Skip to main content

Share your Story



Now that we have made it through the mad rush of the beginning-of-school, it's time to really think about sharing your library story. How do you plan to share it this year?

I urge you to make sharing your story a priority, y'all.  If not you, then who?
If we don't share our stories, if we don't tell our tales, they don't get told.  If we aren't advocating for our student's need for a school library, then we are missing the mark.  I know we are all busy, and I know it can feel overwhelming to add one.more.thing, but sharing your story is vital. 

In Texas, our new state standards include sharing our story almost daily on at least 2 social media apps in order to achieve a distinguished rating. Not gonna lie, this has helped me to be more intentional about sharing.  I'm using our library Insta a lot, our Twitter a bit, and our Facebook page a bit.  I do a TON of PD on my own Twitter handle, and share some library world on my personal FB and Insta, as well.  

Also:
  • This year I'm adding a monthly infographic report sent to my principal as part of sharing my library story. 
  • I'm intentionally targeting various stakeholders with info.  Sometimes this means tweeting @your legislators, school board members, etc. with good library news.
  • I"m practicing my elevator speech and bringing up specific lessons I'm teaching in conversations.
  • I'm not waiting to be asked to offer PD, etc. Instead, I'm reaching out to our admin who plan those days and asking for time, giving ideas, offering up ways I can collaborate.
  • We have a new school news video program and I'd love to revive the library segment we use to have a few years back before that particular teacher moved and left us without a video news segment for a couple of years.
What ways are you sharing your story?  How have you used social media? How are you continually advocating for the library so that we are seen as vital to our student development?
I'd love to hear your ideas!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#Always: Running a Harry Potter club

My school's original Harry Potter club ( called M.A.G.I.C. for Magical and Gifted Individuals Club ) predates my time at the high school.  It was originally created by the students a few years before my time there, but had ceased to exist in anything but memories.  I was approached to take on the role of Head of Slytherin House shortly after arriving and was immediately all-in, baby! MAGIC was back! If you are a Harry Potter fan, I want to encourage you to start a Harry Potter club on your campus .  Honestly, it is one of the most rewarding things I do in my job.  In part, because it brings kids from all walks of life together in our mutual love for Harry Potter; in part because it is JOYFUL and we all need more joy in our lives. My friend and fellow TALL Texan, class of 2016, Jennifer De Waelsche, presented on our HP clubs at the Texas Library Conference in April this year.  Back at our TALL retreat, I mentioned our HP club, and as a fellow Potterhead,...
Post a Comment
Read more

On Reflections & Planning

Some truths about me. I have a serious notebook addiction. I love awesome pens. I love to journal. So, I guess it stands to reason that when I do my reflections over the year, and when I do my planning for the upcoming year, I love to do it with old-school, hand-written, paper & pen, in awesome notebooks. This year, I picked up a medium-sized hot pink number at a local discount store for 2.99.  Maybe it seems odd, but I really like to start each new BuJo-ish library-planning journal right after the end of the school year. All the things are still fresh in my mind. I've just completed end-of-year reports, and all that data is handy for pondering. I've just made my state library standards review, and my EOY infographic to share with stakeholders. So, I've learned to begin at the end.  As it turns out, for me, at least, starting at the very beginning isn't necessarily a very good place to start because: 1. I want this year's data and other info cle...
Post a Comment
Read more

Always Learning

Sometimes the world feels especially heavy. Sometimes I struggle with it all.  Always, but especially in those moments, I turn to some of my mentors to help me sort through my feelings, help me know I'm not alone, and find actions that help.  They help me both to remember and to come to new understandings. As an educator, I follow many other educators. These particular mentors, however, are educators in the larger sense of the word for me. They educate me on life. Social media definitely has its flaws and limitations, but it also enables me to be inspired by these mentors, most of whom I've never met and none of whom will know or remember me should we run into one another at some point.  I read their work, I follow them on Twitter, I watch for TED talks and interviews.  I learn from them. So here are 10 of my fabulous mentors: Jason Reynolds - I just love Jason Reynolds so much.  He is one of my most favorite humans.  I've had the pleasure of me...
Post a Comment
Read more