When the school library is in need of outside support, the librarian can look to the support of parents to help her advocate for the library. The students are the ones who take home stories, projects, papers, and other school work they have created to show their parents what they have been doing in school. They are also the ones who will tell their parents about the great things that are happening in the library, making them advocates of library themselves (and they won’t even know it!). So when the library might be struggling for support, and the budget cuts make it likely that the librarian’s job will be on the line, why not reach out to the supportive community of parents who would probably be more than willing to help?
School librarians need to be tapping into the resource of parent support when they are advocating for their school libraries. Parents can become volunteers, helping with book fairs, shelving books, or helping to make other exciting events happen at the library. In this way, parents are able to see the day-to-day goings-on of the library, and also the important role the librarian plays in the school community. When it comes time for those budget cuts, the parents who know the importance of the librarian will be more likely to fit to keep him or her.
A few suggestions to get parents involved is to
- Send a monthly newsletter home with information on what is going on at the library.
- Invite parents to volunteer at library events or during certain days of the week.
- Encourage parents to talk with their kids about the projects they are working on in the library.
- Make a short video asking for parental support! (Example below).
As per my own suggestion, I decided to use Animoto (because it’s so much fun!) to make a short video to advocate support from parents. School Library Advocacy
erinbennettlib 
I think you gave some excellent suggestions for connecting with potential library advocates in the parent community. One of the challenges can be that children don’t always share much about their day, and parents as a result might not be aware of all the great things happening in the school library. Your suggestions would fill that gap. I enjoyed the video, too. You’ve gathered some great photos of yourself in action, which really enhance the message.
I left you a comment on the Animoto site. Your advocacy vid had me convinced to volunteer! Your blog offered some great ideas, Erin, and I hope some parents read it.