Acquiring admin support for school libraries

Sinclair, Kimberly

Shannon, D. M.  (2012).  Perceptions of school library programs and school librarians: Perspectives of supportive school administrators.  Teacher Librarian, 39, 17-22. Retrieved from http://www.teacherlibrarian.com

Article Summary:

            Previously, studies examining the school principals’ perceptions of the impact and role of school librarians and library programs sampled principals within a particular state or region; Shannon, however, became interested in the opinions of principals who had already been identified by school librarians as supporting the library/librarian’s role in staff and student engagement and performance. Since increased collaboration between school librarians and other school staff constitutes a vital step in transforming traditional school libraries into school-wide, collaborative learning commons, it makes sense that increased support from principals should begin with identifying common traits of supportive dynamics already in place. The main goals of the study included: identifying the source of principals’ awareness surrounding school libraries, determining what principals should be taught about the library’s role—and how to better support their school’s library/librarian—while undergoing administrative credential preparation, and, lastly, to identify available avenues for school librarians to cultivate greater administrative support.

            Aside from having a personal affinity for libraries, the study revealed that principals develop their perceptions about the school library a number of ways: through feedback from other staff about the librarian’s role and educational impact; by keeping abreast of educational research on the subject of school libraries, acquired through professional journals and conferences; from serving on school technology committees and, not surprisingly, by gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation for information literacy in general, as accomplished by direct collaboration with the school librarian. Although principals receive some training on administering school libraries during the course of the credential preparation courses, Shannon identified two areas of this training as having the greatest potential for increasing principals’ awareness of/support for school libraries: preparation on how to facilitate collaboration between the school librarian and other instructional staff, and how to identify/hire highly qualified school librarians. By having an awareness of these two aspects, principals learn that they can best support school libraries by, inversely, hiring library staff keen on and adept at collaborative teaching, promoting a collaborative work environment in general, emphasizing the value of the librarian’s role to instructional staff in particular, and publicly recognizing gains achieved through successful collaboration.

            While the majority of the article focuses on what administrators can do to better support school libraries, Shannon concludes by summarizing what the study has to say about what librarians can do on their end to court their principals’ endorsement. For one, Shannon advises school librarians to consistently meet and dialogue with administrators about shared vision statement, goals, and objectives for the library/learning commons; this promotes mutual buy-in by assuring that everyone is on the same page, and reassures administrators that the librarian is taking concrete, observable, measurable steps towards achieving these shared goals. Additionally, school librarians can legitimize their requests by presenting the administration with a detailed budget request for the school year—and it certainly doesn’t hurt to provide long-term budget requests and timelines dedicated to the school’s strategic plan. Finally, Shannon points out that principals are more likely to support the school library staff and its programs when the school librarian undertakes ongoing assessments aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of policies and programs over time. 

Evaluation: 

            While this article yields many insights into producing a crop of emerging administrators whom are dedicated to proactively advocating for school library programs, it has less to offer in the way of advice for school librarians seeking to curry support among incumbent, less “library enlightened” administrative/staff, which I would hope to see more of. Yes, Shannon does identify several very practical tactics, such as proposing budget requests and meeting regularly with administrators to discuss goals and objectives, but what about when librarians are dealing with administrators entrenched in outdated perspectives—or who simply feel their hands are tied and have abandoned attempts to reinvigorate/revamp the school library in lieu of budget cuts—who are unwilling to meet with school librarians to discuss what they view as a moot point? When the best recommendation is to start from the top (administratively, that is) and gain support from the top, down, what can be done when the “top” is wholly unresponsive?