This winter, I wrote about working with administrators (and becoming one) in “The Same Difference” (SLJ, Feb. 2013, p. 20–23). After a full year in my new role, I continue to reflect on the ways teacher librarians can better connect and work with building and district leaders. This theme will be part of the SLJ Leadership Summit in Austin, September 28–29. Call it convergence or detente, librarians and administrators will be engaged in some exciting conversations in the coming year. In preparation, here are two useful ways to think and work like an admin.

The pivot: an administrator’s view

I miss the relative simplicity of the library. While a library includes many moving parts, it is not always necessary to know how or why things work so long as they do work. Teacher librarians are often better connected to various school and district systems than classroom teachers, but their understanding may still be limited. They are likely to know which textbooks are used by different departments or grade levels and how to order them, and may have some responsibility for their management. But at the district level, a complex machinery of processes, policies, and departments must work together in order to ensure students and teachers get materials. Seeing things from that perspective can help improve library service and the library’s place in an institution.

The points

More moving parts. As an administrator, I have learned that almost nothing is simple, even in a well-aligned district such as ours. There are always more moving parts than meet the eye. Understanding those parts and what it takes to keep them moving has become essential to my work. Teacher librarians stand to benefit by developing similar institutional knowledge. By learning the complexity of their organizations, they can become better informed, connected, and placed to advocate for their programs. This learning can come from developing authentic relationships with administrators. And because principals often see things differently from administrators, teacher librarians should seek to develop relationships at both building and district levels, ideally with the curriculum and IT departments that often intersect with library programs.

It’s important not to start the relationship with an “ask.” Offer to sit on a committee or offer support of a building or district initiative. Build a trusting professional friendship over time. Eventually, you will better understand the complexity of your district, and your new administrative friends may gain a better knowledge of your library and program.

Leading as a team. Administrators rarely make decisions alone. Despite their job titles, few administrators act unilaterally, and the best rely on others to provide advice and guidance in forming policies and solutions. By contrast, as a teacher librarian, I made many—if not most—decisions with little input from others. Since few outsiders understand what happens in school libraries, many teacher librarians have more autonomy than principals. This opacity and insularity can be a problem. Connecting with other stakeholders adds valuable input, information, and ideas. Almost everything I did this year involved a team to help envision, plan, and implement projects and programs. Likewise, teacher librarians can benefit by forming teams with other stakeholders. While it will probably complicate and slow decision making, it will also expose their library programs to wider audiences.

Teacher librarians should also build professional learning communities with others in their districts and beyond. At the building level, consider forming a steering committee to better understand the needs of parents, teachers, and students. This can provide insight and inform decisions while building bridges with stakeholders.

Teacher librarians have much in common with administrators. Find ways to build relationships with them. Listen and learn how decisions are made. In doing so, you can better understand the complex machinery of educational organizations and what makes administrators tick.

Mark Ray (Mark.Ray@vansd.org), a former teacher librarian, is the director of instructional technology and library services for Vancouver (WA) Public Schools.

Photo by Ben Ostrowsky

Draconian cuts to Miami public libraries—nearly 45 percent of its branches shuttered and more than 250 staff positions lost—stand to impact the community, including  Miami’s school children.

“The worst case scenario is 22 libraries would have to be closed,” says Lisa Martinez, senior advisor in Miami-Dade’s Office of the Mayor, who oversees its library department. “The Mayor has charged us to bring that number down.”

At issue is a budget cut proposed by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, and approved by county commissioners, set to go through October 1. Lawmakers are trying to reduce the branches that may have to close before that deadline, and Martinez believes she is close to bringing the number of branches cut to 16. Still, they pose a monumental loss of service to Miami’s K–12 students, as some of the public libraries slotted to shut down are close to Miami-Dade County public schools.

West Kendall Regional, a 39,000 square-foot space and one of the original 22 slated for closure, is a 10-minute walk from Felix Varela Senior High School, and on the same block as Hammocks Middle School.

In the coming weeks, Martinez is analyzing schedules, community needs, and  the geographic locations of the branches to try to stretch library resources, and attempt to save some of the branches that are in danger.  She’s also looking at partnerships to offset costs, possibly reduce hours, and also considering ways the library funds services.

“If we have a library that has a staffing level of five, and one is responsible for maintaining the computers, how do we make sure that we deliver services, not just offer computers in the library,” she says.

School libraries may also be considered for some partnership, says Albert Pimienta, instructional supervisor of library media services for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, who says public school personnel are expecting to meet with the mayor’s office and the public library “on what the impact may be,” he says.

School libraries do work with the public libraries in Miami-Dade by cross-promoting events and encouraging students to get public library cards among other activities, he says. But school libraries are not meant to support public needs, adds Pimienta. While 343 of its schools have libraries, not all are staffed with certified media specialists. Some have clerical staff who handle circulation duties, but sometimes for just a few hours a day.

“I don’t think our intent is to serve the public at large,” he says. “I would be hard pressed to see how we could serve the public if it came to that.”

Laura Spears, a doctoral student at Florida State University, spent 30 years in South Florida, and taught online at Florida State University’s School of Library & Information Studies. She believes that the way public libraries are funded needs to change dramatically to ensure access for everyone.

“The bottom line is library funding really needs to be shaken up, but it has to be important to the decision makers,” she says. “It’s not clear to me that somebody like Miami-Dade’s mayor feels like it’s important.”

Ingrid Abrams

The post by Rosenblum, the founder of Current TV, posited on the growing irrelevance of libraries—and earned the ire of librarians and library supporters everywhere. After several discussions over Twitter on how best to respond, Abrams and Binder established LCML, they say, so that people from all walks of life could share how libraries have made an impact on their lives.

With ongoing budget cuts being made to libraries across the country, their grassroots endeavor aims to bring attention to the resources that these institutions provide to their communities. Of the nearly 50 posts published since its inception on May 13, the majority of entries on LCML are from library users—not library staff.

“We don’t mind submissions from librarians, but we prefer non-librarian [posts],” Abrams tells School Library Journal. “We do our own advocacy, and that’s important. When I advocate, it’s me fighting for my job. But this platform is for the voices that are not being heard. These messages are straight from the patrons themselves.”

Posts highlight the variety of ways that public and school libraries have influenced and shaped the lives of these users, from being a home away from not-so-safe home to helping a person with Asperger’s socialize with other people. In a recent entry, children’s book author Tim Federle shares, “[The library] saved me and changed my life. It was a free workspace in a city defined by its expenses. I wrote vast chunks of my first novel at a library. I return to it now as a kind of church, where the only praying I do involves hoping I’ll complete a chapter before the security guards start switching off the lights.” Other authors have told their own library stories, including Sara Farizan and Marilyn Johnson.

Library staples like storytime, research, internet use, and books are also mentioned on the micro-blog, showcasing the diverse needs of the general community.

“Rosenblum implied that only poor people use library for internet. I don’t appreciate that a place that serves under-resourced people is considered bad,” Abrams says. “But average people use the library every day. We try to show that by posting a variety of users: authors, teachers, and students.”

One high school student from Saegertown, PA goes a step further and includes on the site his petition to stop library cuts in his own school district; it’s been widely shared.

Abrams and Binder encourage all types of submissions, whether visual, video, or anonymous. They can also be sent through the Tumblr website, email, or regular mail. Abrams adds, “We hope that LCML can be a standing reminder that libraries do matter. Even if we don’t always have the funding to back that up, we have the people to back that up.”

Community Builder Christy Aguirre, supervisor of the Southgate branch of the Sacramento Public Library (CA), is a noteworthy neighborhood networker, whose literacy outreach efforts have helped triple the branch’s summer reading program to more than 2,000 participants. Aguirre talks about her inspirations and passions, the ways she collaborates with her community, and her thoughts on the future of public library youth services.

Innovator Susan Anderson-Newham, early learning supervising librarian at the Pierce County Library System in Tacoma, WA, talks about the importance of collaboration and a good sense of humor to her work with children, why hands-on play is key to kid’s learning, and her all-time top picks for early learning picture books.

Advocates Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna, who share duties at the Freeport Memorial Library in Long Island, NY, also hold full-time teacher librarian positions at two area high schools, and have devoted countless hours to professional advocacy. These two powerhouses share their inspirations and passions, their best practices for constructive collaboration, and their goals for the future of libraries.

For the full roundup, visit our Youth Services LJ Movers and Shakers page, which will be updated periodically.

Another great SLJ issue! However, I think that what [Keith Curry] Lance and [Debra E.] Kachel share in their article (“Librarian Required,” Mar. 2013, pp. 28–31) is really nothing new nor groundbreaking in any sense of teacher-librarianship research and advocacy. We know that teacher-librarians matter to achievement in schools. We—teacher-librarians and our few external advocates—but that’s about it.

But here’s the real problem: we don’t have the ears of those we need to have. We need to get these articles and this research into the journals of the real educational decision makers: administrative officers. Gary Hartzell is so on the money in his belief that when we publish in teacher-librarian oriented magazines and share with our administrators, it really comes across as only self-serving. So true!

It’s not about what but a question of where. Would it not be more powerful and productive to get these sorts of articles and related research into administrative officer magazines (for example, Phi Delta Kappa) and go where the decision makers go to advocate for change in school libraries and a revaluing of teacher-librarian role?

I feel as though these types of articles (and their related research) are only speaking to the choir when they appear in magazines like School Library Journal, Library Media Connection, and Teacher-Librarian. I say keep the research coming, but remember that we need to get the word out to the folks that make staffing and financial decisions. In most provinces in Canada (and I would suspect in most of the United States), we need to grab the ears of the school principal and superintendent and bend them a little bit more.

Keep up the amazing work!

Jeff Yasinchuk, Teacher-Librarian
L.V. Rogers Secondary School
Nelson, BC

A librarian’s critical role

Lance and Kachel’s article, “Librarian Required” (Mar. 2013), makes it sound like just having a librarian in the building makes all of this wonderful stuff happen. The role that the librarian takes on in the school is critical as to whether the program affects students. Librarians who are active with the students and classes in their schools; who co-plan and co-teach with the staff; who actively seek ways to support the teachers, the students, and the curriculum do have a powerful influence on students. If they stay in the library only to check out books; only read stories to the youngest students; only order, catalog, and shelve materials; or only assist with the materials within the four walls of the library, then do they really make that much difference? There is also the problem with librarians being placed on the master schedule by administrators to cover classes. This takes the potential for developing a good library program away. There are so many factors that influence the power of a library’s program to create the statistics you mention. I would have just liked to have seen the story include some of the activities librarians do within their schools to make these students perform so much better in school.

Wynelle Welsh, Instructional Support Specialist, Ed. Tech.,
SC/Stewart/DODDS Cuba School District
Ft. Stewart, GA

Jobs at risk

Thank you for writing your editorial, “The Cost of Cuts” (Mar. 2013, p. 11). I am an educator in Baltimore County Public Schools, where our library media specialist positions are at risk. Recently, our school board proposed changes to a policy to eliminate language that requires certified library media specialists in our school libraries. The library office was also reorganized from being a part of the curriculum and instruction department to research, accountability, and testing. These moves undercut library media specialists’ value as teachers and send the message that their presence in schools is not essential to student success. Thank you for pointing me towards Kachel and Lance’s study. I will be using their data in future advocacy efforts.

Lindsay O’Donnell
Baltimore County Public Schools, MD

 Research is a puzzle

I am writing in response to the review of my book Daredevil (Apr. 2013, p. 150). I do not feel that the reviewer understood the complexities of researching the book so I would like the opportunity to share them with you (I do go into more detail about specifics of the review on my website).

While working on Daredevil, I drove to the National Air & Space Museum in Virginia, where Betty Skelton donated much of her collected memories. The collection is immense! She saved almost every news article about her. There are also many press photos of her, such as Betty and her little dog Tinker, smiling wide-eyed into the sun. I liked the faded photographs of her with her parents. Those made everything more real for me.

After studying the time period and hunting down more articles, I was struck by how Betty’s opinion on women’s rights wavered throughout the years. At times she said that the 1960s wasn’t the right time for women to go to space, but at other times she said that it was. What were her true feelings? It’s hard to know for sure. After the war, women were expected to return to the home. Imagine Betty defying the standard by daring to do her own thing! I think to be able to do her part well she had to feminize what was traditionally a “guy” thing by wearing feminine clothes and donning high heels after exiting the plane. Doing this was a way of not alienating her male counterparts. But she was simultaneously gaining media attention by looking gorgeous. Part of the frustration, challenge, and fun of doing research is that it’s a puzzle. But sometimes not all of it will be put together, because only the subject holds the final pieces.

One thing I tell children is that websites often contain incorrect information. But…newspapers do too! Many researchers use the “3” rule. If you don’t read the same piece of information at least three times then it’s unusable. The issue that arises, for example, is that articles using information from The Associated Press go viral. If something is incorrect, it can be reprinted in dozens of newspapers. That same incorrect information can be recycled for years. Even when someone is quoted, they can be quoted again years later about the same event, and say something completely different! This is because memories change. This is why writing nonfiction is largely a decision-making process.

My number one priority is my readers—the kids.

Meghan McCarthy, Author

 Library programming

Thank you, thank you, thank you Rebecca for sharing your thoughts and passions in “Building Bridges: Up Close with Librarian Assistant Rebecca Zaran Dunn (Extra Helping, Apr. 18, 2013)! I can’t tell you how much reading this interview improved my week. I attended a class yesterday for my certification, and I left with the impression that I was doing programming and activities at my library all wrong. I’m a children’s librarian who has to think a bit outside of the box when it comes to programming for my school-age kids because they simply won’t come in if I don’t. Once they get through the door and get to know me a little more, I can then sneak books and literacy things into the conversation. I’ve had huge success with non-traditional library programming, but after yesterday I still found myself feeling like I’m doing it all wrong. You echoed my thoughts on library programming and my transition into the library world perfectly, and made me feel like there is someone else out there who is more like me. Thank you.

Ashley Pickett
North Country Library System
Watertown, NY

The report, “Younger Americans’ Library Habits and Expectations,” also finds that younger Americans—despite being heavy technology users overall—still believe, as do older adults, that print books should have a central place at libraries, with few young adult responders (only 23 percent) strongly supporting moving books out of public areas to create room for things such as technology centers, meeting rooms, and cultural events.

The report finds that—while nearly all of those surveyed aged 16–29 are actively online in their lives and are more likely than older patrons to use libraries’ computer and internet connections, access library websites, and use a library’s research databases—75 percent of young adults have read a printed book in the past year, compared with 64 percent for older adults.

Younger adults are also more likely than older adults to use libraries as quiet study spaces, and are just as likely as older adults to have visited libraries, borrowed print books, and browsed the stacks.

When it comes to new library services, young adults are more interested than older adults in technology-driven features, such as apps, for accessing library materials and for navigating library spaces, and in “Redbox”-style kiosks around town for convenient access to library materials. However, the report also shows that Americans under age 30 are strong supporters of traditional library services.

“Younger Americans’ reading habits and library use are still anchored by the printed page,” says Kathryn Zickuhr, research analyst at Pew’s nonprofit Internet & American Life Project and a co-author of the report. “Some of this stems from the demands of school or work, yet some likely lies in their current personal  preferences. And this group’s priorities and expectations for libraries likewise reflect a mix of traditional and technological services.”

Other major findings of the report:
• 85 percent of 16–17 year-olds read at least one print book in the past year, making them significantly more likely to have read a book in this format than any other age group.

• 60 percent of younger patrons say they go to the library to sit and read, study, or watch or listen to media, while only 45 percent of library visitors age 30 and older do this.

• 67 percent of younger Americans say they would be interested in a digital media lab for creating and uploading digital content; 27 percent say they would be “very likely” to use such a resource.

• 44 percent of library visitors under age 30 have used a library’s computers, internet, or a public WI-FI network, compared with just 27 percent of those age 30 and older.

When queried about what library services and resources are “very important” to offer:
• 80 percent of young Americans name librarians to help people find information they need
• 76 percent name research resources such as free databases
• 75 percent name free access to computers and the Internet
• 75 percent name books for people to borrow
• 72 percent name quiet study spaces
• 72 percent name programs and classes for children and teens
• 71 percent name job or career resources