Sandra Roby is the Facilitator of EDCO Library Committee
School librarians are school leaders and, many times, are also district leaders supporting the goals and objectives of their schools and district. Many school librarians do this without district library leadership to oversee and support their school libraries. Many school librarians, on their own, advocate for the library program to ensure that resources are allocated to support the mission and goals of their school library program. A well written mission statement can be a planning tool that guides planning. A clearly stated mission statement can be a good communication tool and can drive marketing a school library program
A search of 313 Massachusetts public school districts for school library websites that had a mission statement posted on their website or blog, produced this list. (http://bit.ly/slmission).
As stated in Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs, “The implementation of a successful school library program requires the collaborative development of the program mission, strategic plan, and policies, as well as the effective management of staff, the program budget, and the physical and virtual spaces.” With the new AASL standards and guidelines scheduled for publication in Fall 2017, it might be the right time to foster your school library mission statement and ensure that is easy to locate, both virtually and in the school library.
Resources to Guide School Librarians in Writing Mission Statements
Being Indispensable: A School Librarian's Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader
This book has activities to help you write a mission statement, as well as sample school library mission statements. There is also a section on developing taglines, with some possible taglines for school libraries.
Libraries, Mission & Marketing: Writing Mission Statements That Work
This book has tips for writing mission statements, as well as words to avoid and 150 verbs, nouns and adjectives that would work well in a mission statement. There are some before and after (editing) examples of mission statements.
As stated in Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs, “The implementation of a successful school library program requires the collaborative development of the program mission, strategic plan, and policies, as well as the effective management of staff, the program budget, and the physical and virtual spaces.” With the new AASL standards and guidelines scheduled for publication in Fall 2017, it might be the right time to foster your school library mission statement and ensure that is easy to locate, both virtually and in the school library.
Resources to Guide School Librarians in Writing Mission Statements
Being Indispensable: A School Librarian's Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader
This book has activities to help you write a mission statement, as well as sample school library mission statements. There is also a section on developing taglines, with some possible taglines for school libraries.
Libraries, Mission & Marketing: Writing Mission Statements That Work
This book has tips for writing mission statements, as well as words to avoid and 150 verbs, nouns and adjectives that would work well in a mission statement. There are some before and after (editing) examples of mission statements.
Works Cited
Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians, 2009.
Print.
"List of Agreements by District Name." List. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE),
n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. <http://educatorcontracts.doemass.org/contents.aspx?dataset=0>.
Toor, Ruth, and Hilda K. Weisburg. Being Indispensable: A School Librarian's Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader.
Chicago: American Library Association, 2011. Print.
Wallace, Linda K. Libraries, Mission & Marketing: Writing Mission Statements That Work. Chicago: American Library
Association, 2004. Print.
Print.
"List of Agreements by District Name." List. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE),
n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. <http://educatorcontracts.doemass.org/contents.aspx?dataset=0>.
Toor, Ruth, and Hilda K. Weisburg. Being Indispensable: A School Librarian's Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader.
Chicago: American Library Association, 2011. Print.
Wallace, Linda K. Libraries, Mission & Marketing: Writing Mission Statements That Work. Chicago: American Library
Association, 2004. Print.
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