Section V: Question 3
Discuss what constitutes an effective school library media program and discuss a
library media program advocacy plan you would develop to build support for a
quality school library media program.
An effective school library media program has a foundation built on a mission
and vision that correlate with those of the school and is based on the principle of
intellectual freedom for all. The goals of the media center and program are aligned with
the goals of the entire school community. The effective media center program strives to
educate patrons in 21st-century skills and help them develop into critical thinkers,
information seekers, and ethical users of information. These skills should be
incorporated with core subjects and integrated in with curriculum in order to make them
more meaningful and make the media center and program an extension of the classroom
instruction. An effective school library media program includes resources that cover all
formats of information from print to electronic. These resources must align with and
support the curriculum and provide materials that meet students’ personal needs and
interests. Moreover, the resources should be easily accessible and displayed in sections
or genres to enable students to effortlessly locate needed materials. Another component
of an effective school library media program is flexible and open access of the library and
its resources for students and other patrons. The media center should operate on a
schedule that promotes open access to its services for classes, groups, and individuals.
Patrons should be able to utilize the media center whenever a need for information arises.
In addition, an effective school library media program should be lead by a school library
media specialist and staff that seek to provide individuals with the best resources and
services around and that offer a warm, welcoming environment for students to come to
for help in accessing information.
A school library media specialist must be a leader in the learning community and
advocate for the media center and program services. As an advocate for a library media
program, I would begin by involving administration in the mission, vision, and goals of
the media center by presenting my views on where the program is and where I would like
to take it. I would also familiarize myself with the faculty and staff of the school and
make myself available and accessible for collaboration. In addition, I would inform
faculty and staff of the services available in the media center and what services I can
provide as an instructional partner. For example, I knew the 1st grade classes at the
school I am subbing at were studying endangered species. Thus, when given an
assignment for EDMD 7210 this semester to create a Photo Story, I chose to develop one
that could be integrated in the classrooms to support the curriculum. I shared my creation
with the 1st grade teachers who then utilized it in their classrooms to reinforce the topic of
endangered species. This sharing of my creation informed teachers of services I could
provide and served as advocacy for the media center. I would also strive to promote the
media center to students by educating them on the materials available in the collection
and encouraging them to try new authors or genres of literature. This can be
accomplished through book talks as well as author studies. Furthermore, I would inform
them of the various uses of the resources found in the media center and how utilizing the
materials could help them in their school work and in life. Another avenue that I would
use to advocate for the media center is through the creation of a media center webpage.
Within this format of promotion, I would include links to the automated circulation
system and other educational sites, news about the media center, suggestions and reviews
of literature, and advertisements of the services and uses of the media center. Newsletters
are also valuable sources of advocacy and public relation and provide another method of
promoting the media center. I would use quarterly newsletters to communicate with
students, parents, faculty, and staff about the media center and its services. Depending on
the makeup of the school population, newsletters may be more accessible than a webpage
for patrons and their families. Additional means of publicity for the media center could
be displays in the library of new materials or seasonal reads, posters throughout the
hallways advertising upcoming events like book fairs, and bulletin boards that highlight
aspects of the media center and its program. Moreover, including a Birthday Book Club
program in the school library media program and center also serves as a form of
advocacy. The Birthday Book Club program provides funding and further develops the
collection, but it also gives patrons ownership in the library and promotes the resources
available. Branching out into the community through communications with local public
libraries or other school libraries can establish partnerships that could lead to interlibrary
loans and other benefits for the patrons of the school. In addition, I would make
connections with community members and local businesses in order to foster
relationships that could lead to community support for the media center and maybe
donations to the learning community. Many avenues of advocacy are available and all
should be used in order to reach as many patrons as possible and inform the entire
learning community about the media center and the program’s services.