Being Indispensable: A School Librarian's Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader

by Ruth Toor, Hilda K. Weisburg

Overview

In New on the Job, experts Toor and Weisburg helped newbies make the transition to real-world school librarianship. Being Indispensable is all about staying one: without a proactive approach, school librarians, facing a severe economic downturn and budget cuts, run the risk of becoming an endangered species. In clear, simple, and practical language, this book empowers school librarians by helping them - Understand what other stakeholders in a school need and want - Demonstrate their importance to administrators, teachers, and parents - Plan strategically in both their personal and professional lives - Master important tools like advocacy and marketing Making the case for the vital role school librarians play in learning, this book gives readers all the strategies they need to become the kind of leader their school can't do without.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780838910658
Publisher:	American Library Association
Publication date:	10/19/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Ruth Toor retired after 29 years as an elementary school librarian in Chatham, New Jersey. She is a past president of AASL and a past member of ALA Council. During her AASL presidency, she was its representative to the National Forum for History Standards as well as a member of the Implementation Committee for Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. She taught graduate courses at Rutgers and Montclair State Universities. A past president of NJASL, she received its President’s Award.

Hilda Weisburg retired as library media specialist at Morristown High School in Morristown, N.J. in 2004. She 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, on which she has served as chair and Region II director. Currently, she is a member of the ALA Literacy Committee and the ALA/CBC (Children’s Book Council) Joint Committee. She is the chair of the 2010 National Institute (Fall Forum). She has given presentations at AASL and state library media conferences and given staff development workshops for many school districts. In addition, she has been a library consultant for several New Jersey districts. With Ruth Toor, she has written thirteen books for librarians, the most recent being New on the Job: A School Library Media Specialist’s Guide to Success. The duo has been writing and editing the School Librarian’s Workshop since 1980.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part I Knowing Who You Are 1

1 What's Your Mission" 3

2 What Makes a Leader" 15

3 Where Do You Stand" 31

Part II Knowing Your Stakeholders 45

4 What Do Administrators Want" 49

5 What Does the Community Want" 63

6 What Do Teachers Want" 77

7 What Do Students Want" 95

Part III Thinking Bigger 113

8 How Does Advocacy Develop Leadership" 117

9 How Do You Get a Larger Perspective" 133

10 Does This Really Work" 149

Appendix: Web Resources 163

Index 165