Top+Ten+Things+You+Need+to+Know+as+a+Literacy+Leader+&+Reader's+Advisory

Below is our list of the top ten things you need to know and do as a Literacy Leader and Reader's Advisor. These are a base and are in no random order.

1. Read over the mission statement for your library and if one doesn't exist, create one not only for your library but for yourself. If you are unaware of what a mission statement is Resources to start are: Wiggins, Grant. McTighe, Jay. (2007). Schooling by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Zmuda, Allison. Harada, Violet. (2008). Librarians as learning specialists: Meeting the learning imperative for the 21st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimit

2. Set up a meeting with your administration to determine what has been done in the past and to explain their vision of your role. Be prepared to provide leadership with your school's initiatives. This will identify to staff that you are a leader and that will help bring about staff being willing to collaborate with you.

3. Know the appropriate curriculums for your situation; you need to speak the language of curriculum. You are the individual who has the ability to see the big picture for your school.

4. Begin to know your collection by becoming familiar with your library system. Using your program, check the age of your collection and the percentage of your collection (non-fiction should be 60% and non-fiction 40%).  5. Plan to become involved with your community by seeking their input regarding the expectations of the library program, attending meetings and contributing to school and community newsletters.

6. Start developing your own system to collect resources about all the variety of resources out there. You WILL NOT be able to read everything, but will have to know how to find out about everything.

7. Get to know the students of your school, by talking with students and try to get into classrooms as soon as possible to facilitate this by having orientation to the library and to begin teaching literacy skills to supplement curriculum. Start small and market yourself. [|Here is one sample by blogger Dianne McKenzie]

8. Develop a plan as to how you will collect qualitative and quantitative data to support the importance of your role in the school.

9. Develop a plan for setting up displays and bulletin boards to reinforce classroom and curriculum themes, student and staff picks and/or new resources.

10. Create and develop a plan to use the technology in the school using a scope and sequence format.

Braxton, B. (2008). the teacher-librarian as literacy leader. //Teacher Librarian//, //35//(3), 22-26. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.
 * __RESOURCES__**

Cart, M. (2007). teacher-librarian as literacy leader. //Teacher Librarian//, //34//(3), 8-12. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database. Rosenfeld, E. (2007). from literacy support to literacy leadership. //Teacher Librarian//, //34//(3), 6-7. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.

Wiggins, Grant. McTighe, Jay. (2007). Schooling by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Zmuda, Allison. Harada, Violet. (2008). Librarians as learning specialists: Meeting the learning imperative for the 21st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited