The relationships school librarians develop with administrators and teachers can serve as a powerful advocacy tool in demonstrating the tremendous potential they have as instructional leaders of multiple literacies in K-12 schools. Through the author's experience and research, this article presents principles that may help guide school librarians…

In today's developing view of education, a disquieting trend looms--the erosion of students' right to choose what they read. This erosion, fueled by an alarming surge in censorship attempts, casts a shadow over the very essence of intellectual exploration. Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented number of challenges aimed at restricting…

Traditionally, academic librarians have delivered "beck and call" service to educators both in and out of the classroom. However, far from being merely auxiliary to the learning cycle, academic librarians are educators in their own right. If the primary challenge before them is to change how they're perceived within their institutions,…

What are ways to draw attention to the need for an annual library budget? How can school library leaders advocate for equitable library budgets across a school district? These are questions the library services team of three district librarians researched before taking the first steps toward making transformational change in the Beaverton School…

How do school librarians best serve students, classroom teachers, and principals simultaneously? The key, argues Moreillon, is to lead. By embracing a leadership role, school librarians can work collaboratively to positively impact school cultures, curricula, and teaching practices. The inspiration, guidance, and strategies presented in this book…

Literacy and access to quality literacy instruction and resources is an issue of equity and an issue of social justice. Being literate represents the difference between inclusion in and exclusion from society. Examining how literacy experiences are being provided to children is critical to fulfilling this basic human right. This guide--written…

The school library profession has gone through an evolution since its inception in the early 1900s. School librarians hold strong to unwavering core principles that remain true throughout time. Students today are tech-savvy consumers of information. With smartphones and tablets galore at their fingertips, they have access to all the knowledge of…

The author's first school librarian position was in her hometown elementary school where she had been a library aide in the fifth grade. The principal spelled out the problems with the situation she would be entering--the school library was the least favorite of the resources, many policies and procedures were antiquated, and the collection needed…

With budgets threatened in schools nationwide, students, parents, and educators have begun to realize that they cannot wait around for state or national organizations to act. Web applications have made grassroots advocacy a lot easier, and homegrown efforts on behalf of libraries have sprung up across the country via blogs, wikis, Facebook, and…

The development, publication, and distribution of the "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" once again demonstrate the vision of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) in pointing the way with new literacies (textual, media, digital, technology) for students. These standards include critical self-assessment strategies that will…

If digital literacy is exploding, the visually disabled are taking the shrapnel. The author wagers that most librarians consider themselves committed to accessibility and make individual and organizational efforts to comply with (and often exceed) the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in their buildings and the Rehabilitation Act Section 508…

Leadership and advocacy often resemble a dance more than a straight-line march toward a goal. At times the leader advocate must work the process and lead the dance; at other times, the leader must stand back and let the process work, always ready to add a step or two to the dance when necessary. In this article, the author describes how librarians…

Written specifically for juvenile justice advocates and officials, this handbook provides step-by-step media approaches to promote the system reforms achieved through the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). Those interested in learning all the nuts and bolts of media advocacy may choose to read this guide from cover to cover. Others…

Advocacy is not optional for libraries. Libraries need advocacy because so much of what goes on in them is invisible to the public eye. If the public thinks that circulating books is all that librarians do and all that they have to do, then how can they expect them to be impressed by the influence within the school community? If those people are…

In this article, the author describes his path to library advocacy. It resulted from several youthful experiences, favorable professional associations, and an unexpected invitation shortly after he left K-12 education for the university. The author believes that it is a good idea to get more librarians to consider going into administration.…