For a period of time I was convinced that an advocacy campaign needed to be a planned, deliberate and ongoing event. In fact, I produced a short video to this effect.

I still believe this approach is important.

I’m also becoming quite convinced of other approaches.  For example, a successful school library program, such as the Independent Learning Centre at Concordia Lutheran College, is an inspiring example of how the work of the teacher-librarian, Mrs Pat Carmichael, has not only made a difference to student learning, but also changed the perception of how the teacher-librarian and the school library are integral to the school curriculum.

Another approach is evidenced by the research findings of Dr Nancy Everhart. Dr Everhart set the research question – What are the most frequent forms of evidence used by principals to evaluate school librarians?  Her findings reveal the most frequent type of evaluation is informal visits / informal observations.  So, what sorts of things are observed — physical facilities, conversations, behaviour, student’s use and the commentary of others.  The second type of evaluation was “word of mouth” with the last type being the “formal observations”.  Makes one wonder if spending time preparing an annual report is really worth it?