AASL Advocacy Crisis Kit
If you are looking at the AASL Advocacy Crisis Kit, chances are your program is danger of being reduced or
eliminated. This kit is designed to assist you as you build meaningful and effective support for saving your
program. That means educating and rallying stakeholders to speak out on behalf of school libraries.
If cuts are not eminent, visit AASL's School Library Program Health and Wellness page for prevention
strategies. The ideal time to start advocacy efforts is before there is a crisis.
Thinking about Advocacy
True advocacy is when stakeholders stand up and speak out for you on behalf of a cause, idea, program or
organization. Think of what is happening in Washington State with the Spokane
Moms. With the Moms behind the message, it carries significantly more weight than if librarians alone campaign
for better funding for their own school libraries. As librarians, we need to plan ahead and focus our efforts on
building support from stakeholder groups. Ideally, you want students, parents, teachers and other stakeholders to
carry the message that school libraries make a difference to students. But this won't happen without careful
planning and action. We need to educate and mobilize our stakeholders to advocate for school libraries. The voices
of school librarians are most effective when we join our voices with others to advocate for students and student
learning.
Crisis Planning
- Defining the situation
- Determine who is making the decision(s).
- Determine why
decisions are being made.
- Ascertain the decision timeline.
- Mission
- Develop goals for the Crisis Action Group.
- If there is time, think in terms of the group's mission, vision,
and objectives.
- Put together a timeline to organize efforts.
Key: Remember decisions are business and not
personal. Try to avoid forcing decision makers, who are reluctantly making cuts, into defensive positions. When are
forced to defend cuts, they are more likely to feel strongly in favor of the cuts. The goal is to build bridges for
working relationships centered around what is best for children. Messages have to be about students and student
learning; they cannot be about the jobs of librarians. Schools are not in the business of employing librarians; they
are about students and learning. We need to reach out to these decision makers with a helping hand. A positive
approach is to offer to supply information to help inform difficult decisions and to help support efforts to bring
back positions. It is critical not to form an adversarial relationship. -
Communication structure -
How will you keep your coordinating group
informed? -
How will you ask for support? -
How will interested parties be kept
informed?
- Identifying the stakeholders
- Bring together any
interested parties. Arrange for a meeting with library personnel and other concerned individuals.
- Determine
potential sources of support:
- local organizations
- union
- know which members of your group
are dues paying members
- encourage non members to join
- review contract with union leadership
- PTA/PTO
- public library
- local colleges, technical schools, and
universities
- professional library organizations
- local and regional library associations and
organizations
- state library organization(s)
- AASL
- individuals
- students
- alumni
- parents
- teachers
- administrators
- community members
- business
owners
- Crafting messages
Key: When asking for support, messages
should be child-centered. Write in terms of "what the students will gain or lose with a diminished educational
opportunities" and not about "what the library will gain or lose." Stakeholders are interested in children, not
libraries. -
Know the mission, vision, and goals of the
educational institute. -
-
national and state standards and indicators taught,
-
access to technology, -
integration of technology, -
impact on
reading, -
equity, -
the libraries' connection to test scores, -
course
load, and -
access to materials -
Also provide qualitative anecdotal
information and evidence: -
student quotes -
brief stories -
alumni
testimonials -
photographs -
examples of student work -
videos -
Collect and share relevant: -
Prepare talking points Key Point: Connect the
data to the educational problems, issues, goals and priorities in the district and demonstrate how the library
supports them or is part of the solution. Talking points should focus on education and students. The focus
should NOT be libraries and librarians. - Know what is desired/be
ready to make specific requests.
- staffing and other support needed
- amount of funding
needed
- Acknowledge the reality of the situation.
- Say thank you for opportunity to speak and past
support to
- stakeholders
- decision-makers
- Sharing the
message:
- Web site - use to:
- Share information & build support
- Coordinate efforts
- Gather information (i.e. signatures)
- Raise funds for effort
- Offer to speak at meetings
- Who
- Parent meetings
- Community meetings
- Teacher meetings
- Administrative meetings
- What-
- Demonstrate database use
- Demonstrate Web 2.0 tools and resources
- Teach information and
technology skills and strategies
- Coordinate or encourage letters to:
- Attend board meetings.
- Invite the local paper to do a story on student learning in the
library.
- Invite law-makers and other decision-makers to observe or participate in student learning activities
- Encourage others to visit the library and participate in students learning experiences
- Getting people involved:
- Be clear about what people are being asked to do:
- obtain petition signatures
- inform and recruit other supporters
- attend a board or other meeting
- be part of a large presence
- speak
- carry signs
- write letters to the editor
- meet with
or contact school board members
- meet with or write to the superintendent
- Provide clear message
information
- Provide support
- Identify contact people (If you have questions, call or email...)
- Sample letters
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State and National Support: Contacting AASL and Other Associations:
Asking for letters of support from state and national
organizations: Provide: -
contact person(s) with contact information -
nature of changes/cuts -
reasons for cuts -
number of students to be impacted and how -
meeting dates -
when cuts are to be made -
other
relevant information about the -
people to be contacted: back to main content Resources: -
-
-
21st Century Skills,
Information Technologies and the Economy -
Raising
Readers -
The Role of School Libraries -
Advocacy in Action: Examples of Advocacy Movements and
Tools -
Additional Toolkits About Advocacy Now Hear This: The Nine Laws of
Successful Advocacy Communications: With Words of Wisdom From More Than 25 Leading Experts Experts share advocacy basics
and advice. This brochure can be downloaded one section at a time from or
in its entirety.
Rettig, Jim. “Advocating Together.” American Libraries. (August 2008) p. 8. ALA President, Jim Rettig,
advocates for various types of libraries to work together as a library system. Video: Advocacy Webinar #1 & Visit Packet
Advocacy Guru,
Stephanie Vance, provides training on how to advocate. Your Competitive
Advantage While this blog is geared toward marketing, the concept of looking for what makes a
“product” unique and essential to the end user is an important approach. Look at the library from the
end-user perspective to determine what makes the library program distinctively necessary and valuable to students
and teachers. back to Resources
back to main content The Research College Success: High
School Librarians Make the Difference Two of the three school districts in Santa Cruz County do not have
high school librarians. This published study shows the difference in achievement by students from the respective
high schools in a Cabrillo College course. School Libraries do Make a Difference
Research Studies from 1993 to 2005 in Sixteen States Research results from sixteen studies are summarized in a two page
table. School Libraries
Work! updated (3rd ed., 2008) Provides an overview of school library research studies. School Library Impact
Studies
Links to the results of the state studies. Study: Higher Test Scores Linked to
Certified Media Specialists This Syracuse study connects a nearly 10-point increase on the fourth grade English Language
Arts tests for students with school librarians. back to Resources
back to main content 21st Century Skills, Information Technologies and the Economy 21st
Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness Report Identifies skills sets needed to ensure
success in the 21st Century.
AASL Standards for the
21st-Century Learner Document the connection between the instruction in your district's
libraries and the skills needed for 21st-Century success.
Educational Testing Service's
iSkillsTM - Information and Communication Technology Literacy Test Use the content
and research sections of this site to identify and show the links between instruction in school library media
programs and students being prepared for higher education and the workforce.
ISTE National Education Technology Standards
Align with the NETS to show how programs teach national technology instructional
standards.
Martin, Ann M. “School Libraries Renewed: Library Media Specialists Connect
Curriculum and Technology to Real-World Skills.” District
Administrator. (October 2008) This article by AASL President, Ann M. Martin,
elaborates on the relationship between school libraries and 21st Century Skills.
Shift Happens Provides a global look at the
rapidly changing demographics, economy, and world of information and information technologies.
A Tough Choices or Tough Times: Executive Summary
The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce has prepared guidelines for developing a
competitive workforce for the global economy.
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back to main content Raising Readers
Children's Literature: Very Good News and Very
Bad New Stephen Krashen discusses the connection between access to books and reading
success. The "Decline"
of Reading in America, Poverty and Access to Books, and the use of Comics in Encouraging Reading
In this research-based article Krashen connects school libraries to the encouragement of
reading. Literacy
Campaigns: Access to Books is the First Step
Stephen Krashan makes a connection between school libraries and making books accessible to
students.
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content
The Role of School Libraries
Are Librarians Totally
Obsolete? 33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians are Still Extremely Important
Addresses why the Internet is not a replacement for libraries and other needs for
libraries.
The Importance of the School Library
Dr. Gary Hartzell talks about the role of school libraries from an administrative
viewpoint.
Libraries Working Together: Public and School Libraries
Working Together to Provide Complementary Services
The New Jersey Library Association identifies the distinct roles of school and public libraries and
librarians. This resource clearly differentiates between the roles.
Principal’s Project
This is ILILE’s collection of resources for administrators on the role of professionally
staffed
school libraries. A second section of this toolkit provides resources to help school librarians work with
administrators.
School Library Media Centers Rock!
Shows the school library as a place for reading and learning.
Today's School Library
Illustrates the nature of a 21st Century school library.
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content
Advocacy in Action: Examples of Advocacy Movements and Tools
California Parents Saved School
Librarians
School Library Journal article (8/1/2003) about wealthy parents funding a school library
position.
Fund our Future Arizona
Provides an example of using the Washington Moms’ model to advocate for school
libraries.
Fund our Future Oregon
Oregon is also utilizing the Washington Moms’ advocacy model.
Fund our Future Washington
This Web site details the efforts of the Washington Moms.
How Three Moms Save their School Libraries
and Created an Advocacy Model for the Rest of Us
This SLJ article (9/1/2008) chronicles the efforts of the three Washington Moms.
It’s a Wonderful Life
Joyce Valenza’s slide show designed to build understanding for state legislators about
effective
libraries and equity.
Joyce Valenza’s Advocacy
Video
Answers the question, “What students do miss out on when they are not served by professionally
staffed school libraries?”
Kaaland, Christie. “Making History on a Shoestring: The Story of the Spokane Moms.” School Library
Media
Activities Monthly. v. 24 no. 8 (May 2008). p. 45-6.
This article updates the activities of the Spokane Moms through the passage of Bill
6380.
Rogge, Patience. “A Textbook Case of Advocacy.” Alki. v. 22 no. 1 (March 2006). p. 29-30.
How a school board member advocated for school libraries and saved LMS positions.
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Additional Toolkits
Friends of Santa Cruz Libraries
New York Library Association Crisis
Toolkit
AASL Advocacy Toolkit
Key Concept: Budget Cuts
In this time of limited resources, educational leaders are faced with unenviable decisions. They have to make cuts.
These are decisions that do not want to make, but have to make. They try to make informed decisions that will
minimize the negative impact on students. Cuts can happen to excellent programs where the librarians have done
everything “right” and more. School districts cannot spend money that they do not have.
What can we do? We need to make a conscious effort to avoid making business decisions personal. It is imperative
that we do not back the unfortunate administrators into corners. We do not want to force administrators to
rationalize and defend library cuts. We need to continue making connections between the district’s educational
goals
and how the library plays an essential role in meeting those goals. We need to show our support for the district by
providing information that will assist them with the data they need to make informed future decisions regarding the
support of students and learning through library services.
Our job is to offer support, assistance and data that will help decision makers make informed decisions prior to
cuts and to support their efforts to ultimately bring back positions after cuts. Messages have to be about students
and student learning; they cannot be about the jobs of librarians. Schools are not in the business of employing
librarians; they are a students and learning.
Dealing with Budget Cut Resources:
Fontichiaro, Kristin. “Staffing Has Been Cut…Now What Do You Do?” School Library Media Activities
Monthly. v. 24 no.
8 (April 2008). p. 28-30.
When it is over, is it over? Fontichiaro provides strategies for dealing with cuts.
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