1. Renee Gentry

2.  Active support of an idea or cause  We need to be heard!

3.  Talking with legislators  Within our professional organizations  Within our school and district

4. ◦ Stephanie Vance – presenter at NCSLMA http://www.advocacyguru.com/about_stephanievance.h tm ◦ Know your legislator (party, their special interests) ◦ Build relationships (staff) ◦ Talk to the right person – ask who handles library issues ◦ Educate and inform but also have special stories about real people ◦ Have a clear, specific, and POSITIVE message ◦ Follow up at a later date ◦ Invite Legislators and School officials to library events at your school

5. ◦ Join an organization - ALA, AASL, NCSLMA, etc. ◦ Join the NCSLMA list serve http://www.ncslma.org/NCSLMAList.htm ◦ Network and meet people at conferences ◦ Volunteer ◦ Present a session at conference ◦ Assist at the conference

6. ◦ Be heard – talk about what you do to your principal, teachers, parents, & students ◦ Fill your calendar – empty spots in your schedule look like you have free time – write on your calendar when you are doing admin work such as shelving or processing books. Make teachers aware that you ARE doing your job.

7. ◦ Know quotable facts about your library  Numbers of books circulated  Number of students you see weekly  Etc. ◦ Publicize your events – talk it up, newspaper, school web site, etc. ◦ Attract attention – in a good way of course – make the library fun ◦ Read- articles, ways others have been successful. ◦ What can we do in Wilkes?

8.  Creating a mission statement for your school library program is and essential first step to knowing what message should be shared with your school community.  Send an email via your school’s parent distribution list about how the monies from the successful Book Fair will benefit the school’s library program. Dollar amounts are not necessary, but a well-worded “Thank You” with this information is always well- received.  Start small. Talk about your successes one teacher at a time and share the credit.

9.  When teachers pick up students at the end of class, be sure to mention college-career readiness learning activities you engaged the students in.  Invite students from a nearby high school to read with younger students in your school library after school, or encourage your high school students to tutor younger students at a nearby elementary school. This is a win-win situation.  Have a student write an article for the school newsletter or community paper that tells why the school library is important to them, or that addresses a special issue that is important for the school library to communicate.

10.  Host at least one program for students in your school library during the school year. To make it easier, collaborate with a school department and share the responsibilities.  To bring the school library program outside the walls of the library post photos/artwork on the walls of the school to get kids talking and thinking about material to be presented in a lesson.

11.  Have a bookmark competition in which students design and then the entire student body votes on best bookmark. The top three can then be printed and distributed throughout the year.  Turn up the power with word of mouth… Add your school library program’s mission statement to the signature line of your email.  Write an article for your PTA newsletter. Attend PTA meetings and get on the agenda.

12. ◦ Stephanie Vance presentation at NCSLMA November 3 rd, 2010 ◦ AASL Advocacy Tip of the Day http://aasl.us1.list- manage.com/subscribe?u=9011bdd5ff860316c0afae3f0&i d=bcb45fea1bhttp://aasl.us1.list- manage.com/subscribe?u=9011bdd5ff860316c0afae3f0&i d=bcb45fea1b ◦ ALA Office for Library Advocacy http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ola/index.cfm http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ola/index.cfm ◦ AASL Advocacy Toolkit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/toolkit s/aasladvocacy.cfm http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/toolkit s/aasladvocacy.cfm ◦ NCSLMA Advocacy http://www.ncslma.org/Advocacy.htmhttp://www.ncslma.org/Advocacy.htm ◦ Act 4 School Libraries http://act4sl.wikispaces.com/What+to+Say http://act4sl.wikispaces.com/What+to+Say ◦ I Love Libraries.org http://www.ilovelibraries.org/http://www.ilovelibraries.org/ ◦ Library Advocacy Brochure by the Illinois Library Association http://www.ila.org/advocacy/advocacy.htm http://www.ila.org/advocacy/advocacy.htm