Toolkit

• Mentor school library students from your state university or your alma
mater for a semester.
• Attend a national library conference to gain a broader perspective of
nationwide library developments. The AASL National Conference or the
American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting and Annual
Conference are good places to start.
• Invite local officials into your library (with supervisor permission) to
participate in a school-wide literacy event, such as reading to students, or
to watch a program you are hosting.
What Works?
When we think of leadership and school librarians, a myriad of words come to
mind. We asked several school librarians from around the country, “What three
words would you use to describe effective leaders?” The most repeated words were:
innovative, visionary and dedicated. Other words that emerged, in no particular
order, were: visible, thoughtful, positive, adaptable, patient, perseverance, purpose,
drive, cooperative, flexible, organized, and consistent.
These characteristics are applicable to leaders in all fields. However, the
qualities these words represent definitely pertain to school librarians because the
characteristics are needed to see the path forward and to organize people and
resources to move along that path.
We also asked school librarians: “What is the best strategy you use to promote
the school library program?” A few of the responses are bulleted below, and in them
you will see that innovation, vision, and dedication are evident.
• “Approach teachers or collaborative teams directly with an idea they can
use immediately. Once that works, have the conversation with them about
what else the library can do for them.”
• “Communicate to the parents through the website, PTO events, and
library-sponsored events.”
• “Strive to offer an engaging, current collection, and welcome students as
fellow readers. Aspire to follow [S. R.] Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library
Science.”
• “Collaboration with teachers, students, and parents.”
• “I connect with our learning community through our weekly communications
by linking directly to posts on my blog that promote upcoming events,
highlight instruction, and provide valuable resources to cultivate multiple
literacies.”
• “Twitter and displays.”
• “Visual proof of finished projects, student engagement, [improved] test
scores, etc. Seeing is believing.”
Leadership 5