Tough times? Here we go!

The Superbowl is next week, and the commercials have already started.  One batch of ads features eager guys and gals gearing up for sporting or social events with the rally cry of, "Here we go!"

With all the tough education finance news we're hearing lately, it's time for librarians to gather around a rally cry and forge ahead.

It's not pretty out there.  In Texas, our friends in Austin ISD are facing cuts of 22 secondary librarians.  In Grand Prairie ISD, librarian and tech positions are being combined, leaving these persons to reapply for the "new" jobs which will number about one-third of previous jobs.  Funding for K-12 databases and other valuable library programs is in danger.

In response, listservs have been abuzz. Some librarians have felt the need to complain in this very public venue about a variety of unrelated topics.  We've heard about the hardwood floor in one superintendent's office, how coaches aren't being fired, and how much time our schools spend in state testing. 

None of this is doing our cause any good.  It's uninformed, unprofessional, and unproductive. Sure we're worried and upset, but let's focus our energies on positive action.

Ready?

1.  Send a brief email or make a call to your legislator.  Briefly summarize how librarians make a difference in student achievement.  Need data?  School Libraries Work  is excellent.

2.  Meet with your principal briefly every month.  Bring a one-page sheet to leave with your administrator that focuses on how your library program impacts student achievement (See a trend?)  This may include circulation stats, the number of classes in the library that month, how many times you've collaborated with teachers (formally or informally), and specific examples of research and instruction in the library that helps kids.  Share new ideas.  Enlist support.  Ask for their feedback.

After the meeting, email to thank the administrator for their support and include an electronic copy of your info that may also include pictures of programming and instruction, and links to your blog or other things you want to share. 

A note about meeting with your administrator.  Many librarians have said they skip this meeting because, a) their principal is really busy, b) it makes them uncomfortable, or c) they don't know what to say.  This meeting is critical.  Don't skip this important chance to let your principal know how you make a difference with kids.  Don't assume he/she knows what you do and the impact of your program.

3.  Get to know your teachers.  One of our librarians eats with a different grade level each week.  Another has started a teacher book club.  Ask the ones who really collaborate with you to tell their peers.  Ask the ones you never see what they need.  Provide specific ways you can help in case they can't think of anything!

4.  Involve parents.  Remember when you were a teacher and you called parents occasionally just to say something great about their child?  Do the same as a librarian.  "Hello, Mrs. Smith?  I'm Tim's librarian, and I just wanted you to know what a great reader he is." 

5.  Participate actively in professional library organizations. 

6.  Have a professional web presence.

7.  Volunteer to serve on campus and district-level committees.  Once you're there, be positive and look for opportunities to advocate for libraries.

8.  Serve on curriculum writing-committees for the district and work to ensure that the library/librarian are mentioned specifically in curriculum plans.  For example, the implementation phase could say something like, "Work with your librarian to..."

9.  Be about kids.  Everything you do should focus on helping kids. 

10.  Do more.  Know more.  Be more.

Tough times?  We're ready to face them.  Here we go!

Are we speaking the same language?

My grandsons both received little remote control helicopters for Christmas. One of them worked really well for about ten minutes before it began to fly erratically.

When I began to troubleshoot the problem, I noticed this message printed on the plastic blades, "WARNING. If blade damage, don't be fly, otherwise it will create the human body or airframe damage."

Um, ok.

I laughed about this for a while, and then it reminded me of a person with whom I used to work.  I never quite figured out if it was me or if it was her, but honest to Pete, even though we both spoke English, I never quite understood what she was trying to say.

It wasn't a fluency problem or a literacy problem, but a communication problem.  I simply didn't get what she was saying, and I had no idea why.

Every time I got an email from her or listened to what she had to say in a meeting, I ended up just shaking my head and thinking, "Huh?"

But that was the end of that.  Even though it would have helped my cause in the long run, I never bothered to work through our lack of communication.

Looking back, I think the first step would have been fairly simple.  I should have said, "It's important to me to understand what you're saying.  Do you mean...?"

This would have not only validated what she was saying, but would have also provided clarification.  But in not doing this, I missed an opportunity to advocate for the library.  I didn't create a relationship that could have been potentially beneficial.

Are there teachers or administrators with whom you'd like to improve communication?  If you can take the first step toward that process, I think you'll find that it may benefit your library.  And what helps your library helps your kids.

For the kids, take the time to speak the same language.