Advocacy; such an important word that frequently goes unnoticed. I’d like to think that this SLO is the most important and most intentional of them all. Without it school libraries and all libraries for that matter become irrelevant. Over the past year, I have learned this lesson all too well. If you aren’t creating your own positive public relations, then it either doesn’t exist or someone else is creating it for you, and not always with your best interest in mind. Thankfully throughout the program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I have been given tools that will help me to better advocate for myself in the future.

 

     During LID 653 I completed several assignments that will be great advocacy tools. The first assignment that supports this SLO is the Annual Report word cloud. During this assignment, my groupmates and I evaluated several annual reports and then created a word cloud with important words that accurately described qualities of good annual reports. Annual reports are a great way to sho administration all of the great things you are doing in the school library as well as monthly newsletters. Both of these things are something I would like to start doing as an advocacy tool for myself. Through the Library Program Analysis assignment, I was able to pinpoint both areas of success and areas of growth for the library program I am currently working in. Really taking a hard look at what is happening in a library program better helps one know what they should advocate for. In LIS 653 I also created a collection analysis and Management Plan. This tool helps me present a clear picture of the school library to administration to advocate for the needs of the collection.  After completing the analysis I then created a budget that could be used as a tool to help advocate for funds for the school library.

 

     In LIS 653 I also had to put all of the pieces together to create an advocacy plan for my school library. The advocacy plan helped me focus in on specific goals I have for the school library and list ways that I would reach them. This plan will help in advocating for the library in the sense that it will show attainable goals and means to reach them to stakeholders and administration. It will also give the teachers confidence in the school library program as they will be able to see the direction it is heading.

 

     In LIS 650 I had to create a Leadership Management Treaty. This assignment was a precursor to most of LIS 653 and helped lay the foundation for later assignments. This assignment included all of the components from library needs analysis to creating a tangible plan for the library, including a proposed budget that would clearly layout how the needs of the library would be met.

 

     As stated above advocacy is intentional. It requires lots of planning and research. It also requires speaking up and letting your administrator know not only what you need but also what you are doing. The administration will be more likely to be supportive of a program they see as being successful that an irrelevant one.