Advocacy

Action is Eloquence (Shakespeare, Coriolanus) is my professional mantra, nowhere more so than when it comes to advocacy. On this page I share my ideas through video, articles, blog posts and presentations.


Videos

Advocacy Approaches: A summary of the progression of school library advocacy approaches, and advice from the experts. The first of two videos.

Anita’s Top 10 Action Advocacy Tips: We all own it! Tips for school library advocacy across organizations and across the profession. The second of two videos.


Articles

Aspirations and Opportunities: Advocacy for School Library Programs. Canadian Children’s Book News 38(3), Summer 2015. A publication of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

The Future Now: A Powerful Tool for Advancing the School Library Learning Commons in Canada
School Libraries in Canada, Volume 33, Issue 2 (2015)
http://clatoolbox.ca/casl/slicv33n2/332brookskirkland.html

From the President: Value, Influence, Positioning: Advocacy by a New Name
Open Shelf, Ontario Library Association (2014)
http://www.open-shelf.ca/value-influence-positioning/

Action is Eloquence: Advocacy Advice for School Libraries. School Libraries in Canada Volume 30 Issue 1 (2012)
http://clatoolbox.ca/casl/slicv30n1/301brookskirkland.html

Blog Posts

Library Day at Queen’s Park 2015 (November 26, 2015)
Doug – Off the Record: An Interview with Anita Brooks Kirkland (April 16, 2015)
Ontario Needs Teacher-Librarians (March 15, 2015)
Library Day at Queen’s Park (November 27, 2014)
RSC Expert Panel: Recommendations for School Libraries (November 13, 2014)
Libraries Change Lives (April 21, 2014)
Leveraging Libraries for Ontario’s Education Future (September 30, 2013)
Getting the Message Right (January 12, 2013)
Imagine Your Library (August 17, 2012)
Super Conference Reflections: Leadership & Advocacy (February 11, 2012)
From Advocacy to Action (February 5, 2012, reposted from November 7, 2010)


OLA SC 2017Presentations

Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2017: Soapbox 3.0: Action Advocacy for School Libraries

Once upon a time advocacy came from the soapbox: you know, the “You’d better like us because we’re good for you” approach. We’ve since learned that advocacy means demonstrating value, with clear evidence of the school library program’s impact on student learning. Action advocacy for school libraries, “Soapbox 3.0”, takes us a step further, with powerful and practical strategies for demonstrating program value, cultivating relationships to extend our influence, and positioning school libraries to lead learning for the future. Value, Influence, Positioning (VIP) moves from telling to participating, and to connecting with peers, influencers and decision-makers. In this session we’ll explore resources and tools to make connections at every level, starting at your school. Action advocacy is hands on, so be prepared to roll up your sleeves and collaborate on practical strategies to make the action advocacy VIP connection.


Additional Resources

American Association of School Librarians (AASL/ALA): Advocacy

American Libraries (2014). School Libraries Transform Learning. Note article by Barbara Stripling (p. 8) – Reimagining Advocacy for School Libraries: Creating a Strategy for Getting out Your Message

Association of Library Services for Children (ALSC/ALA): Everyday Advocacy

Australian School Library Association: Advocacy

Doug Johnson (2016). Blast From The Past (BFTP): 4 Rules of Library Advocacy

International Federation of Library Association (IFLA): School Library Advocacy Kit

I Love Libraries: An Initiative of the American Library Association

Neil Gaiman (2013). Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming.

Ontario Library Association: School Library Advocacy

SchoolLibraryAdvocacy.org

Books

Agile Librarian's GuideMany Faces of School Library LeadershipActivism and the School LibrarianSchool Library Advocacy