Advocate or Perish

There’s a well-known saying in the world of academia: “Publish or perish.” While the phrase thankfully does not refer to a real death, it does refer to the death of a career and the achievement of professional goals. Unfortunately a similar saying could be used for librarians: “Advocate or perish.” In an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, author Christopher Schaberg talks about how he eventually accepted and started to enjoy publishing, and he no longer sees it as a chore, but focuses on the benefits publishing brings to his career and students. He writes, “When you publish new work, your students will be excited to learn about it. That may sound ridiculous and Pollyannaish, but I’ve seen it happen again and again.” 

In the same way, advocating for your school library can fuel your practice in the school library and benefit both your career, your self-esteem, and your students. I can get lost in the day-to-day tasks very easily, and lose sight of what I do and how I do it, and how it helps others. If I were working in a school library and caught off-guard, I might simply describe my work as “teaching students skills and instilling in them a love of reading.” And librarians as a whole have a massive PR problem. When I told my parents and siblings that I was going to school to become a librarian, common responses were “But...do you NEED a master’s for this?” “Why?” and “Oh…”. I had to repeatedly defend and explain my decision. I can guarantee that if I had said I was going back to school to become a computer programmer or electrician, I would have not been forced to defend my decision.

So, back to advocacy. If the members of your school community, the district, and town think that a school librarian is a non-essential employee, budgets will be cut, and positions will be eliminated. Advocacy can be challenging and intimidating, but thankfully we are not forced to create our own messaging. The ALA, AASL, and MSLA all have talking points that can be easily adapted to one’s situation. The points can be used in brochures, on posters, or taken apart and used as quotes on the wall. The only limit is your imagination.

In addition, the MSLA website lists ways that you can advocate and the types of messages that you should share. For example, you could speak at a school committee meeting, send newsletters to the community, and present at a parent meeting. I would also recommend posting on your town’s unofficial Facebook page to let parents know easy activities that they can do at home, even if their child does not attend your school. The content has to be engaging and not self-serving.

Advocate or perish. But try to have fun doing this task, because it can transform and invigorate your practice. And you can either make peace with this, or dread it for the rest of your career. Which option sounds more appealing? 

WORKS CITED

“Advocacy,” The American Association of School Librarians, http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/tools/brochures

“Advocacy,” The American Library Association,  http://www.ala.org/advocacy.

“Advocacy,” Massachusetts School Library Association, https://www.maschoolibraries.org/advocacy.html. 

Schaberg, Christopher. “Publish or Perish? Yes. Embrace It.” The Chronicle for Higher Education, 15 February, 2016, https://www.chronicle.com/article/Publish-or-Perish-Yes/235319.