1. Ann Dutton Ewbank Arizona State University
Advocacy, Action, and Answers: Building Influence for the School Librarian
Ann Dutton Ewbank
Arizona State University

2. Purpose and Outcome
This workshop will take participants through Dr. Gary Hartzell’s advocacy framework, Building Influence for the School Librarian: Tenets, Targets, and Tactics (2nd Ed.). Linworth Publishing, 2003.
Participants will leave the workshop equipped with strategies for advocacy within their schools and communities.

3. Caveat
We will be speaking today in the context of building influence within your local school setting;
However, this framework is flexible and adaptable for other contexts, such as school councils, statewide and national issues

4. Agenda Understanding workplace conditions The price of influence
The attributes of influential colleagues
Influencing the principal
Your plan for Monday morning (and the rest of your career!)

5. Understanding workplace conditions

6. Understanding workplace conditions
Schools are rational bureaucracies
Interlocking dependencies: you can’t do your job without other parts of the organization
Keeps concentration of power out of the hands of a person or group
To increase influence in a bureaucracy; know which people in the organization are most important to you!

7. Who’s in your 5? Close Reasonable Distant Immediate Near Far Principal
Strength of relationship:
Close
Reasonable
Distant
Physical Proximity:
Immediate
Near
Far
Principal
Medium
High
LMC
High
Dependency:
High
Medium
Low

8. Why is this important? In order to influence you must engage
The “reciprocity” principle
“If you’re not engaged in a variety of activities outside of the library itself, you run the risk of coming to focus on your own part of the bureaucracy.”
“Quiet competent behavior just sustains your dependency.”

9. The price of influence

10. The price of influence Political behavior is…
Knowing with whom you must work and how to work with them
Value-neutral; a tool used to advance change or maintain the status quo
Political behavior requires…
Specific behavioral changes in your everyday activities

11. THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS
The price of influence
Is it worth it? Ask yourself…
Do you believe in the fully involved teacher- librarian role outlined in professional documents and organizations?
Will your personal make-up and value system allow you to behave in an influential manner?
THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS

12. Attributes of influential colleagues

13. Attributes of influential colleagues
Likability
Expertise
Integrity
Committed energy
Sensitivity to the context of others’ lives

14. Influencing the principal/headmaster

15. Influencing the principal/headmaster
Conceptualize your relationship
Adversary
Ally
Indifference
Where are you located?

16. Influencing the principal/headmaster
Principal’s perspective is different from the faculty’s
Principal will always want to know what is going on in various parts of the school
Principal’s spheres of responsibility and authority are much larger than yours
Principal has to struggle with competing and conflicting demands

17. Influencing the principal/headmaster
Get clarification of what your principal expects from you
Take the initiative instead of waiting for the principal to come to you
Gather information before you talk to the principal
Learn the preferred chain of command (may be different than you think!)

18. Influencing the principal/headmaster
Outside assignments- committees, accreditation teams at school and council level
Evidence- monthly and annual report
Quarterly meeting with principal/headmaster
Credit the administration when you receive compliments about the library program
Others?

19. Tenets- Across the Board
Build alliances with powerful people- those who control resources and have formal authority
Build allies among peers by mentoring newcomers and with support staff
Build allies across the board by doing favors for others
Build allies through hiring and appointments
Build alliancesby sharing credit and recognition

20. Targets-The Principal/Headmaster
Your principal’s working style
What are his/her primary objectives?
How formal or informal is your principal?
How much control does he/she maintain in delegating tasks?
Is he/she a morning, afternoon or evening person?
How does he/she best receive information (reading or listening)?
Is there something that he/she considers absolutely unforgivable in interpersonal relations?

21. Targets-The Principal/Headmaster
Get early and continuing clarification of what your principal expects of you
Take the initiative- do not wait for others to come to you
Do your homework- for every problem, deliver a possible solution
Be your own publicist and promoter- subtle, not strident
Talk to others before you talk to your principal.
Don’t get caught up in jargon or titles
Establish a strong relationship with those who surround the principal

22. Tactics for Monday Ask for department head status
Develop an evaluation instrument specific for t-l’s
Ask for assignment to accreditation teams
Volunteer for committees
Write a monthly report
Offer to write a column in the monthly newsletter
Invite meetings in the library
Schedule a quarterly meeting with the principal
Credit the administration when you receive compliments on the library and its services

23. Tactics for Monday Nominate your principal for an award
Attend Board meetings
Develop monthly and annual reports
Volunteer for district level committees
With the other librarians in the district, create a “librarian to the board” position

24. What will you do on Monday?

25. What will you do on Monday?
What THREE actions can you take that will help you begin to build influence?