Katelyn Boucher Leadership in any capacity is dependent on ones personal character.

Many people can rally others to action with their words of motivation, and others prefer to quietly, but effectively, lead by example. Whichever the method, it is essential that a ood leader exemplifies the qualities of dedication, respect, and flexibility. !s with any plan of action, it is necessary that these inherent assets be accompanied by purposefully desi ned oals to establish direction, as well as realistic strate ies to ensure that you et there. "he first oal # would loo$ to accomplish as a school librarian is to desi n and develop a library pro ram that supports the needs of the school community %faculty, students, etc&, in accordance with current state and national education standards. With the recent implementation of the 'ommon 'ore 'urriculum (tandards, the role of the school librarian) and of the school library itself) has been dramatically transformed. "o ad*ust to this shift in focus, educators have been required to modify their curriculum to fit new criteria. 'orrespondin ly, the school librarian must do the same for the library pro ram, by draftin each years collection development plan based on the present %and anticipated& needs of all sta$eholders. "he library should be a valuable shared space within the school, providin resources of all types+ resources should include physical materials %such as reference boo$s& as well as technolo ical equipment) and the librarian should be well versed in their use. !s Mar$ ,ay stated in his article for School Library Monthly, -.ne of the more reco ni/able leadership roles for school librarians is supportin instructional technolo y. 0or decades, many school librarians have made careers out of teachin students a ran e of s$ills from information literacy to personal productivity. .thers have extended this role to coach fellow teachers in how to use and inte rate technolo y into their instruction. "he ability to assist both adult and student learners, as they see$ to inte rate technolo y, is invaluable, especially considerin the already dauntin wor$ load that many teachers face.1%,ay, 23& #t is

important for the librarian to fill many roles for different purposes, in order to be fully supportive of all sta$eholders. "hrou h wor$in with faculty to inte rate technolo y into their instruction, the roundwor$ can be laid to achieve the second oal in my leadership plan4 to become visible as an active member of school)wide curriculum development. "his will include reachin out to collea ues5staff members to establish cooperative professional partnerships rooted in consistent instructional collaboration. #n a way, my first two oals are closely intertwined+ by ta$in steps to achieve my first oal of curriculum support, # will actively be see$in feedbac$ from teachers re ardin the ways in which # can help them achieve their instructional aims. # will attempt to meet with faculty to identify materials5resources they may for their sub*ects curriculum, and ideally, we will plan lessons and units collaboratively. With the pressure of individual responsibilities on faculty, it is all too easy for the librarian to become underutili/ed and irrelevant, and # will ma$e sure that does not happen, for the benefit of all parties. My third and final oal was established to ensure that # am able to adequately accomplish my initial two+ in hopes of establishin and maintainin a leadership role in the school community, # will advocate for the library pro ram throu h a variety of methods. "hese methods could include small actions such as creatin presentations for administrative and school board meetin s, creatin 5maintainin a school library website, and hostin pro rams for community members that showcase the value of the school library. #f necessary, it mi ht also include lobbyin for fundin for library resources by draftin and submittin lar e rant proposals and appeals to representatives in local and state overnment. "hrou h my methods of advocatin for the library, # will be continuously provin its value to the district and community, ensurin that the pro ram is properly appreciated and supported by those who will determine its fate in future years. #n the twenty)first century, the school librarian has a much reater opportunity to become a force of leadership in the school community than ever before. -!s information, instructional,

and technolo y specialists, school librarians are in a unique position to embrace roles as uides, advisors, and teachers. "his shift, thou h, will require school librarians to embrace the inexorable di itality of the 67st 'entury, re)ima inin themselves as different $inds of leaders.1%,ay, 23& With a clear vision, oals, and strate ies in mind, # am confident in my ability to establish meanin ful alliances with sta$eholders and ta$e the necessary steps to becomin an invaluable asset to the school community.

Wor$s 'ited4 ,ay, Mar$. -Leadership .pportunities.1 School Library Monthly 68.9 %6372&4 23)26. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 9 Mar. 637:.

Professional Leadership Plan

Goal

Strategies )(tudy trends in academia, national standards for learnin 5establish accurate $nowled e of curriculum requirements )'onsult faculty re ardin their individual curriculum needs in order to support their instruction %physical materials and

Alliances

First Step

Notes

1. Design the library program to support the curriculum adopted by the district, aligning program goals to State and National Standards N!S, """S, Standards for the #1st "entury Learner$.

)!dministrator )"eachers )'urriculum 'oordinator for ;istrict %if applicable& );istrict Librarians )Local B.'<( Multimedia

)=isit <n a e>? "his oal will website to educate be lar ely myself completely on affected by the the 'ommon 'ore districts bud et 'urriculum (tandards, and fundin for specifically notin the the school criteria %for each rade library level and sub*ect&, so pro ram, as that # may be well as the $nowled eable when success in plannin %and accomplishin defendin & my @oal A6. collection purchases as well as meetin

technolo y& )!ssess annual state of current collection5desi n collection development plan to fit needs of school and sta$eholders )<stablish5 maintain relationships with other district libraries and B.'<( to procure additional materials to support curriculum

(ystem

with various members of the faculty.

#. %each out to colleagues&staff members to establish cooperati'e professional partnerships rooted in instructional collaboration( become 'isible in the school community as an acti'e contributor to curriculum de'elopment.

)<stablish an open)door policy for the library+ be seen around school and et to $now collea ues throu h personal interactions )'ommunicate your intentions for collaboration5initiate meetin s with collea ues throu h various mediums %face to face conversations, faculty)wide email, etc.& ).ffer in)service trainin for faculty on usin technolo y in instruction %can be done after school or durin professional development day& which could possibly help faculty acquire !BB, credit hours

)!dministrator %to assess stren ths and wea$nesses and to vouch for merit& )"eachers %to ain respect5trust& )Barents %to ain respect5trust& )(tudents %to ain respect5trust&

)'reate and distribute faculty surveys as$in for requests for resources to support curriculum %which also serves as a strate y for @oal A7&. With responses, # could initiate plans to meet to discuss how best to support their instructional oals more specifically, and ideally, we could ma$e plans for instructional collaboration on units throu hout the school year.

# believe that under) utili/ation of the school librarian is the worst thin that could happen for the pro ram. #f it isnt used, it wont be valued. # also believe that bein visible is half of the battle. Many librarians hide in the library and dont ma$e an effort to form collaborative partnerships that are essential.

). Ad'ocate for the school library program through a 'ariety of effecti'e methods, including larger grant proposals and appeals to representati'es in local and state go'ernment$.

)'reate presentations %w5supportive statistics& )'urriculum5"ech to use at board 'oordinator meetin s5 bud et proposals );istrict Librarians )'ommunicate w5parents and )!dministrator community sta$eholders )0aculty5(taff throu h library publications )B"! %Barent %i.e.newsletters& and "eacher library website !ssociation& desi ned and maintained by )'ommunity (LM( Members )Write letters to state overnment representatives to advocate for library pro rams );raft5submit rant proposals to procure resources5funds for library pro ram )(tate5Local @overnment .fficials )Local .r ani/ations

);evelop a B!" %Bersonal !dvocacy "ool$it& to reference when appropriate or necessary to validate the library pro ram. "his will include various methods of advocacy %such as those listed as strate ies&. #n eneral, the B!" will serve as a visible mar$er for permanent advocacy, re ardless of the political or economic climate.

!dvocacy should be done perpetually %on varyin scales&, re ardless of an immediate need for it. !dvocacy can be attempted in many small ways, as well as throu h lar er efforts+ all are important, as you never $now who mi ht be positively affected by your messa e.