Visibility Is A Synonym For Advocacy

Posted by Caitlyn Selleck on Jun 13, 2012 in Guest Post | 3 comments

Margaux DelGuidice works as a school librarian, adjunct professor and children’s services librarian and is co-author of the book, Make A Big Impact @ Your School Board Meeting. Sometimes she sleeps and goes to the gym, but she would much rather be writing! Follow her on Twitter @metadatachick and email her: metadatachick@gmail.com

Rose Luna is a school librarian at Freeport High School in Freeport, New York, and a bilingual reference librarian at the Freeport Memorial Library in Freeport, New York. She holds an MLS degree from C.W. Post, Long Island University, and a master’s degree in school administration and supervision from Touro College, Manhattan Campus and is co-author of the book, Make A Big Impact @ Your School Board Meeting. Follow her on Twitter @RoseMLuna.

One time it happened in my kitchen over a basket of muffins I baked to share with faculty and students in celebration of National Library Month. Another time it was the shared link to an easily created Animoto showcasing the events happening at my library. Last week it was a video directed and crafted by my students that showed how much they love to use the school library. Today it was the use of an infographic to compile and share my end of the year patron use and circulation statistics.

Visibility is the common thread that weaves together these unique situations. Throughout the course of the school year I use all different kinds of traditional and even unconventional tactics to garner positive support and recognition for my library. This proactive strategy helps to keep the programs happening at my library visible within my school and community.

One of the most powerful advocacy weapons that librarians possess in their arsenal of visibility is one that is often overlooked; that is the tool creating a presence at school board meetings. A district-wide librarian presentation at a school board meeting provides the perfect vehicle for delivering an important message about the link between properly funded library programs, staffed by certified school librarians, and student achievement.

You understand that crucial link, but who else knows and understands those facts? Are your colleagues, administrators, community members and school board members aware of the importance of your library program? If your key stakeholders are unaware of all the good things happening in your library, then it is time to reach outside of the physical library space and begin to make your position and your program visible.

As you read this you may be feeling anxious and overwhelmed, you are probably thinking that you simply do not have enough time to devote to marketing your library within your community. As a fellow librarian working in a school and public library I too feel overwhelmed and pressed for time on a daily basis. Working with my school and public librarian colleague, Rose Luna, we saw the need for a tool that helps librarians conduct aggressive marketing campaigns for their libraries, yet spares them the headache of having to “re-invent the wheel.” Our new book, Make A Big Impact @ Your School Board Meeting contains practical tips and tools for all librarians, including numerous changeable forms and a presentation that can be custom tailored to meet the needs of your library program. Do not wait any longer! Use the tools! Now is the time to get active and make an impact!

EasyBib Temporary Tattoos

Posted by Caitlyn Selleck on May 8, 2012 in Blog Posts | 1 comment

Hey all you Bibs out there in LibraryLand! EasyBib wants to create some fun, “library themed”, temporary tattoos for all our librarian friends to wear. But instead of us just coming up with designs we thought you might like, we decided we want to hear what kind of tats you think would look cool

So all you have to do is got to this form and describe what you think a cool library temporary tattoo should look like. Be creative!

And here are some examples of designs we’ve made in the past:

New Educator and Student Content This Week

Posted by Caitlyn Selleck on Dec 7, 2011 in Lesson plans, Writing Center | Comments Off

There are new materials available in the Educator and Student Portals today on EasyBib. On these pages you’ll find tons of great content that will help both students and educators alike in their roles in 21st Century Education. We’re rolling out new content for each section weekly, so make sure you check back often!

What’s new this week:

In the Student Section this week we have the third part of our Writing Guide – Outline:

“Once you’ve gathered information on your topic, sifted through the good sources, and taken good notes, it’s time to conquer the next step: outlining. Outlining is a helpful step in the writing process. It will force you to think about how separate ideas in your research fit together so that you can write a cohesive paper.”

In the Educator Section this week we have the lesson plan ‘Cross-Subject Research Papers’:

“This lesson plan aims to teach the skills developed in writing a research paper through every text a student might come across in their academic studies or career. By requiring a research paper in every class subject, the library media specialist develops writing skills in every subject.”