Kellsye O’Sullivan

17 November 2018

SLM 501

Professor Nies

Assignment 2: Advocacy Action Plan

I interviewed Rebecca Dashiel, the school librarian at Parr’s Ridge

Elementary in Carroll County, Maryland. Parr’s Ridge is a public school and is home

to 452 students in grades kindergarten through second. The majority of the student

body consists of Caucasian students however; there are 58 students of Hispanic

dissent and 12 African American students. 17% of the students qualify for FARMS

and 7% of the student population qualifies for Special Education services. The

school opened in 2005 to serve the growing population of the Mount Airy

community and was specifically designed to meet the needs of the lower elementary

grades. The furniture, board height, and layout of the school are all tailored towards

younger elementary students. The library is in the physical and metaphorical heart

of the building. It’s an open area that connects two busy hallways and is filled with

natural light. As soon as you walk in, the setup, displays, and signage make you feel

welcomed. Teachers regularly use the library for its resources and as a meeting

space.

Rebecca Dashiel started her first year as the acting librarian during the

summer of 2018. Previously, she worked with the Carroll County Teacher of the
Year Nominee and former Parr’s Ridge librarian, Jan Nies, for two years before

taking over the reigns. Prior to that she worked at Spring Garden Elementary—a

school that provides specialized support for students. Her roles in the past were

part-time but they provided her with inside knowledge on how to run a library.

We met on Friday, November 9th in her office, which is part of the library at

Parr’s Ridge. Rebecca was able to tell me about a wide range of advocacy programs

she implements. Sharing at PTO meetings, including library news in the school

newsletter, maintaining the school website, hosting a reading night, and sharing at

the Common Ground conference in Ocean City were just some of the ways she

advocates for her library. She expressed that with the new superintendent there

were fears from the library media department that the librarians would be replaced

with clerical workers to save money in the district budget. As a result, the librarians

had students create videos and letters explaining why they love their library. The

librarians maintain a website with these videos and other documentation of library

programs to demonstrate a need for a certified school librarian.

One of the programs Rebecca told me about was called One Book. Every

student and faculty member received the same book to keep and read at home with

families. The PTO would fund the program and the faculty would support the

program with a variety of initiatives. Sending home a stuffed animal that looked like

the main character and letting students share what the stuffed animal did with them

at home is one example. Another was having a Family Reading Night in the library to
get parents and students involved. My favorite was asking the local Girl Scout troop

to create a Little Free Library. Based on her example, I was able to create an

advocacy plan using the One Book program that would work for the upper

elementary students at Mount Airy Elementary School.

Advocacy Action Plan

Assessing Your Message

Identifying the Agenda:

“Their” Agenda: LMC Agenda:

What is important to the target What is important to the LMC goals?

audience?
 Student achievement
 Access to engaging (students) or
content related materials (teachers)
 A safe space and love of
school/learning (parents)
How can you link up to their agenda?
 Providing engaging ways to
interact with texts and resources
(students)
 Collaborating or co-teaching
lessons (teachers)
 Providing opportunities to be
involved/welcomed into the library
(parents)
What can the LMS do to help move their
agenda forward?
 Providing opportunities for
involvement such as a reading night
or library volunteers (parents)
 Using displays, blogs, bookmarks,
book fairs and more (students)
 Discuss upcoming lessons at team
meetings to look for possible
collaborations (teachers
How can you benefit from them and
their needs?
 Student achievement
 Fostering a love of learning
 Developing effective users and
creators of information
 Creating a place where all
stakeholders feel comfortable
and will convene
 Providing evidence of the value
a SLM brings to the library
How can you fulfill LMC goals by linking
to their agenda?
 The One Book initiative will take
into account the agenda of the
LMC and create opportunities to
meet their goals.
What services can you provide?
 Collaboration
 Resources (digital and print)
 Connections to community
partnerships (A Likely Story
bookstore, Girl Scout Troops,
Carroll County Reading Council)
 Experience with the One Book
program
What resources do you have?
 Carroll County Reading Council
 One Book resources (digital and
 Each group of the target audience
requires some kind of initiative in
order to move their agenda forward.
Each initiative also provides ways to
advocate for the library program.
Identifying the Agenda:
Target Audience
What is important to the target
audience?
 Student achievement
 Access to engaging (students) or
content related materials
(teachers)
 A safe space and love of
school/learning (parents)
How can you link up to their agenda?
 Implement the One Book program
and expand upon it
What can the LMS do to help move
their agenda forward?
 Monthly Newsletters
 Q&A at faculty meetings
 Community Outreach
 Parent involvement
How can you benefit from them and
their needs?
 Learn more about One Book and all
that ways it helps advocate for the
library. I can implement this in my
own library to meet the needs of
stakeholders while being an
advocate of the library.
print)
 Follett, Makin, Scholastic and
Junior Library Guild
 Relationships with district
supervisor and community
partnerships (Carroll County
Public Library)
What benefits can you provide?
 Engaging students in reading for
fun
 Home-school connections
 Student achievement
 Community outreach and
partnerships
LMC Agenda
What is important to the LMC goals?
 Student achievement
 Fostering a love of learning
 Developing effective users and
creators of information
 Creating a place where all
stakeholders feel comfortable
and will convene
 Providing evidence of the value a
SLM brings to the library
How can you fulfill LMC goals by linking
to their agenda?
 Expand community outreach to
Boy Scouts and Nursing
Homes/Retirement Communities
 Create more staff buy-in
 Further develop relationships
with parents, staff, community
and administrators
 Increase student
achievement/engagement
What services can you provide?
 Creating a template that can be
used for a monthly library
newsletter for staff
 Developing a “brand” for the
 library
 Expanding the scope of the One
Book initiative
What resources do you have?
 Weisburg and Farmer texts (as
well as others)
 The media specialist in my
building
 Media specialist mentors
 ALA/AASL website
 Personal Learning Networks that
consist of SLM’s (ex. Discovery
Education Network)
 Www.readtothem.com
What benefits can you provide?
 Simplifying the message of the
library
 Increasing student
achievement/engagement
 Creating more opportunities for
staff buy-in

Strategic Plan

Goal #1: Students will increase the rate of books they read for pleasure outside of
school by participating in the One Book program during the 2018-2019 school year
as measured by reading logs, circulation statistics, and standardized test scores.

Action Plan: Initiate the One Book program at Mount Airy Elementary (grades 3-5)
with the book, Henry Winkler: Niagara Falls, or Does It?

Steps Who When Assessment

Research the Me June-July Create proposal
books, cost, and including price,
timeline of the time frame for
program activities, and
connection to the
School
Improvement Plan
Meet with Me, August Administrators
administrators to Administrators give stamp of
share the program, approval
its cost, timetable,
and benefits
Join PTO and pitch Me, PTO August PTO agrees to fund
the proposal at the program
August meeting
Present at Me, faculty September Staff agree to
September faculty endorse the
meeting to give program and read
program overview the selected book
and allow for Q&A
time from staff
Order book for Me September Books arrive!
every student and
faculty member
Kick off assembly Me, students October Students are
to get students excited to begin
engaged the program
Materials go home Me, office October (same Parents receive
to parents to secretaries day as assembly) email from school
explain the as well as paper
program materials in their
students take-
home folder
Meet with male Me, P.E. teacher October P.E. teacher agrees
P.E. teacher to and students are
pitch running a selected.
weekly group
about book for
boys that qualify
for FARMS (meets
SIP goals)
Create Me October Newsletter
PowerPoint template is saved
Newsletter in documents
template for
faculty meeting
updates
Book trivia Me, student hosts October- January Students enter
questions are on announcements raffle
shared during
morning
announcements
Pitch Community Me, Lorien October Lorien and library
Reading Night idea Assisted Living agree to
to Lorien Assisted administrators, host/attend
Living Facility and Mount Airy Community
Mount Airy Library Reading Night
Library administrators
Contact Carroll Me, Carroll County November Reporters attend
County Times, Times reporters, and report on
Mount Airy Mount Airy Community
Messenger, and Messenger Reading Night
Carey Gaddis reporters
(district
supervisor of
community and
media relations)
about Community
Night
Community Me, students, November Students and
Reading Night at retirement retirement
the Mount Airy community, community
Public Library. families members attend
Students can read
aloud to members
of the adjacent
retirement
community.
Join PBIS Me, PBIS December PBIS committee
committee to committee creates and
create lesson distributes lesson
about resilience
based on the main
character of the
book
Meet with art Me, art teacher December- Bulletin board
teacher to design a January created and
“What makes you student art work
different makes added
you great!”
bulletin board
based on the
theme of the book.
Meet with Boy Me, Boy Scout January-February Boy Scout troop
Scout Troop to Troop agrees and creates
create videos for product
morning
announcements to
earn “Book Reader
Activity Badge”
1) “Show that you
 know how to care
for your books”
2) “Know the
benefits a library
can bring to
people who enjoy
reading.”

Meet with Girl Me, Girl Scout Spring Girl Scout Troop
Scout Troop Troop leader **Science Fair agrees to create
leaders to create date TBD and present robot
robot that mimics
the science project
Henry Winkler
made with his
cable box using
school-supplied
little bits. This will
be displayed at
school Science Fair
(meets Girl Scout
Robotics badge
requirements)
Family Reading Me, parents, March Families and
Night Event at students, staff, faculty come to
MAE. Families will administrators event
read, look at
Science Fair
projects on
display, create
crafts, and explore
STEM materials
(Little Bits , Makey
Makey, and
Greenscreens)

What are the benefits:

Parents are one of the stakeholders for this initiative and they would like to

be more involved with their children and see their students succeed academically.

“Three out of four parents (75%) wish their children would read more books for

fun, and more than seven out of ten wish their children would do more things that
did not involve screen time” (Scholastic, 1). One Book would allow parents to be

more involved in their child’s education. They can read at home with them,

volunteer in the library, or attend one of the three planned One Book events.

Additionally, the goal of the media specialist is to foster a love of reading. “Half of all

children ages 6-17 (51%) are currently reading a book for fun” (Scholastic, 1). 51%

is good, but there is room to grow. The One Book program can get more students,

another stakeholder group, engaged with a book, which has the likelihood to

increase student’s feelings on reading for pleasure. Additionally, the Mount Airy

Elementary School Improvement Plan has a focus on closing the gap between

male/female and FARMS/Non-FARMS achievement scores on reading portion of the

PARCC assessment. The reading group with the male FARMS students and the

physical education teacher can assist in meeting these goals. Increasing achievement

scores would benefit teachers, which are another stakeholder. Finally, the program

includes a variety of activities that include community involvement. These activities

can be shared by various media sources as a way to advocate for the school library.

What service is being provided:

Students are being provided the opportunity to engage in a book and to have

the entire building supporting their interest. Parents are given the chance to be a

partner in their child’s reading activities and to be included in a variety of school

sanctioned events. Additionally, teacher’s initiatives of reading at home are being

supported which can help raise student achievement scores.

Evaluation:
How do you know the plan has been successful?
 Student interest in reading for pleasure can be measured by the number of

books being checked out of the library. Comparisons of pre and post One Book

circulation statistics will be able to prove the campaign was effective. Additionally,

circulation data of other books in the Henry Winkler series will support the

effectiveness of the program. Teachers also require a reading log of how many

minutes students read at home. Parents sign the logs to confirm their accuracy.

Documenting these logs and comparing the amount of minutes students read at

home will provide another piece of data on the successfulness of the program.

Finally, an increase in standardized tests scores such as PARCC, County Benchmark

Assessments and Scholastic Reading Inventory will prove the success of the

program.

How do the desired outcomes show a strengthening of the advocates and

supporters?
The goal of the One Book program is to empower the advocates and

supporters of the library. “When you bring relevant aspects of your expertise to

them, they become more confident in what they are doing, and whether or not they

acknowledge what you have done, they are aware that they have grown as a result

(Weisburg, 126). Throughout the program students will become more confident

readers and be more interested in reading for pleasure. They will hopefully share

their reading adventures with family, friends, and teachers. While reading for

pleasure they will gain more literary skills that will strengthen their achievement

scores on standardized assessments. Teachers and faculty will be empowered to

collaborate with other staff members and community organizations once they have

experienced the ease and success of the One Book events.

Last Step:
What is your key message? Are the benefits included in the message?
The brand I created for my library is, “Seeking adventure, creating

possibilities.” The key message of the One Book program is summarized in this

brand. Students are able to seek adventure and explore a new place simply by

reading a book. Additionally, the One Book campaign allows students create new

possibilities. Reading with your parents or elderly, creating art projects, connecting

a book to the Science Fair, and learning to love reading are just some of these

possibilities.

Campaign Materials

PowerPoint Newsletter Template: Family Reading Night Flier:

 *these are included as separate attachments for closer viewing as well*

Advocacy Ideas

1) Maintain an up-to-date school website

Curating the school website would allow me to post all the wonderful activities

and programs that occur in the school and more specifically, in the library. It would

be ideal to create a library blog on the county website to share projects, collaborate

lessons, and what students are learning. Carroll County Public Schools does not

approve of the use of social media for schools, so the website would be the best

place to share events with parents and the community. The weekly school

newsletter could also be featured on the website to help direct traffic to there.

Volunteer opportunities and upcoming events could also be listed to get

stakeholders involved and excited about what is occurring in/with the library.

"Frontline Advocacy for School Libraries Toolkit", American Library Association,

August 26, 2018. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/frontline-advocacy-school-

libraries-toolkit

2) Collaborate with classroom and special area teachers

Collaborative lessons allow students to work together, create a project, and

think more globally, which are all AASL standards. Teachers and administrators will

also see the benefits of the collaborate lessons through the final products that

students create. The information will be more engaging and meaningful for students
if it’s presented/accessed through different modalities. This will be evident through

the high-quality projects they are able to produce. Teachers will be inspired by the

projects and will be on board with future collaborations and events. “Get school staff

and others to help build your network by establishing and nurturing relationships

with key staff in other schools” (ALA Ten Action Steps for Frontline Advocacy, 1).

"Frontline Advocacy for School Libraries Toolkit", American Library Association,

August 26, 2018. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/frontline-advocacy-school-

libraries-toolkit

3) Use treats to say “thank you” and inform

Notes that say, “You’re a star…I’m so thankful I could burst” attached to

Starburst or “there are so many Reese-ons to use the library” attached to Reese’s are

just some of the ways we can express gratitude or to inform. “When you

acknowledge an individual’s help with spreading your school library’s advocacy

message, you don’t just make that person feel good, you inspire him or her to keep

helping” (ALA Ten Action Steps for Frontline Advocacy, 2). The informative notes on

candy could share collaborative lessons or projects that have been completed. They

could be used to suggest ways that teachers could work with me in the library.

"Frontline Advocacy for School Libraries Toolkit", American Library Association,

August 26, 2018. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/frontline-advocacy-school-

libraries-toolkit
 Works Cited

“Awards and Badges.” Girl Scouts of the USA, Girl Scouts of the United States of

America, www.girlscouts.org/en/our-program/badges.html.

Dashiel, Rebecca. “Library Budgets and Advocacy.” 9 Nov. 2018.

Farmer, Lesley S.J. Managing the Successful School Library. Neal-Schuman, 2017.

"Frontline Advocacy for School Libraries Toolkit", American Library Association,

August 26, 2018. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/frontline-advocacy-school-

libraries-toolkit

“Get Started.” Read To Them, Read To Them, 2018,

readtothem.org/programs/one- school-one-book/get-started/.

“Kids and Family Reading Report.” Scholastic, Scholastic Inc. ,

www.scholastic.com/readingreport/.

“Library Media.” Carroll County Curriculum, Carroll County Public Schools,

team.carrollk12.org/unit/curriculum/libmed/SitePages/Home.aspx.

“Merit Badges.” Boy Scouts of America, Boy Scouts of America,

www.scouting.org/programs/boy-scouts/advancement-and-awards/merit-

badges/.

Smith, Jessica, and Deborah Winson. “Mount Airy Elementary School Improvement

Plan.” 2017, pp. 1–6.,

livecarrollk12-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/personal/kcosull_carrollk12_org/

_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc={bbd0eff2-9941-4672-8cee-

04196e5c3171}&action=default.
Weisburg, Hilda K., and Susan D. Ballard. Leading for School Librarians: There Is No

Other Option. Neal-Schuman, an Imprint of the American Library Association,

2017.

“Your Voice Counts.” I Love Libraries, American Library Association,

www.ilovelibraries.org/get-involved/your-voice-counts.