What is advocacy?

Advocacy describes the dissemination of information intended to influence behaviour, opinion and decisions regarding particular issues.

It may also be described as building ongoing partnerships so that others will act for and with you, turning passive support into educated action for the profession.

ASLA (NSW) Inc., as part of its mission, advocates for professional support of teacher librarians and school library administration staff in the ongoing development and integration of resource-based inquiry learning and teaching.

It aims to increase public awareness of the positive impact that a school library and qualified teacher librarian make in relation to student literacy and academic achievement.

Advocating for the school library and the profession of teacher librarianship:

• confirms our identity
• creates relationships and partnerships
• enhances awareness, appreciation and support

The association promotes the understanding that:

• Dually qualifed teaching staff in school libraries who work across curriculum with teaching colleagues and students enhances 21st learning and teaching.
• continuous development and inclusion of school libraries in each NSW school to meet the multimodal needs of today's learner is an imperative.
• appropriate teacher-student staffing ratios as noted in Learning for the future is attained and sustained.
• adequate annual budgets must be guaranteed maintain and sustain relevant and ongoing resources that reflect changing environment of learning and teaching.
• enriching student literacy is the core work for teacher librarians.

Why advocate?

• In NSW and across Australia, none of the above is standard practice.
• School library services are being devalued.
• There are misconceptions about the role of teacher librarians at school level, within the community and amongst decision makers.
• There is a lack of understanding within the community about the links between information/ digital fluency and learning to learn.

Who should advocate?

• Every principal of every school who cares about the quality of resources students have access to in pursuit of learning.
• Evert parent who has concerns about the level of resources for learning (including qualified teaching staff in the library) that their child has access to.
• Every teacher who believes that their school library is essential to the support of learning and teaching in their school.

How to advocate

Advocacy depends on an agreed message amongst stakeholders.

A teacher librarian should ensure that their school library is valued within the school community by:

• collaborating with teaching staff in planning and teaching and actively and responding to their curriculum requirements
• regularly informing the school community with regard to the library program
• providing advice regarding multi-literacies and the integration of emerging technology into the learning and teaching environment.

A teacher librarian can write:

• to those who make decisions – local, state and federal members
• to the editor of a newspaper*
• articles in newspapers and relevant journals
• regularly in the school newsletter, school website and/ or school library site.

A teacher librarian can present:

• at conferences, on how school libraries make a difference, how a teacher librarian has a positive impact on student learning, pedagogical methods teacher librarians use and innovative teaching.
• at staff meetings, parent and friends meetings, professional association meetings.

*Procedures

When writing letters to the editor or establishing contact with other forms of media, it must be as a personal response and not signed as a member of ASLA (NSW) Inc. nor as a member of your school unless you seek written permission.

Only the President of ASLA (NSW) Inc. has the authority to speak on behalf of the professional organisation.

Examples of letters are provided on the ASLA (NSW) Inc. website.
Links

• ASLA Advocacy http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/
• AASL Advocacy & Issues http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/issuesadvocacy.cfm
• IASL Advocacy http://www.iasl-online.org/advocacy/

Appendix

Sample letters as attached, with thanks to Georgia Phillips and ‘The Hub’ for their reproduction on the website.