Questions:

1. Questions: • Are you proud to be a part of your library program? • Name the three best features about your library program. • How busy are you? • Are you breathing just a little and calling it a life? What do you do for yourself on a daily basis? • What library services are under-utilized that could be a part of your targeted marketing?

2. Everyday Advocacy Krista Taracuk ktaracuk@columbus.rr.com

3. Steve Abrams says . . . • Numbers: Librarians are excellent at providing numbers. • Measurement: but we are not good at using those numbers to demonstrating the impact of what we do. • Stories: we also need to go a step further and connect those numbers and measurements to stories that resonate with our taxpayers.

4. Inherent problems: statistics show • although the composition of males versus females in the overall population are about even, • approximately 75% of (school and library) administrators are men while 87% of elementary teachers are women and 61% of secondary teachers are women (72 percent of all K-12 educators in this country are women) • http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JSD/is_6_57/ai_77336323 • According to the United Nations Statistics Division as of 2009 = http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/indwm/tab4e.htm

5. Innate differences: • Most men discuss events: latest football game, March Madness, traffic pileup on the freeway, new TV, etc. • Most women discuss feelings: How did George do with his surgery? How are the kids liking their new school? How are you dealing with all the wedding plans? How is your sister-in-law holding up after her accident? • Thus, there is an immediate barrier when principal/ administrator is male and librarian is female.

6. Change • Our innate mission as librarians is to preserve our collections. Emotional attachment results in a resistance of change. • Darwin showed that species adapted in response to their environment. Change or die. • Change is a process, not an event. • John Kotter’sOur Iceberg Is Melting is a story about the realities of change in the penguin world.

7. Change on the home front: • We have to realize that EVERYONE is going through a great deal of change. Just at home, a person might be dealing with: • Small children • Economy • First child off to college • Aging parents • Future in-laws • Crazy relatives

8. Change in the world: • What are you NOT doing today that seemed indispensable five years ago? • landline phones, bank teller, writing checks, email on your phone, etc.

9. Change in the library world: • What are you doing today that you were not doing five years ago? • e-readers, computer classes, all types of social media, Wikipedia.

10. Co-curricular events: • The value of high school sports has long been argued. Studies show the positive correlation between students who participate in organized school activities perform better in school than those who do not. It could be argued that this is because of economic and environmental factors (i.e. students who can afford activities already have a better learning environment at home.) • Studies show that an involvement in school sports is positively connected to academic goals and show a positive effect on a strong emotional association along with an overall positive effect on “grades, self-concept, focus of control, and educational aspirations.” Fejgin, N. (1994). Participation in High School Competitive Sports: A Subversion of School Mission or Contribution to Academic Goals?. Sociology Of Sport Journal, 11(3), 211-230.

11. Co-curricular activities: • “Coaching activities traditionally have provided secondary and junior high teachers with an initial step toward administration. • Athletic coaching and assignments such as band directorships often provide teachers an opportunity to demonstrate skills in leadership, management and an ability to work with community members.” • http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JSD/is_6_57/ai_77336323

12. Identify a coach in your area that does a great job (does not have to be an athletic coach) • Coaches deal with change EVERY day. Injuries, illness, and weather are three constantly changing factors; then you throw in the personalities of the players: who just had a fight with girlfriend/boyfriend/parent?

13. Your challenge • How you react to the instigating event registers your level of stress. • 24/7 administrators • It takes time and constant attention. There will be unintended results during change.

14. Identify your strengths: • What do you like to do and what do you do well? Build on your strengths. Be practical about what you can do. • Understand your assets: why do people use your library? Every library is unique. A unique collection of early Ohio history? A close knit community? • Coaches have already done this. They have focused on something that they were good at: debate, theatre, basketball, etc. • They immediately demonstrate their strengths.

15. Identify what you want to improve in your program: • Every coach has a list of goals: weekly goals (In-the-Know team will answer 5 more questions correctly), season’s goals (Debate team will beat rival), individual goals (Oboe player will make all-regional band) • Book club? • New equipment? • New databases? • Do you want to see more teens during the day? • How many cooks do you want in the kitchen?

16. Your goals must pass the litmus test of your building’s goals & mission. • What is the political landscape of your district or your community? • Know what is driving your organization. • Nobody wants to back a whiner. It’s a losing proposition. • It is what it is. Accept the reality that you can not wave a magic wand and wipe out idiotic behavior.

17. Identify the biggest barriers to your success: • Inherent problem is numbers. Coaches may be dealing with 10 kidson the In-the-Know team or 20 players on the basketball team, while the librarian is dealing with 1000 kids. • Plus your customer group is constantly changing hour by hourwhereas teams are usually set for at least a season. You do not have guaranteed access to every student and every teacher. • What are your goals to overcoming these barriers?

18. Conduct your own informal & formal market research • Patron satisfaction and appreciation are the highest forms of measurement for success of the program. (Canton McKinley coach compiled a very successful 31-16 record, secured three wins over rival Massillon, and led the team to four playoff appearances in four years—but was fired.) • What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow --- or ever again. • Find a library mentor who can be used to bounce ideas off. • Survey the staff in your building. • What qualities make a viable leader in the building?

19. Identify your approach • 24/7 administrators: one of those called me into his office to report that he had a complaint about the library. My response? Wow! Only one?! The library served over 8000students and staff last month, so I’m impressed.

20. Identify the substance in their style • What makes people listen to them? • How do they ask the hard questions without burning down the entire building? • How do they respond to challenges? • How are they able to articulate their knowledge? • It’s their APPROACH. • Take the best qualities from each and every coach.

21. Power mongers. How do you make patrons welcome in the library? Coaches greet/talk to every kid every day.

22. Build your own team. • We will have seasons in both our personal and professional lives which means that things go from extremely active to eerily quiet. • Example: 8th grade orientation with student volunteers. Provide your own tour guides for the library.

23. Students: • Live for the moment. What were you thinking…? • Technology is overwhelming their lives. • Everything is faster than the speed of light. • Technology was supposed to make our lives easier. • Even while on vacation, we are not AWAY from technology. • “Background TV is potentially a chronic environmental risk factor affecting most American children,” said Marie Evans Schmidt, a research associate at the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital. (New York Times, July 16, 2008)

24. Recommendations • Who would you go to for a recommendation? Coaches know whom they can call in a crisis. • Teacher • Administrator • Student • Who will be your teacher? • Evaluation tool

25. Evaluation tools: • Coaches all have end-of-the-season or end-of-the-year evaluations in which they are required to provide a summary of the season’s events. Do you? • If not, schedule one. • Several school evaluations are available through North Carolina = http://it.ncwiseowl.org/standards/pro_standards • Indiana = http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/~brancoli/assess-plan-info-lit.html

26. Tools or techniques are the causes of the most conflict: • Who would go to a doctor who was still using leeches? • Are you using the latest (free) technology? • QR codes

27. Professional responsibility • To be a member of a professional organization • Your coaches will be members of the regional association, the state association, and the national association (such as AFCA)

28. Promote program at all levels • Just as a coach networks with a wide variety of people, a librarian needs to network with professionals at the elementary, middle school, and high school in your district. • Connect with other professionals in the area as well as the state and the nation. • What you can do: local public libraries, academic libraries, and school libraries should make connections.

29. Publicity ideas • Coaches are visible and are forced to become experts at public relations. • Have you confined yourself to just the four walls of the library or of your office? • Work with an advisory group: both students, parents, and local businessmen. • Host special programs. • Take pictures of EVERYTHING.

30. Focus on kids, not tasks • Advocate for what matters. Coaches advocate for kids first. • Too many librarians are focused on TASKS. • Have kids or volunteers design bulletin boards and displays.

31. Actively seek to improve skills • Coaches attend a variety of professional workshops as well as talk to other professionals in the field. • Attend multiple professional development sessions to improve their skills. • Network with peer group.

32. Marketing plan • You cannot communicate your vision too often or in too many different ways. • Align your idea with what is already happening. A good politician will have a catchy phrase. • If you cannot communicate your vision in five minutes or less AND receive an understanding process, then you have a problem.

33. Marketing is an ongoing process. • Just as collections are diverse so should the marketing processes should be. Different stakeholders need to be approached in different ways. There is no one size that fits all. • What is happening in your community that you can leverage to your advantage? • Targets could be: Student Council with an anti-bullying themeor school newspaper, PTA, etc.

34. Questions: • Are you proud to be a part of your library program? • How busy are you? • Name the three best things about that library. • Are you breathing just a little and calling it a life? What do you do for yourself on a daily basis? • What library services are under-utilized that could be a part of your targeted marketing?

35. RESOURCES: • Fejgin, N. (1994). Participation in High School Competitive Sports: A Subversion of School Mission or Contribution to Academic Goals?. Sociology Of Sport Journal, 11(3), 211-230. • Hawkins, R., Cleveland State Univ., O. r., & And, O. (1992). Athletic Investment and Academic Resilience among African-American Females and Males in the Middle Grades. Research Report #3. • Helms, K. E. (2010, January 1). Campus Recreation Program Involvement, Athletic Identity, Transitional Loss and Life Satisfaction in Former High School Athletes. ProQuestLLC. • Jordan, W. J. (1999). Black High School Students' Participation in School-Sponsored Sports Activities: Effects on School Engagement and Achievement. Journal Of Negro Education, 68(1), 54-71. • O'Bryan, S., Braddock, J., & Dawkins, M. P. (2008). An Examination of the Effects of School-Based Varsity Sport Participation and Parental Involvement on Male Academic Behaviors. Challenge: A Journal Of Research On African American Men, 14(2), 1-27. • Rees, D. I., & Sabia, J. J. (2010). Sports Participation and Academic Performance: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Economics Of Education Review, 29(5), 751-759. • Ward, J. E. (2008). Athletic Expenditures and the Academic Mission of American Schools: A Group-Level Analysis. Sociology Of Sport Journal, 25(4), 560-578. • https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.librarymediaconnection.com%2Fpdf%2Flmc%2Freviews_and_articles%2Ffeatured_articles%2FHartzell_May_June2012.pdf

36. Professional reading • An opinion piece in the June 2012 issues of LMC: “The Need to Shift and Widen School Library Advocacy Efforts” by Gary Hartzell. • https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.librarymediaconnection.com%2Fpdf%2Flmc%2Freviews_and_articles%2Ffeatured_articles%2FHartzell_May_June2012.pdf • Football literacy: 4 part white paper at www.abdopublishing.com