Massachusetts School Library Association
            MEMBER PORTAL                
​Join or Renew     Member Directory​
  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Spotlight Archive
      • Strategic Plan 2016-22
      • MSLA Leadership 2023-24
      • Executive Board Meetings
      • Joint Statements: MLA, MassCUE
      • MSLA Constitution
  • Membership
    • Join or Renew Your Membership
    • Member Portal
    • Members Map
    • Email List
    • Regions >
      • Northeast
      • Metrowest
      • Southeast
      • Central
      • West
      • Boston
  • Conference
  • Resources
    • DESE Rubric
    • MSLA and PDPs
    • Certification & Licensure
    • Program Standards & Rubrics
    • Job Description: School Librarian
    • Job Listings
    • ELL for School Librarians
    • MLS Strategic Planning
    • Intellectual Freedom
  • Advocacy
    • MA School Library Study for Equity & Access
    • Everyday Advocacy
    • ESSA
    • Exemplary Programs
  • Newsletter
    • 2023 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2023
      • May 2023
    • 2022 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2022
      • May 2022
      • October 2022
    • 2021 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2021
      • May 2021
      • October 2021
    • 2020 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2020
      • May 2020
      • October 2020
    • 2019 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2019
      • May 2019
      • October 2019
    • 2018 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2018
      • May 2018
      • October 2018
    • 2017 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2017
      • May 2017
      • September 2017
      • October 2017
    • 2016 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • February 2016
      • May 2016
      • October 2016
    • 2015 MSLA Forum Issues >
      • April 2015
      • November 2015
    • MSLA Forum 2002-2013
  • Awards
    • Judi Paradis Memorial Grant
    • Archive: History of Awards
    • 2019 Awards Pictures
    • 2018 Awards Pictures
    • 2017 Awards Pictures
    • 2016 Awards Pictures
    • 2015 Awards Pictures
  • Bookmark Contest
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 and 2018 Winners
    • 2016 and 2017 Winners
    • 2012 to 2015 Winners
    • 2009 to 2011 Winners
    • 2004 to 2008 Winners
    • Bookmark Judges

Advice Column: Ask a Library Legend

5/17/2022

0 Comments

 
Valerie Diggs is a former President of MSLA and currently works as a Senior Visiting Instructor at Salem State University, where she also serves as the Graduate Program Coordinator of the MEd Library Media Studies program

Would you recommend starting a Friends of the Library program for a school library? Could you discuss some of the benefits as well as the drawbacks to creating a group like this?
Does your school library need friends? I am not sure any of us could answer no to that question. Libraries of all types have struggled to garner support, recognition, and funding for resources, programs, and other needs to help our libraries run smoothly and efficiently. While parent organizations can be sources of funding and support, their focus is across the entire school. A “Friends” group is just for the library. We need that.
United for Libraries, a division of ALA, has some wonderful resources that can be adapted to libraries of all types. The introductory paragraph of their updated toolkit for creating a “Friends” group reads:

Libraries need Friends – it’s just that simple. In fact, across America, many public libraries were established through the efforts of community members who understood the value of libraries to their communities and also understood that libraries needed community support to survive. Did you know that a criterion for securing a Carnegie grant was a demonstrated commitment by members of the community to raise additional funds and support for a new library? This concept hasn’t changed over the course of the past 150 years – what has changed, however, is that academic and school libraries are also beginning to understand the value of Friends and many academic and school Friends groups are thriving on campus.

https://www.ala.org/united/sites/ala.org.united/files/content/friends/orgtools/libraries-need-friends.pdf

Having a Friends group in place can be compared to having your own bus to drive, where you are the driver and the members of your Friends group are the passengers. Stop the bus where it needs to go, let the passengers out, and they will work hard to help you get to the next stop. You are all doing your part.

Consult with your local public library, or surrounding area public libraries, and find active Friends groups. Attend a meeting, find out if they have a charter, how they were formed, and if the president of the group might be willing to come to a meeting of interested parties and talk about how to put together such a group for your school library. There is no “stepping on toes” as groups such as this draw from a different demographic and have different goals and objectives. Some of those bus stops can include (but aren’t limited to):

  • Fundraising for book purchases or almost anything, actually 
  • Promoting awareness of the library and its activities
  • Recruiting Volunteers
  • Enhancing reading schoolwide through book fairs, visiting authors and other such programming and events
  • Anything deemed a worthy goal

Are their drawbacks to establishing a Friends of the Library Group?

As with many forms of Advocacy or fundraising, the fear might be that the district will eliminate funding for the library as the Friends group gains traction and finds success. This may be true in some cases, but in many cases district funding is minimal and anything helps. Fear of district funding disappearing can also exist after the annual book fair, or when the PTO makes a donation, or really any monies collected for the library. With a Friends group, you also get hands-on help where needed, and a group whose sole focus is the library.

Can a Friends group work with the existing PTO? The volunteer coordinator? Absolutely! Working in conjunction and collaboration with these groups and individuals only creates more opportunities for success in supporting the library. You must show the way and orchestrate partnerships.

​So, get in that bus and drive. Be the leader and define goals and objectives— this part is extremely important— and soon you will have a group that is ready and willing to work with you to provide books and resources of all types, as well as help with programming, brainstorming, and more. Good luck!
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Forum Newsletter

    Co-Editors
    Reba Tierney and
    ​Luke Steere

    Reba is the School Librarian at Waltham High School; Luke is School Librarian at  Wilson Middle in Natick

    Click to set custom HTML

    Categories

    All
    AASL
    Academic
    Advocacy
    ALA
    Authors
    Book Bans
    Book Challenges
    Book Trailers
    Cataloging
    Censorship
    Column
    Conference
    Copyright
    Culture
    Databases
    Dewey
    Digital Citizenship
    E Books
    E-books
    Elementary
    ESSA
    Ethics
    Evaluation
    Graphic Books
    Graphic Novels
    Inquiry
    Leadership
    Learning Commons
    Legislation
    Literacy
    Maker Space
    Nonfiction
    Orientation
    Picture Books
    Planning
    PLN
    President's Remarks
    Professional Development
    Reading
    Research
    Science
    Secondary
    Social Justice
    Standards
    Technology
    Union
    Volunteers
    Weeding

    Archives

    May 2023
    February 2023
    October 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    October 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    October 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    October 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    November 2015
    April 2015

    MSLA Forum Past Issues:
    January 2015
    April 2015
    ​
    2002-2015 MSLA Forum
The Massachusetts School Library Association  works to ensure every school has a school library program that is fully integrated at all grade levels across the curriculum and has a significant and measurable impact on student achievement….Read more…..and Learn more about MSLA

Contact MSLA:
Emily Kristofek, Office Manager/Event Planner
P.O. Box 336. Wayland, MA 01778
ekristofek@maschoolibraries.org
​
508-276-1697 

Massachusetts School Library Association. All Rights Reserved.  Copyright 2023.