Library Advocacy Day 2020

Since last year, I have experienced a renewed sense of interest and urgency when it comes to the topic of school library advocacy.  Cuts to school library budgets and library positions seem to be on the rise both locally and nationwide.  Oftentimes, school district stakeholders aren't aware of the value that a high quality library program can bring to a school community.  The only way to combat misconceptions about libraries is through concerted library advocacy efforts.

At the school and district level, I have worked to provide stakeholders with insights into our school library's purpose and programming through a variety of avenues.  This blog, outreach to staff, and monthly reports provide information about the library's current offerings as well as long term goals.  The local outreach helps to bring more classes and teachers into the library, and it also provides information needed during times of budget planning.

As I delve deeper into the purpose and benefits of library advocacy, I am beginning to understand that local outreach is only one part of the equation.  Since libraries of all types rely on public funding in order to sustain their efforts, it's important to develop relationships with policymakers to alert them to the resources and services their constituents can access through libraries.

The New York Library Association organizes an annual advocacy day in Albany, NY.  Although I've always wanted to attend, 2020 was the first year I could make this a reality.  I'm grateful that my employer, Iroquois Central, was supportive of my attendance at this event.  The Western New York Library Resources Council organized meetings for Western New York librarians and library supporters to meet with our area's elected officials.

Advocacy Day in Albany, NY

Since this was my first time at advocacy day, I was relieved when the group from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library took me under their wing in order to show me the ropes.  I traveled with them to the offices of Senator Patrick Gallivan and Assembly-members Patrick Burke, Michael Norris, Angelo Morinello, and Karen McMahon.  In some cases, we met with the officials.  In other cases, we met with staffers who took copious notes to bring back to their official.  For me, it was interesting to hear the BECPL folks speak about their concerns.  Their functioning is reliant on construction aid to keep their library buildings safe and accessible, which they discussed in great depth.

As a school librarian, my main advocacy concern involves staffing levels statewide.  Most of the people we spoke with were unaware that school librarians aren't mandated at all levels; even worse, there are some schools without a dedicated school librarian.  I was glad to pass this information along in hopes that librarian staffing in our NYS public schools will increase, as this move will have positive effects for students and educators alike.

BECPL Library advocacy group, Assemblywoman Karen McMahon, and me!

What was clear at the conclusion of these meetings is that Western New York's legislative leaders are ardent library supporters!  It was excellent to hear that each of our representatives are committed to supporting libraries in the budget.  It was also heartwarming when legislators and staffers shared their own library anecdotes, or proudly pulled their library cards out of their wallets.

After the legislative meetings, a rally for libraries was held in the well of the Legislative Offices Building.  People from NYLA, various assembly-members, and even a student dance group took to the stage in support of our state's libraries.

My first time at library advocacy day in Albany! Wonderful to be surrounded by supportive representatives that see the value of robust libraries. #NYLALAD20 pic.twitter.com/ZI8XrdK7s1

— Maria Muhlbauer (@muhlbs83) February 25, 2020

“It’s no longer just getting a book. It’s participating in civic life.” Thank you @ShelleyBMayer for your support of NYS libraries! #NYLALAD20 pic.twitter.com/zAmJxj5vjC

— Maria Muhlbauer (@muhlbs83) February 25, 2020

When the rally concluded, I was able to spend time touring the institutions available in the state's capital.  My first stop was the New York State Museum.  The exhibits in this museum were incredible!  As I walked through, I couldn't help but realize how many tie-ins this museum had to our NYS K-12 curriculum.  I was especially interested in the Iroquois culture exhibits, as this corresponds with my school district's namesake.  This got my wheels turning about a potential student trip to library advocacy day and the museum!

Amazing artifacts on display at the New York State Museum.

My next stop was a behind the scenes tour of the New York State Library.  Although I was somewhat familiar with the state library, I had no idea just how extensive their resources and services are.  It was a real treat to get a close look at the offerings.

One of the aspects of libraries I like best is that they are places designed to level the playing field.  All people can hopefully find and borrow what they need, which means that libraries must ensure that collections and services are tailored to people with varying abilities.  A great example of this is the Talking Book & Braille Library division.  This service is FREE for all NYS residents with visual disabilities (and now those with reading disabilities) so they have access to content in a way that best meets their needs.  This division processes a huge volume of book requests!

Information about the Talking Book & Braille Library through the NYS Library.

Just a small selection of the resources offered!

Other stops on the library tour included visiting their digitization department and the New York State Archives.  It was illuminating to see the great lengths that librarians and archivists go to in order to preserve our state's history.

Students today have never had the pleasure of this creation!

Digitization equipment.

Visiting the NYS Archives.

A replica of one of the documents preserved by the NYS Archives.

The library advocacy initiatives didn't end after library advocacy day.  The Western New York Library Resources Council had planned advocacy sessions with legislators in various libraries across our region.  On March 5th, 2020, I attended a meeting at the Elma Public Library with Senator Patrick Gallivan and Assemblyman David DiPietro.  This was a great opportunity to connect face-to-face with lawmakers, and alert them to the value of school librarians and effective school library programs.  As I had previously learned in Albany, these legislators are huge library supporters!

As the NYS budget vote loomed, the imminent threat of COVID-19 really threw a wrench into plans for increases to library funding.  However, our state legislators should be commended for making sure that libraries remained a priority, even in the toughest of times.  Although restorations couldn't be made to Library Construction Aid, Assembly and Senate members did manage to restore $2.5 million to Library Operating Aid which is now at $94.1 million for 2020-2021.  This restoration will help libraries continue to fulfill their mission of bringing quality programming, content, and other vital services to our NYS communities.

If there is one takeaway I've gleaned from participating in library advocacy day, it is that library advocacy efforts need to be broad, strategic, and sustained.  Although it is energizing to come together with other library supporters for the day in Albany, advocacy efforts must continue all year long.  There are so many heroes within our library community that work tirelessly to keep these advocacy conversations going.

As stakeholders understand the value of the varied services of libraries, support will only continue to grow.  I'm proud to work alongside the librarians working across our state in order to ensure our communities have access to the information and servies they need.  Wishing a happy #NYLibraryWeek to you all!

Our Building is Closed, but the Library is Open!

March 2020 began just like any other month.  The library's schedule included a number of classroom visits, as well as special events.  The WNY Middle School Battle of the Books competition was gearing up, so students came to the library during lunch periods to talk strategy with their team members.  The Iroquois Girls' STEM Leadership Group began meeting in the library after school to plan the district-wide Family STEM Night slated for April 23rd.

Girls' STEM member tests out BeeBots and Keva Planks
for potential STEM Night stations.

Girls' STEM members work on a press release for Family STEM Night.

By the second week of March, it became clear that things weren't normal.  Maybe it was the full moon, the looming threat of Coronavirus, Friday the 13th, or a combination of all three.  The eighth grade Team DaVinci students had been working hard on their ELA/Social Studies WWII project.  By Friday the 13th, Mr. Baumgartner, Mrs. Maulucci, and I decided that students needed a little time and space to decompress.  We ended our classes fifteen minutes early that day so that students could chat, ask us questions, play games, and relax.  Eighth period study hall students enjoyed working on a Stick Together mosaic picture and making towers with Keva Planks.

Knowing what happened next, I'm thankful to have had this time to connect and relax with our students.

Eighth graders relax by working on a Stick Together picture mosaic.

Study hall students were making excellent towers with Keva Planks!

By the weekend, plans were in motion for school building closures at least until after the April break.  Iroquois administration worked swiftly to get plans in place for online instruction, meal delivery, and a host of other concerns.  With 1:1 device access, wifi available on campus while practicing social distancing, amazing support from our district technology department, and teachers already using Microsoft online tools for instruction, working solely in an online environment was possible!

The tough part, at least for me, is that I didn't get into education in order to work from behind a computer screen.  Libraries are all about building community.  Missing the in-person library visits from students and staff has been a struggle.

Transitioning to Online Learning
The overall mission of school libraries has always been to assist school community members become effective users of information found in a variety of formats.  With gains in technological capabilities, this has meant adding increased access to digitized information.

School library websites have been great repositories of information: subscription database portals, information about digital books, and curated pages for classroom projects have always been available, well before COVID-19 entered our vocabulary.

Moving into the building closures, I had some concerns about delivery of library services.  How can the community aspect of a school library carry into a digital environment?  How can instruction continue?  How can I assist students and staff in a way that is helpful and not overwhelming?  What about that deluge of "free" resources now available: what is purposeful, what raises student privacy concerns?  

Like the rest of educators, I continue to build the airplane as I'm flying it.  A couple of weeks into this new reality, the following are some strategies I've applied in order keep the Iroquois Middle School Library program moving forward.

Connecting to area library organizations: Right away, library organizations scheduled Zoom meetings in order to give area librarians a chance to meet virtually in order to share ideas and resources.  The School Librarians' Association of Western New York organized a Zoom meeting and moved their scheduled professional development sessions to online formats.  Both the Erie 2 BOCES School Library System and the Western New York Library Resources Council solidified plans for weekly Zoom meetings for member librarians.  I can't thank the library leaders in my community enough for these meetings.  So far, I have attended every session because of the tremendous value they offer.  Librarians are eager to learn and share, as evidenced by the conversations had in the Zoom meetings.  Through these sessions, I have had many of my concerns answered.  I gained information about strategies to connect with the community while keeping student privacy protected, and what resources are available to help our students, staff, and families.  The most valuable takeaway from the meetings is the strong sense of camaraderie within our WNY library community!  We're all in this together and willing to lend a hand to each other.

Virtual library presence established: One of my first responses to the building closure was to find comfort within the pages of a favorite book.  I was sure that there were Iroquois Middle students also feeling the same way!  Authors and publishers have eased recording restrictions in order to provide educators the opportunity to record read alouds (this article from School Library Journal does an amazing job outlining the new guidelines).  I chose to read Ghost by Jason Reynolds in its entirety.  To protect the property of the author, I posted the read aloud files to a newly-established Iroquois Middle School Library page on Microsoft Teams.  This ensured that the read aloud would only be available to members of the school community.  The Teams page was also established to create the library's virtual community presence.  In addition to the posted read aloud, this page will also house book talk video chat sessions, book reviews, and trivia competitions using Gimkit and Kahoot.  The first book chat is scheduled for April 10th.  I'm using student input to guide future offerings!

Curation of resources: A positive outcome during these challenging times has been that educational professionals, authors, publishers, and educational technology companies have been extremely generous with allowing access to their resources and services.  Although this has been amazing, it has also been overwhelming!  Instead of sharing out all of these resources out little by little, I've created a new page off the library website called "Learning at Home" in order to keep a growing list of helpful resources for our community.  Librarians' roles have always included curation.  Now, our curation efforts have been driven into high gear because of the urgent need to share relevant resources with communities.

Brief and purposeful communication: The amount of change and the volume of information has been exhausting, to say the least.  My goal during this difficult time has been to offer assistance in ways that are gentle instead of overwhelming.  I decided to send out a weekly email to staff, sharing links to curated resources and other pertinent items.  Utilizing smore.com, I emailed a library update newsletter to all Iroquois Middle students.  This newsletter showed them how to access the library Teams page and other resources.  Within the newsletter was a live link to an embedded Microsoft Form.  This form asked students for feedback on what to purchase to enhance our Sora ebook/audiobook collection, as well as their ideas for upcoming virtual library events.

Continuation of instruction: As I mentioned earlier, our Team DaVinci eighth graders were well into their research project when the building closure began.  Because the research project is the culmination of many information literacy, critical thinking, and writing skills that students have been working on all year, it was decided that the plans already in motion should be continued.  Instead of offering students mini-lessons on research and citation topics, I used Screencastomatic to record online tutorials for students to view at their convenience.  Symbaloo was a great tool to present helpful websites for student research.  All of these items were available on a project page located on the library website.  Students completed their research notes, citations, and drafts within Microsoft Class Notebook, making it possible for educators to check in on student progress.  Microsoft Teams allowed for virtual office hours via chat (with the added bonus of meeting students' parents, siblings, and pets!).  Students have also been sending their research questions via email.

Although this new method of instruction is not without its hiccups (equity issues persist in education, and are even more pronounced now), it has been a helpful way to keep students engaged in their learning.  I'm happy to report that research projects scheduled from before the building closure are still slated to continue!  Of course, these projects will look a little different.  During collaborative lesson planning, the classroom educators and I will discuss how to best meet the needs of their specific students.

Staying grounded:  Most importantly, I realize that I am in an extreme position of privilege by being able to continue my work in this fashion.  Those working on the front lines in public positions of all types are worthy of respect and awe.  I'm doing my best to stay safe and healthy, not only for myself, but for the community.  Establishing a sleep schedule, eating healthy, exercising, and connecting (via phone/text/video chat) with family and friends has been a priority.  The shift to online learning means that time itself starts to feel more fluid: healthy routines and boundaries are needed more than ever before!

Monthly Report for March 2020.

Although the building stays closed, our library remains open--eager to share resources and build community.  It's impossible to say when things will return to normal.  However, when they do, I hope that added opportunities for digital connections continue.  In education, it's all hands on deck as we continue to move forward.  Libraries will always be there to lend support!