Promoting School Libraries

This entry is an assignment for my graduate class ISAR LS 5013 Competency #2. My goal was to find a blog that supported my interest in libraries. I am deeply interested in public school libraries and the future of libraries in our current economic situation. I looked over many different kinds of blogs before I decided on this blog to share with you. It touched on some of the issues I have thought about recently...such as budget cuts, fewer positions, half-time positions, and how to promote libraries and reading. The blog I am sharing today talks about marketing your library. How to make it relevant to your community inside and around your school. This idea of marketing was shared in a reading from our last module in class. It was an article by George R. Plosker (2003). The Information Industry Revolution: Implications for Librarians from Online Vol. 27 No. 6-Nov/Dec 2003 Website: http://www.infotoday.com/online/nov03/plosker.shtml

Here is an excerpt from the blog:

What can you do to promote the value of school libraries? We are in tough times all around the state and it is very possible that school libraries will experience cuts in many school districts. How can you be your own advocate and rally for the value of school libraries and school librarians? Listed below are some links to website and articles that you may find helpful to your cause. However, we are all in this together so please post any projects or activities that you are doing to promote yourselves. This could be best practices, lessons, community outreach, whatever!!
Calling All School Librarians! - http://casl.wordpress.com/

The blog continues to share some of the ideas that they have used in there library. I think we can use these ideas and share some of our own. We (librarians and future librarians) are all in this together and need to band together to show the importance of our position and the importance of reading.

If you get a chance, please view the link of the Ethiopian library. It reminds me of how blessed we are to have access to so many books and libraries. Here is the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7777560.stm