Twelve ways to expand the reach of the school library beyond its walls. A great library program requires that little bit more in order to thrive, not merely survive.
On the Periphery?
However, being in charge of the school library has always reminded me of the Avis car rental commercial of a few years ago: "When you're Number Two, you have to try harder."
Whether you like it or not, you will never promote your library program and make yourself indispensible to school life unless you "get out there" with a strong library outreach. Create a regular calendar of diverse events. Above all, partner with staff, students, parents, and administrators to do this. Such co-option strengthens client buy-in to your goals and deepens your own commitment to school-wide spirit and excellence.
Make It Always Time for the School Library
Here then are twelve ways to expand "library consciousness" throughout your school. You don't have to do all twelve, but before you complain that a school-librarian's day is full enough, consider how important it is to go that one step further to thrive, not just survive.
1. Art Show
Arrange an art space in your library and invite the visual art department to have monthly shows of student creations. At least once a year exhibit staff or community work and have students curate it. Treat the space like a proper art gallery with a catalogue, signage, and red dots!
2. Essay Prize
This is a traditional one. Seek help and funds to create an annual essay prize in honour of a former alumnus, librarian, teacher etc. Keep the essay subject and rules simple each year but publicize it throughout the year. Ask for a teacher committee to judge the essays and secure a place on prize day or graduation to present the award(s). Publish winner(s) and runners-up in the library blog or newsletter.
3. Formal Debate
Challenge the English department to organize a formal debate on a literary or social issue. Hold the debate in the library at a public time for staff, students, and parents. Use the trappings of debates, including the grand entrance of teams, timers and bells, gavels, and heckling from the audience. Record the teams and speaker of the house for each debate over the years in a formal photo for display.
4. New Books Party
Our library held one of these in the Fall, Winter, and Spring to celebrate the new books we had bought. Each party included tea and cake and had a seasonal decor. We secured a few prizes from local businesses to raffle off to defray expenses. Everyone got a bookmark with new titles to take home.
5. Parents' Night
Library staff are often at loose ends on Parents' Nights and Information Evenings. Somehow we have to get parents into the school library on these occasions. Short of being the coat check or coffee bar, advertise a new display, give a short talk about your program, provide a musical interlude through the overworked music department. These are times to show yourself, not hide or go home. Your staff are watching to see if you are a full member of the team
6. Board Games
A Toronto magnet for the young is a bistro called Snakes and Lattes. Here people come to play board games and talk with friends. A small cover charge is taken and experts roam to help people learn rules quickly and develop strategy. Now many libraries "allow" games like chess or video games during the day but how about a charity event in your library after school where staff and students bring and play new and old board games. Organize a team of experts who will also get the message out. Charge a small entrance fee (pay as you can) and arrange for a bake sale and coffee table. All funds go to a designated charity.
7. Homework Club
If you haven't got one of these already, shame. The library is the perfect place to do homework and get help from formal and informal mentors. Teacher-librarians I know have taken the lead in offering this as a valuable service to staff and students. Ask for help though. You can't do this alone. If you want to grow this service keep records of attendees and have a (rising?) bar graph on display.
8. Extra-Curricular Club
Everyone has a library club or a book club. But until the librarian joins or runs a club outside the library (e.g. sports, drama, computer etc.) he or she will be perceived as not fully participating in the extra-curricular life of the school. This is a great way to get to know your students in a very different way, and they you. I remember one member of my drama club saying after a rehearsal: "Gee Sir, I never knew you were a teacher too!"
9. Info-Tech Talks
This outreach is to establish your tech credentials with staff and students. Work with computer studies personnel to present a series of talks on recent tech subjects. Widen your audience to include the whole school community, including parents. Select relevant subjects (e.g., social networking, the impact of e-books). Combine the expertise of other speakers when available. Think of this as your local TED Talks. In fact, if your strapped for ideas, gather around the screen and watch TED as a community. Then talk about it.
10. Golf Tournament
Get the kids to help plan an indoor (winter break?) putting tournament on your library floor. Holes can be creative uses of library shelves, tables, and other furniture, as well as built pieces such as slight ramps and dogleg corners from the wood technology department. Search the web for ideas about layouts.
11. Twinning Library
Work with administration and staff to approach a school library in another country. Secure SKYPE access or other communications system and plan a unit with a classroom teacher whereby students in both countries share research done in the library or on the Net. Use wikis and blogs to share the inquiry process and its results. Get mileage for this time intensive project in school newsletters and Board of Education website
12. Field Trip
Partner with the history, geography. or social studies teacher and plan a trip for his/her class to a community archives facility for a curriculum-based research activity. Take lots of photos to display with student work in the library.
The school library and its staff are a treasured resource. Make time to celebrate its curricular and extra-curricular life with all its partners.
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