Being Indispensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Proving Your Value and Keeping Your Job

For Immediate Release
Tue, 09/03/2013

Contact:

Daniel Freeman

eLearning Manager

ALA Publishing

dfreeman@ala.org

CHICAGO - ALA Editions announces a new facilitated eCourse, Being Indispensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Proving Your Value and Keeping Your Job. Hilda Weisburg will serve as instructors for a six-week facilitated eCourse starting on Nov. 4, 2013.

School librarians are worried about their jobs, and with good reason.  Budget cuts have taken many jobs, and those who have retained their jobs find their resources stretched thin. In this eCourse, respected authority Weisburg will give school librarians concrete strategies for demonstrating and proving their worth through clear, focused leadership.

Showing you how to focus and strengthen your programs, and articulate those strategies in ways that build support for yourself and your library within your institution, she will leave no stone unturned. You will learn how to lead; how to identify the people you need to influence and how to influence them on paper, in person and during meetings.

Learning outcomes

  • Making the case for the vital role school librarians play in learning
  • Identifying your mission/vision in order to focus your program and be able to prioritize efficiently
  • Building a solid base of support among stakeholders who hold the power over your future
  • Creating and preparing to carry out plans targeted to strengthen your programs

eCourse outline

Part 1: Positioning Yourself

  • Qualities of a leader (your strengths and weaknesses)
  • Mission and vision statements
  • Core values and tag lines

Part 2: Reaching the Power Stakeholders

  • Connecting with administrators (superintendent, principals, BOE and the central office)
  • Connecting with the community (parents, business owners, the public library and others)

Part 3: Reaching Priority Stakeholders

  • Connecting/cooperating/collaborating with teachers
  • Becoming indispensable to students

Part 4: Keeping the Momentum Going

  • Strategic planning (personal and program)
  • Tag lines, elevator speeches
  • Staying ahead of the curve (available resources and keeping abreast of educational trends)

About the Instructor

Hilda K. Weisburg retired as library media specialist at Morristown High School in Morristown, N.J. and has taught graduate courses at William Paterson University and Rutgers University. A past president of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL), she is the association’s delegate to AASL’s Affiliate Assembly to which she has served as chair. Currently, she is on the ALA Literacy Committee and AASL’s Retiree Task Force. She has served on numerous other AASL committees as well. Author of "School Librarian’s Career Planner," she has co-written 14 other  books for library media specialists, including two for ALA Editions, "Being Indispensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader" (2011) and "New on the Job: A School Library Media Specialist’s Guide to Success" (2007). She is now the publisher and sole editor of the bimonthly electronic newsletter School Librarian’s Workshop, which has been in publication since 1980. She has given presentations at AASL and state library media conferences and given staff development workshops in many locations.

Registration for this ALA Editions facilitated eCourse, which begins on November 4, can be purchased at the ALA Store. Participants in this course will need regular access to a computer with an internet connection for online message board participation, viewing online video, listening to streaming audio (MP3 files), and downloading and viewing PDF and PowerPoint files.

ALA Editions publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. ALA authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact ALA Editions at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionscoursehelp@ala.org.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide.