2015 Concern- Advocacy Toolkit
Concern: Over the last ten years AASL has addressed concerns about job value, job funding, and job loss. The crisis continues with the spiraling losses of certified school librarians, especially at the elementary level, throughout the country.
Action Requested: Rethink and Refresh
Status: Both the Affiliate Assembly Coordinating Team and the Affiliate Assembly body approved this concern. It was sent to the AASL Board. Executive Committee referred to the Advocacy Committee to review AASL toolkits and resources and provide a report to the AASL Board at Midwinter on what actions have been or could be takes to address the concern.
A national push to endorse the requirement of certified staffing at all levels in school libraries is now critical with the emphasis on inquiry-based learning throughout the K-12 education program.
The struggle continues where certified staff is required to manage more than one library in a district. It needs to be clear that a successful instructional library program requires solid human interaction with qualified staff. When a library is only open 50% of the week for instruction our students fall farther and farther behind in this inquiry-based world.
AASL is the only national advocacy group that can sound this alarm and build support to strengthen the requirement for certified staffing at all levels.
1. Establish a task force to review and consider revision of current toolkits that reside on the AASL website.
a. Actions might include-
i. We need AASL to re-vamp and update both the Crisis Toolkit and Advocacy Resources. Both need to be more accessible.
ii. Hire an outside marketing organization to rebrand our profession to define for our stakeholders our role in schools and impact on teaching and learning.
