A Show of Strength

When it comes to building influence, perception is everything. Not surprisingly, the written reports that describe your school library's program influence the way your boss perceives you. Carefully thought-out, detailed reports can strengthen your standing. On the other hand, if you submit unimaginative, sterile, statistic-filled reports, you may be undermining the value of your program.

Ross Todd, director of the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries at Rutgers University, has some interesting insights on library media center reports. Todd thinks that a report should be a celebration of student achievement—a statement of accomplishments rather than a log of assigned activities (see "Irrefutable Evidence ," April 2003, pp. 52–54). If your library's mission is to make students effective users of information, then your reports need to emphasize how students use information—how they synthesize and apply it to meet learning goals. Conversely, your reports should not focus on the quantity of information that students have found or how they've found it.

If the library is perceived, in Todd's words, as an "information space" rather than a "knowledge place," then your value as a librarian is compromised. How so? As information retrieval technology becomes more sophisticated, making it easier for users to locate the information they're looking for, perceptions of your professional worth will diminish unless people understand that a librarian offers more than just guidance in finding information.

So what can you do to make sure your reports reflect your true value?

If your school district or contract doesn't require you to use a standard reporting form, craft one that zeroes in on the most important things you offer. Describe what your students have learned and how it satisfies or relates to curriculum requirements and state standards. Don't just list the number of collaborative projects you've done with other teachers. Instead, describe the objectives of those lessons, how students demonstrated what they learned, and how your library program contributed to their success. Describe circulation figures and computer use in the context of a given project, lesson, or unit.

The difficulty in preparing such a report, of course, is limiting its length. You won't be able to describe every good thing you did. But the examples of student achievement that you do report will portray the power and potential of your program much more effectively than any set of numbers can. If you feel compelled to include statistics, attach them as an appendix.

If you are locked into using a standard reporting form, include the learning narrative that I've described above as an appendix. There probably is room on your standard form for an asterisk or footnote number here or there. Insert them and lead readers to the human translation of your numbers. Illustrations and examples of student learning always enhance quantitative arguments.

Don't just distribute your report to your supervisor. Give a copy of your report to library-friendly faculty members. Consider giving a copy to the president of your local school's parent group. If the group has a newsletter, see if some of your program's accomplishments can be publicized in it. Also, offer to write a column about your program for the school newspaper or your principal's newsletter. Even if your principal won't let you submit a descriptive, accomplishment-filled report, he's still likely to welcome your assistance in helping him with a newsletter. It's important to let administrators, parents, and colleagues know how much your program has to offer.