Advocacy: The Big Picture
Course
Barriers [4:57]
https://players.brightcove.net/2566261579001/HyuWsfFhb_default/index.html?videoId=4574671031001
About
Let's discuss barriers and stumbling blocks that trip people up in their efforts to implement an advocacy plan.Transcript
The first thing is facing our fears. What are we afraid of? Well, sometimes it's rejection, public speaking, politics, accountability, lack of support, saying the wrong thing, loss of personal time, competition, not knowing the answers, being misunderstood, being misquoted, the media or maybe it's all of the above. But, once you recognize what particular thing or things keep you up at night you can take steps to address them. We also have to consider barriers that relate to our profile, our image, and maybe do a policy review to try and address these things. Often, school library programs and school librarians may seem to have a low profile or value, low visibility and are particularly marginalized. So, that is something about our profile we need to think about. In looking at that there can also be lack of professional development in continuing education provided for school librarians. That again can be a barrier in trying to implement an advocacy plan or other parts of our program. Some policies often impede how we are able to approach advocacy, so you need to take a look at how your facility is used and the usage policies that you have in place. You need to think about schedules. Do they impact the ability of your users to use your facility and to connect with you? Circulation policies can also be a barrier as well as materials restrictions that impact students' intellectual freedom. Seating and the use of the physical space of the library is another area to take a look at to make sure that that's not a barrier that is something that's off putting to your clientele. Hours of operation and staffing can also have impact.
Other barriers that impede us in the development of an advocacy plan relates to the profile of the school library program, our image, as well as policies that we have in place. So, it may be helpful to us to take a look at some of those and to review how they impact and can be barriers. First of all, many school library programs oftentimes have a low profile or low value in the school community. They're not visible and they therefore are marginalized. So, try and look at whether or not your program is flying too low under the radar and see if you can make it a little more visible.
Secondly, often, school librarians are not afforded professional development in continuing education opportunities. That's something to be thinking about and trying to raise the bar so that your community understands that when you have access you can be more effective. Facility use policies oftentimes impede the ability of our clientele to access us, as do limited and out of date resources or lack of funding. Schedules also can have bearing as well as our circulation policies and material restrictions, which impact students in the area of intellectual freedom. Sometimes the seating or just the way that the physical space of the school library is organized can be a barrier to our advocacy efforts as well as hours of operation and staffing.
Ultimately, attitude is everything and it's important to ensure that you and any staff that you might have or volunteers working for you promote a positive attitude in every transaction with all of your clientele.
Finally, image review is often needed. Oftentimes image is based on a stereotype or user's previous negative experience with another type of librarian. So, make sure that you are always projecting as positive an image as possible.
Another barrier to advocacy implementation is in regard to time, capacity, and resources available to promote an advocacy strategy. You need to be realistic in developing an advocacy plan and some things to think about and then prepare to address include: money, time, physical surroundings, personal biases, as I mentioned before, stereotypes. Sometimes, there may be organized opposition to your efforts or you may not know enough about your target groups and audiences or you may not have done all of your homework or again it could be all of the above that impede an advocacy strategy.
Lastly, you want to think about recruiting allies. Allies are people and groups of people who share similar interests and values or have the same concerns that we do. It's a bonus if they also have the capacity or resources to help us achieve our goals. So, think about who fits that description by asking, "Who is doing something already? What are they doing? How's it going? Which strategies did they find effective? Is there some way that you could collaborate with them? And who else do you know who might be interested in this issue even though they might not be acting on it now?" Allies are certainly made among other school librarians and professional organizations. But, think beyond that and consider community allies like parent-teacher organizations, local service groups and agencies, the public library and be aware of the risks and benefits they may encounter should they support you. Be prepared to demonstrate to them that the benefit outweighs the risks and network among these groups. If you have a particular ally, ask for a contact to the other groups that they work with to expand your own horizons. The bottom line is it's always more effective to have multiple voices and points of view expressing support for you than to go it alone.
Activities
Ballard explains that a range of professional and personal fears, from fear of public speaking to competition, may block progress in advocacy efforts. Similar to other more tangible obstacles, such as policy, identifying barriers is a significant first step. The profile or image of the school library program may impede advocacy; a lack of visibility or outdated impressions may make garnering support challenging. Time, capacity, and available resources are potential barriers; so too might be limited knowledge of target audiences. Once barriers are known, librarians can build background and strategies to overcome them, possibly leveraging the aid of allies in the process.
Who are your allies in advocacy efforts? What do they bring to the advocacy plan? With whom do they work or interact?
1. Create a 3-column chart. In the first column, list existing partners, supporters, or advocates for your school library program. The allies might be groups (e.g., fifth grade teachers) or individuals (e.g., special education director), and they may represent varying levels of support for the library. See the sample in Resources below.
2. Next to each ally, create a column listing strengths, knowledge, and/or resources that they bring to collaborative projects or other aspects of library program.
3. Finally, in the third column, list key persons or groups with whom the allies work or interact.
Study your allies chart. Who or what are strengths the persons or groups you consider allies today? Who or what are the gaps? Are they represented in key persons or groups you listed for Column 3? If yes, what are some ideas for leveraging your allies to make new connections?
Sample Chart
| Fifth grade teachers | Curricular knowledge; students to work with and projects ready for library collaboration; grade level 1:1 device program |
Other grade-level teachers and department leaders, parents, school principal |
| Special education director | Extensive knowledge of special education students' needs and best practices for instruction and support; grant funds and other budget allocations | Classroom teachers, parents, paraprofessionals, school principal, district-level administrators |
Entry ID: 2128119
Additional Resources
Words from the Wise: Advocacy Quotables.
About the Author
Select Citation Style:
MLA Citation
Ballard, Susan D. "Advocacy: The Big Picture. Barriers [4:57]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, November 2015, schoollibraryconnection.com/content/course/1987467?learningModuleId=1980795&topicCenterId=2247903.
Chicago Citation
Ballard, Susan D. "Advocacy: The Big Picture. Barriers [4:57]." School Library Connection video. November 2015. https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/course/1987467?learningModuleId=1980795&topicCenterId=2247903.
APA Citation
Ballard, S. D. (2015, November). Advocacy: The big picture. Barriers [4:57] [Video]. School Library Connection. https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/course/1987467?learningModuleId=1980795&topicCenterId=2247903
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/course/1987467?learningModuleId=1980795&topicCenterId=2247903
Entry ID: 1987467