What is advocacy

• Advocacy is the act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support (American Heritage Dictionary).

Advocacy and assertiveness in the school library

Or

Making your way into the Dragons Den and getting what you need for

your school’s library

You are not alone

• Advocacy is happening right now all over the place in all library sectors.

• Advocacy is necessary because of changing times and new library services which have evolved because of economic and other factors.

Wise words

“The extent to which a school library can effectively meet the needs of learners and educators within the school is determined by the levels of collaboration with the rest of the school community”.

Start with the Child. CILIP. Report 2002 http://bit.ly/a8wDwp

What is your position in the school right now

• Who are the people you work with now?

• Are they well placed to help you?

• Who could you target?

• Where could you get an ‘in’?

No begging behaviour

Why strong school libraries

• Improve student achievement• Foster literacy• Produce a tech savvy workforce• Nurture life-long learning• Create engaged citizens• Ensure a better future

What works to promote school libraries

• Marketing for awareness• Promotion of resources and activities• Working with staff• Offering to be involved in student work• Working on your ‘place’• Bringing something special to your school• Telling anybody and eveybody about how

cool our libraries are• Evidence

Information is power

• Go to staff briefing

• Go to staff meetings

• Go to PD

• Get onto ICT PD

• Go to National Library PD

• Go to SLANZA meetings

Lion roaring not mouse squeaking

Who do you want using the library?

• Everyone!

• It is about reading, learning, engagement and inclusion

• For the whole school

Target the cool kids

• Cool kids market the library to other kids better than uncool kids!

• Don’t alienate the uncool kids - they may be your hard core users.

Look after the people who already use the library

Love your job!

Can do attitude• “Successful people rarely confuse a can-do

attitude with a smart plan. But they realize that one without the other is unlikely to get you very far”. Seth Grodin

Shout out your successes

In your newslettersIn your staff roomIn your bedroomIn the board room

Get people talking about how good you are, they won’t know if you don’t tell them!

Here is what I did!• Targeted library friendly teachers• Bought resources for their areas.• Encouraged them to book the library• Discouraged them from booking anything last

period• Worked and worked with them• Developed an information literacy programme

with them• Bought books the staff like to read

Launch The Charm offensive

Smile– It should be in your position description– It is good for you– It helps get people onside– It creates an attitudinal change

Be professional

Be visibleLook the partTalk the talkLearn the lingoUse the terminology of teachersGet involvedGet educated

Actual school librarian!

Everyone needs

•Access to the board

•A copy of the school goals

•A copy of the curriculum

•A voice on senior management

•An advocate high up in the school

•Good library users on the staff

You can’t win every time“If you aren’t occasionally failing at

something, you’re probably setting your sights way too low” Soichiro Honda

Hike up your knowledge

• Learn some new things

• Don’t become irrelevant

• Keep up with the students

• Keep one step ahead of the staff

• Demonstrate your usefulness

• Go to Professional Development and then use it.

ERO

• Focus in learning and collaboration

• Be prepared

• Get your policies up to date

• Talk to them if you get the chance

• Ask what they see in other schools that they think is great

Learn new skills - NOW!

Aggression versus Assertiveness

• Niceness gets you more than nastiness.

• Offer the If ….

• If you have a win put it in a timeframe - When?

• Be grateful - but not too grateful

No resting on laurels

• Once you get it right you have to reflect and review

• It is never ever done!

• If the game changes, so will you have to

• Pay attention!

It doesn’t have to be a nightmare!

Lets talk tactics!

Best marketing practice?

What doesn’t work?

Confession time

Put your hand up if you feel that your school is right up there in the loved, valued and adored stakes in your school.

Stand and deliver

Photo Attributions• 姒儿喵喵• http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/244926428/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliesap/3553982299/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensheldon/212159782/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/librariesrock/4064275305/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/tywak/3266643187/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/26975138@N05/2731769679/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsallaboutmich/446084326/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/70093476@N00/183079017/sizes/o/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_heigan/4086843060/sizes /o/

• Not all of the attributions are on here. I have them on a different slide at home if anybody is looking for them.

• Or you can check my account on Flickr - libraryBridget