As librarians, we need to be able to communicate the value of our libraries and all that we do to enhance our communities in large and small ways and I want to learn to do the best job I can with my advocacy efforts.”

Angela Petrie, Librarian and Supervisor, Stillwater (Minn.) Public Library
“My current position involves some involvement with an acting library board made up of a few members who would benefit from some dedicated and powerful advocacy, and I’m up for the challenge. I want to compose a few different messages for them and for all who may not really understand:

• The power behind a well developed, early literacy enriched library storytime;
• Why the kids are playing with dramatic play props in the children’s area;
• Why the babies are playing with toys after storytime; and
• Why the tweens really need a space for their own programming that can’t always include younger/older siblings.

It’s important to me that I can build upon and refine several messages that lead people to the accurate conclusion!”

Gayle Pulley, Supervisor, Ridgefield (Conn.) Library
“It is important to share our great ideas with each other and with our patrons. I should be advocating every day but usually allow other things get in the way. This experience will allow advocacy to be a top priority and become part of my daily responsibilities.”

Mary Voors, Librarian and Supervisor, Allen County (Ind.) Public Library
“I want to activate my inner Everyday Advocate and motivate my colleagues to do the same!”

Claudia Wayland, Supervisor, Allen (Texas) Public Library

Kimberly White, Librarian, Cheshire (Conn.) Public Library
“I think this is a great opportunity to make the commitment to advocating for libraries on a regular basis. I enjoy reading (and sometimes even completing) the Take Action Tuesday Challenges, so I think this would be great chance to make the commitment. I also really love the idea of collaborating with those in the cohort over the month of March!”

Jenna Nemec-Loise is Member Content Editor of the ALSC Everyday Advocacy Website and Electronic Newsletter. E-mail her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter: @ALAJenna. 

The post Everyday Advocacy Challenge: Meet the Spring 2016 Cohort! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Aside from checking out great new titles, sitting in on book discussions, and listening to speakers, I had the opportunity to meet with the members of my virtual committee who were attending ALAMW too.  Bonus!

The ALSC Advocacy & Valuation Task Force is a two year task force focused on advocacy and valuation using outcome/output measurement.

One of our most shocking take-aways so far is that many members don’t know about or use the Everyday Advocacy website and newsletters, created specifically to help YOU with advocating for youth services.  Take a few minutes today to check out the important work Jenna Nemec-Loise is doing and participate in her January 5 challenge to set a 2016 advocacy goal for yourself.

The post ALSC helps YOU with advocacy #alamw16 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

While browsing the exhibits at ALA Midwinter, I came upon the Harry Potter Alliance and its work on organizing youth to participate in National Library Legislative Day – mainly by creating local chapters in schools, libraries, youth centers, etc.. to enlist passionate readers in youth advocacy.  Of course, I also had to buy this wicked awesome (note my attempt at Boston lingo!) t-shirt:

These local chapters “serve as an access point for young people who are passionate about stories to become civically engaged and lead projects that improve their communities.” (thehpalliance.org)  The HPA envisions librarians being “most heavily involved in creating their chapters, planning the first few meetings, and identifying potential leaders among the young people in attendance.”

Are you as intrigued as I am? You can send questions via a virtual owl (HPA brilliant lingo!) to their Chapters Staff at [email protected] to learn more.

The post Harry Potter Alliance and Youth Advocacy appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Everyday Advocates, do you have 30 seconds for school libraries?

Use the resources on the Everyday Advocacy site to help make your voice heard! Photo courtesy of ALSC.

In the same time it takes you to read this post, you can make a lasting difference for school libraries, school librarians, and our nation’s students.

Here’s the low-down:

Last week the House voted in favor of much-needed reforms to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), but we’re not there yet. Now it’s time to ask your U.S. Senators to do the same.

Ask your U.S. Senators today to vote “Yes!” on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Conference Report.

The Senate vote is scheduled for Wednesday morning, December 9. Call, tweet, or e-mail your U.S. Senators today and ask for their “Yes!” votes on this critical legislation that includes school libraries in many important ways.

Visit the ALA Legislative Action Center for detailed instructions on how you can reach your U.S. Senators with this critical message. Then spread the word and ask everyone you know to do the same.

Want to learn more about the history of ESEA and ESSA? District Dispatch, the official blog of the ALA Washington Office, has all the background.

Calling, tweeting, or e-mailing your U.S. Senators and asking for their “Yes!” votes is Everyday Advocacy in action!

The post The Final Stretch: Act Now for School Libraries! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Use the resources on the Everyday Advocacy site to help make your voice heard! Photo courtesy of ALSC.

Thanks, in no small part, to all of your calls and emails, the House of Representatives passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which will reauthorize the ESEA if approved. As mentioned in his blog post about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) last month, ALSC President Andrew Medlar gave us the heads-up that this second call to action would be critical to ensure that a reauthorization includes these hard-fought school library provisions.

Now is the time for the final push! The Senate is expected to vote early next week and it is critical that both of your US Senators hear from you. Ask them to, “vote YES on the ESSA Conference Report” and take a moment to let them know how librarians and school libraries positively impact children’s lives and communities.

Visit ALA’s Action Center to locate your Senators and stay up to date on this historic vote. While you’re at it, head over to ALSC’s Everyday Advocacy page to find out more ways to make your voice heard on issues that matter.

Matt McLain is the Co-chair of the ALSC Advocacy and Legislation Committee.

The post Time to Contact Your Senators #ESEA appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Calling all Everyday Advocates! The fight for school libraries is real, and it needs you to make a difference.

Use the resources on the Everyday Advocacy site to help make your voice heard! Photo courtesy of ALSC.

Congress is poised to act definitively on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) very soon. According ALA’s Washington Office, we could know as early as next week if watershed language for school libraries, included in the Senate’s Every Child Achieves Act (S. 1177), makes it into this federal education bill.

This means there is important work for all of us to do! The last time Congress passed an education bill they left out school libraries and our kids’ futures can’t afford for that to happen again. As soon as the Washington Office learns what is in the new compromise bill language, they will be posting an alert to the Legislative Action Center with instructions for how you can help (including talking points you can use to call, email, and Tweet Congress). That will be our opportunity to make sure that every member of the House of Representatives (and after that, the Senate) hears from library experts before they vote, which could be as early as December 2. ALSC will also provide a heads-up when it’s time.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

• Be prepared to contact your Senators and Representatives and let them know that any agreement to reauthorize ESEA must maintain the school library provisions overwhelmingly adopted by the HELP Committee and the full Senate under S. 1177, the Every Child Achieves Act.
• Give a heads-up to coworkers, family, and friends to take action as well by contacting Congress sometime between next week and mid-December.
• Gather together stories about the impact of school libraries in your community which you can use when you and your supporters contact Congress.

For support in these vital efforts, check out the tips from ALSC’s Everyday Advocacy initiative at http://www.ala.org/everyday-advocacy/

The more voices that speak up on behalf of school libraries, the better for all kids! Please keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for the upcoming alert.

Thank you!

Andrew Medlar
ALSC President

The post Fight for School Libraries! #ESEA appeared first on ALSC Blog.

At a recent state library association conference, I attended a great session on Everyday Advocacy. What’s that, you ask? I wondered the same thing myself before the presentation, and just 45 minutes later, I left feeling a little more knowledgeable, and a little more confident.

Image from Everyday Advocacy website

Everyday Advocacy is the idea that we are all advocates for our profession, our libraries, and ourselves each and every day. It’s also an ALSC initiative working to equip us with the tools we need to be everyday advocates. As we build relationships, strengthen our communities, and connect with families, sometimes it’s hard to know how to talk about those things in ways that get attention. How can we empower ourselves, our colleagues, and our staff to feel prepared to engage in advocacy?

One of the big take-aways from the session I attended was crafting your elevator speech. We’re all probably familiar with the idea of an elevator speech:  a very quick summary of what you do and why it’s important. But here’s the key: when you talk about what you do, it’s not a list of job duties like “storytime, collection development, and the Summer Library Program.” You want to talk about how you actively impact a particular group and the larger result. So the phrase “I work with kids and families at the library” becomes “I help kids and families unpack their curiosity at the library so that the kids can go out and change our world for the better” (example from ALSC Everyday Advocacy website).

The Everyday Advocacy website provides information and tools to equip us to engage in advocating for ourselves and our communities. As you take a look, keep in mind that your behavior can have a powerful ripple effect. When we engage in advocacy, we’re modeling to our staff and colleagues, and hopefully empowering them to engage in some advocacy as well. Managers, remember that an important part of the supervisory role includes mentoring and enabling staff to become strong leaders themselves. When we say that advocacy is all about relationships, it’s not limited to relationships outside the librarian community! It’s also those we cultivate with our staff and peers. Take a look, feel empowered, and spread the word about the impact you’re having on your community every day.

Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser is a Youth Services Librarian at the La Crosse Public Library in La Crosse, WI and is a member of the Managing Children’s Services Committee.

The post Advocacy? Me? appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Last month, a cohort of ALSC members wrapped up the inaugural Everyday Advocacy Challenge. I was particularly interested in the 8-week Everyday Advocacy Challenge because it presented an opportunity to advocate while working in a non-library setting. What helped me feel comfortable was having information I eagerly wanted to share with others no matter the setting, and the #EAChallenge presented several opportunities for information-sharing.

In week 3, we were prompted to send an email to a local school or community-based organization presumably about our library’s services.  Admittedly, this was challenging since I don’t work in a library, so I tabled this challenge for a later date. However, upon reflection I realize that I visit my library almost weekly, and I subscribe to and read the library’s newsletter. I have access to local library-related information to discuss with schools or organizations, though it might not be as readily available as if I worked directly with patrons. I’ll be ready next time.

Week 4 challenged us to write or call our elected officials to talk about our work in libraries. Some participants said, and I agree, that this challenge is much easier when there is a specific issue to discuss. So, I went straight to the District Dispatch website to learn about a current issue that ALA is supporting. I read about the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and tailored my letter to that bill.

For the fifth week, our prompt was to talk up the EA challenge with a colleague. Sometimes my face-to-face interaction with library colleagues is limited but this did not stop me from talking up the challenge. I found it easy to talk about the challenge when friends asked what I’d been working on lately. I used this question as an opening to discuss the challenge. It helped to have examples of the advocacy work others are doing and current legislative work, so previous challenges came in handy.

Perhaps my favorite challenge was the last one, in which we were urged to read the October issue of Everyday Advocacy Matters. I had recently received the newsletter via email and glanced at it, but the challenge prompted me to go back for a closer read. I’m glad I did because the Everyday Advocacy Spotlight affirmed my thoughts about the challenge as a whole. The first tenet of Everyday Advocacy is Be Informed. Throughout the 8-week challenge having information about library issues helped me find my sweet spot – lifting the weight that I sometimes experience when thinking about advocacy work. Of course, advocacy work involves more than information-sharing but it is a desire to share information about issues important to me that drives me to champion, promote, or push for particular services and issue.

I hope others use the Everyday Advocacy Challenge and weekly Take Action Tuesday prompts to find an advocacy sweet spot. I especially hope others approach the challenge and prompts as an opportunity to be a library advocate no matter your workplace setting.

***********************************************************************************

Africa Hands, MLIS, serves on the Advocacy and Legislation Committee and was a member of the inaugural Everyday Advocacy Challenge cohort convening from September 1-October 20, 2015. She’s on Twitter @africahands.

The post With Information Comes Advocacy appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The inaugural Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC) kicked off on Tuesday, September 1, with this Take Action Tuesday prompt:

Spend 15 minutes talking with your supervisor about your advocacy role within your library or organization.

Never ones to shy away from a tall order, we asked our intrepid cohort members to summarize their Week 1 experiences in six words or less. Here’s what a few of our 18 volunteers had to say:

• “Comfort zone has been taken down.”
• “Affirming yet eye-opening.”
• “Confirmed what I knew, added detail.”
• “A step in the right direction.”
• “Good to compare our perspectives.”
• “Supportive; free lunch!”
• “Conversation that had us both thinking.”
• “Thinking outside the box.”

For Kendra Jones, the EAC Week 1 challenge was “thought-organizing” since her supervisor was on vacation.

For JoAnna Schofield, the Week 1 challenge left her with “expectations met based on manager philosophy.”

Read on for more of Kendra’s reflections on preparing to talk with her manager about her Everyday Advocacy role as well as JoAnna’s vision for where her conversation can lead!

Kendra writes:

This week’s challenge happened to land at the same time my supervisor was on vacation. Since I was unable to speak with her, I decided to write some notes to help guide a future discussion.

When I sat down to write notes, I started to reflect on our past conversations when I was advocating for a policy, procedure, for our patrons, for myself, or for a co-worker. Coming away from these reflections, I was able to identify some issues we had discussed in the past but that were still unresolved or needed to be addressed more fully.

A big part of why so many of these issues have fallen to the wayside is likely due to my role as advocate not only being undefined but unsupported. I am fairly new to this position, but the politics are the same as in previous positions. My goal has always been, and remains, to gain the support and trust of my supervisors so that I can be the best advocate I can be. It has become clear that in order to make this happen, my supervisor and I need to be on the same page in terms of advocacy (we mostly are), and we have to work together to advocate for change.

After all this soul searching, my notes ended up being two sentences: “I need to advocate. How can we work together to make this happen?”

My hope is this will open an open and frank conversation and we will come up with a great plan moving forward.  

JoAnna writes:

Advocating within an organization, especially one in which you are employed, is often not an easy task. How far is too far? What is the nature of the environment, and where do I as the individual fit in?

This weeks’ Everyday Advocacy Challenge stretched my ethical and philosophical thinking skills (that I haven’t used as much as I did in library school) and encouraged me to find direct ways to connect with my supervisor on the the topic of advocacy.

Like many other places around the country, there is a more recent push in Akron, Ohio, to directly involve library professionals in community engagement. Rather than “sitting behind the table” at booth-sits or story times, librarians are looking for ways to build deeper and more meaningful relationships “at the decision-making table.” We are finding new ways to offer our expertise and resources to our community in order to showcase our immense value.

In some ways, community engagement can be seen as a flip of advocacy (especially for the purposes of this week’s challenge). Community engagement focuses on showcasing our value to community partners outside our organization while advocacy within our organization focuses on discovering the needs of our community and using this knowledge to inform internal policy and procedures. This information allows administration and professionals at all levels to best budget our limited resources (both time and fiscal) and steer our organization in a public-driven, literacy-focused way.

An actionable example of this type of advocacy in Akron has been our after-school snacks program. Research supports that hungry children do not perform as well in school because their basic needs are not being met. In Summit County alone, one in four children face hunger. The library offers a safe environment that (1) is filled with informational and recreational materials and (2) can also offer after-school snacks to Akron’s children through a partnership with the local food bank. Without the support of front-line librarians and administration, this partnership would not have been successful.

Kendra Jones and JoAnna Schofield are both librarians, working at the Tacoma (Wash.) Public Library and the Akron-Summit County (Ohio) Public Library, respectively. Kendra and JoAnna are members of the inaugural Everyday Advocacy Challenge cohort, an 18-member volunteer group convening from September 1-October 20, 2015.

The post Everyday Advocacy Challenge: Week 1 Reflections appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Image courtesy of ALSC

Who’s ready to take the inaugural Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC)? Eighteen bold and daring Everyday Advocates are—and we hope you are, too!

From September 1 through October 20, our cohort of intrepid volunteers has agreed to do the following:

• Commit to completing eight consecutive Take Action Tuesday challenges on a back-to-school theme;
• Collaborate with their EAC cohort members over the eight-week period, sharing successes and troubleshooting issues via e-mail and online documents;
• Write posts for the ALSC blog about their EAC experiences; and
• Nominate colleagues to participate in the next EAC.

As the first-ever EAC gets underway today, we’d like to introduce each of our cohort members and their reasons for taking the eight-week challenge. Watch for their sure-to-inspire blog posts beginning next Tuesday, September 8!

Sue Abrahamson, Librarian and Supervisor, Waupaca (Wisc.) Area Public Library
“I want to participate in the challenge so that I take action rather than just thinking about taking action; to show my teammates how easy it is; and to recognize the benefits of telling the story of our work.”

Ashley Burkett, Library Assistant, Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library
“I want to learn, share, and make a difference!”

Natasha Forrester Campbell, Librarian
“I’d like to become a better advocate for libraries, reading, and literacy in general.”

Olga Cardenas, Librarian, Stanislaus County (Calif.) Library
“[I want to participate in the challenge] in order to grow as a professional because the challenge will force me to step out of my comfort zone. I also want to take the EAC in order to become an active member of the librarianship community; I’ve been an inactive member for almost 2 years!”

Pam Carlton, Librarian

Samantha Cote, Librarian, Winslow (Maine) Public Library
“I participated in an advocacy course, Turning the Page, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA, and I loved it. Sadly, I’m not doing as much with it as I’d like. I’ve enjoyed doing the advocacy challenges so far and would love to bring my advocacy skills up to the next level.”

Africa Hands, Executive Assistant

Andi Jackson-Darling, Administrator, Supervisor and Librarian, Falmouth (Maine) Memorial Library
“I am immersed in library administration on a day-to-day level. We are working on a large expansion of our library, and I’ve realized how little I am involved with a large part of our community and our patronage—our children! Challenges are great ways to reconnect and make what is important on my radar and will make me more engaged with our community.”

Kendra Jones, Librarian, Tacoma (Wash.) Public Library
“I see Take Action Tuesdays and always say I’ll do them, but then things happen and they don’t get done. By taking this challenge, I’ll actually do them! I need to work more on advocacy professionally, and this is the perfect thing to help me build some advocacy skills. Plus, working with others makes the tasks more enjoyable and adds a level of accountability that wasn’t there before. I’m excited!”

Eileen Makoff, Librarian, P.S. 90 Edna Cohen School (N.Y.)
“I am a member of the ALSC Advocacy and Legislation Committee. Plus, I feel strongly that libraries save lives (Little Rock Public saved mine). I’ll do what I have to do protect them.”

Kelli McDaniel, Administrator, Supervisor and Librarian, Piedmont Regional (Ga.) Library System
“As a newly hired Assistant Director, I am responsible for inspiring and steering children’s services in our 10-library system. Learning to be an Everyday Advocate would help me boost the wonderful programmers in our region who are always looking for a fresh approach to serving our communities. I also look forward to working with a cohort to share best practices and hear different perspectives on our important role as librarians for children.”

Matthew John McLain, Supervisor, Salt Lake County (Utah) Public Library
“I’m the co-chair of the ALSC Advocacy and Legislation Committee, and this looks like an awesome opportunity to get started.”

Lynda Salem-Poling, Librarian and Supervisor, El Dorado (Calif.) Neighborhood Library
“I would like to strengthen my advocacy skills and my connection to local schools. I am new to this library and see that as an opportunity to make new bonds with the community and local representatives.”

Megan Schliesman, Librarian, Cooperative Children’s Book Center (Wis.)
“[I want to participate in the challenge] first and foremost to support the Everyday Advocacy effort.”

JoAnna Schofield, Librarian, Akron-Summit County (Ohio) Public Library
“What libraries and librarians do for children and their families on a day-to-day basis is important work, and one of the best ways to showcase our value to our communities is to share our work. Many Tuesdays I eagerly open the Everyday Advocacy Take-Action activity and make plans to engage on behalf of the intentional and sometimes inspiring work happening at my library, but some weeks I simply fall short. I am excited about the Everyday Advocacy Challenge and eager to participate because it will give me that extra push I need to follow-through on advocacy challenge and connect me with other like-minded individuals to share experiences and encouragement.”

Brittany Staszak, Supervisor and Librarian
“It’s so easy to get sucked into the everyday flow of library life and habitual users where everyone knows the value of the library and its services. I strive to take my advocacy home with me and make it a part of my out-of-library life and conversations, showing all I interact with exactly what makes libraries so valuable. Being a part of the challenge would be a perfect way to kick-start a new habit of Everyday Advocacy—all day, every day.”

Mira Tanna
“I am new to ALSC and would like to get involved!”

Lise Tewes, Supervisor and Librarian, Kenton County (Ky.) Public Library
“My library and several other library systems in northern Kentucky have spent the last three years fighting a lawsuit that was filed by the Tea Party and which threatened to eliminate our tax-based funding. That would have effectively closed my library system as well as four others in our state. Fortunately, the district court ruled in favor of the library, but these last three years have opened my eyes to the need to advocate for libraries and make sure the public is aware of the tremendous return on their tax investment that public libraries provide.”

Jenna Nemec-Loise is Member Content Editor of the ALSC Everyday Advocacy Website and Electronic Newsletter. E-mail her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter: @ALAJenna. 

The post Everyday Advocacy Challenge: Meet the Inaugural Cohort! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The advocacy button, available from the Everyday Advocacy site (image courtesy of ALSC)

The buttons, emblazoned with the slogan “Creating a Better Future for Children through Libraries,” will be available at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco and various state/local conferences.

Attached to each button is a tip sheet, created by the ALSC Advocacy and Legislation Committee, that includes talking points to help articulate the value of youth library service. A virtual button will be available soon.

ALSC is also inviting prospective advocates to claim their own button. By submitting a question, an elevator speech, or a news item for the Everyday Advocacy Matters e-newsletter, participants can get a button mailed to them. This is only available for individual buttons. ALSC does not currently have the capacity to mail bulk orders of buttons and tip sheets.

The post How to Claim Your Advocacy Button appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Remember the credit card ad campaign that asked TV viewers, “What’s in your wallet?” It had a bunch of Viking-types doing all sorts of bold and daring stuff, empowered by a piece of plastic that put the world at their fingertips. Oh, the adventure! Oh, the intrigue!

Oh, I can do you one better:

Imagine those Vikings are the kids and teens we see every day at our libraries. When we shout out, “What’s in your wallet?” to their sea of smiling faces, and each and every one of them proudly exclaims, “My library card!”

Awesome, right? Now that’s an ad I’d watch the Super Bowl to see.

As public library professionals, we know we’re handing kids the world when we hand them library cards. The best part? Our school library colleagues know that, too. That makes September the perfect time to collaborate with the schools in your community. It’s more than just back-to-school business. It’s Library Card Sign-Up Month!

The AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School-Public Library Collaboration (SPLC Committee for short) presents this Top Ten list of ways you can work with your school library colleagues this September to make sure it’s all in the cards for kids:

1. Schedule classroom visits at local schools to give kids the low-down on library card ownership. They’ll love seeing you in person on their turf!
2. Arrange to send a library card application and welcome letter from the public library in every student’s take-home folder or backpack in early September.
3. Coordinate library card sign-up events at schools, and make them a Big Deal. Think open houses, back-to-school nights, and book fairs where you’ll see lots of families as well as students.
4. Create Library Card Walls of Fame at both school and public libraries. Incentivize sign-ups by posting the names of new library cardholders on dedicated “I Got My Library Card!” bulletin boards.
5. Organize a library card photo shoot, snapping shots of students holding their brand-new library cards. Arrange to have the photos displayed in their school libraries. (Get signed photo release forms from parents if you want to use the photos at your public library.)
6. Hold “How Many Ways?” contests in both school and public libraries, challenging kids to list as many ways as they can to use their library cards. See which library can come up with the most ideas!
7. Arrange library card issue through elementary-grade teachers. Ask them to collect completed library card applications for you and verify students’ addresses through school records to make issuing cards a breeze.
8. Target middle and high school students at lunchtime by passing out library card applications in the cafeteria or other areas where students gather during free periods.
9. Invite students, teachers, and school staff members to share their “My First Library Card” stories at all-school assemblies or Family Reading Nights. Ask school librarians or even principals to emcee the events with you.
10. Throw a Library Card Sign-Up Month celebration at the end of September, inviting all new library cardholders—and your local school librarians—to attend the festivities at the public library.

We bet you’ve got lots more creative ways to celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month with your local schools. Let us know what we missed by leaving your comments below!

***********************************************

Today’s guest contributor is Jenna Nemec-Loise, Member Content Editor of the ALSC Everyday Advocacy website and Chairperson of the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School-Public Library Collaboration (SPLC). E-mail her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter (@ALAJenna).