What Jim Rettig was meant when he coined the phrase, is that libraries should not think of themselves as separate from each other.  We should not compete with each other.  The success of one type of library is contingent on the success of all types of libraries.

You have only to see the initiatives of the successor ALA past-presidents to see the evidence of ALA recognizing that all types of libraries need to thrive.  Inevitably, there has been a focus on working to promote the value of school librarians.  ALA as well as AASL will rise to the challenge when there is a major threat to school libraries in a state, and the Washington Office works hard to secure passage of legislation supporting school libraries.

I am completing my term as Chair of AASL Advocacy at the close of ALA Annual.  As part of my responsibilities, I am a member of the Advocacy Coordinating Group which is a great example of the Library Ecosystem.  There are 22 members, including staff liaison.  Both Terri Grief, AASL President and I represent ALA.

Here are some of the divisions and groups represented: Association of College and Research Libraries, Association for Library Services to Children, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, United for Libraries, Library & Information Technology, Association for Specialized& Cooperative Library Agencies, Public Awareness, Committee on Legislation, International Federation of Library Associations, Library Leadership & Management, Office of Information Technology & Telecommunication Services,  Research & Statistics, and Asian/ Pacific American Library Association.  That’s quite a broad range of members.

It took me a while to appreciate that every one of them had a stake in Advocacy.  You may think at first that we have little in common, but remember the concept of the Library Ecosystem.  As Benjamin Franklin said at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, “We all hang together, or we all hang separately.”

What emerges is that we find a few messages that apply to all of us.  Using three or four messages rather than a barrage of them from different camps ensures that it is heard, and that makes it powerful.

Currently the committee has just drafted the Advocacy Strategic Direction plan.  It is our part of the overall ALA Strategic Direction plan.  In turn, AASL Advocacy is going to work with it to craft an AASL Advocacy Strategic Direction.  ALA is very large and diverse, but by working together we speak with one voice.

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Image from the World Literacy Council

It once was simple in the days before apps and the Internet. When all information came by way of books, magazines, and newspapers. Literacy was easy to define. It meant you were able to read and understand printed matter.  Functional literacy was said to be the ability to read on the fourth grade level. Basic literacy as defined by the U.S. Department of Education 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy is using “print and written material to function in society and achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.”

However, most often today when someone refers to literacy, you need to know which type of literacy they mean.  Information literacy?  Digital literacy?  Transliteracy?  Visual Literacy? And there are more out there.  The bottom line is that all these types of literacy are important, but it’s important to recognize that all these literacies –even visual literacy to some extent—rely on being able to read and comprehend text.

As school librarians we are responsible for guiding our students to develop fluency in all literacies, but we can’t forget the basics.  We still must provide the print rich environment leading to a love of reading and learning. All else follows from that.

On June 13, 2013, ALA Council passed a resolution reaffirming ALA’s commitment to basic literacy, noting that the ALA Policy Manual “recognizes Literacy as a core service and responsibility of all libraries.” All types of libraries are charged with “making literacy a high priority in planning and budgeting.”  In schools where administrators are pushing for book-less libraries (when they are not replacing them with computers for taking PARCC and other high stakes tests), standing up for literacy in its most basic definition is not simple.

It’s not that ALA and AASL don’t recognize we are living in a digital age.  These organizations are also working at helping librarians improve their own mastery of multiple literacies to be able to share that with teachers and students. (Several years ago AASL held it biennial Fall Forum on Transliteracy.) What they realize, as noted earlier, these skills rest on basic literacy.

How can you support basic literacy in a culture focused on technology?  Do what many of the top school librarians in the country are doing.  Create programs using a variety of digital resources to coincide with and connect to reading.  An example of the simplest level is having students write online reviews of books. You can have a book club with another school or have pairs of students in different schools read the same book and have an online discussion which they then share with others.  You don’t have to come up with these yourself. Librarians on Twitter and TL Chat on Google+ are sharing what they are doing.  Respond to them with any questions. They’ll be glad to help—and get your students reading for the fun of it.

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We have just finished the annual

But the issue is far larger. Banned Books Week is a personal reminder of why I am so proud to be a librarian.  Chatter on the social media is easy, but being a bastion for intellectual freedom and freedom of access to information can be both challenging and frightening. While our everyday workload may be hard, it is nothing compared to what it takes to stand against censors.

Every year ALA and its divisions, including AASL (American Association for School Librarians) present an Intellectual Freedom Award to a librarian who stood up for ALA’s Code of Ethics and most particularly the Library Bill of Rights.  Most state library associations have the same award.  I have known at least one recipient personally, and while she got support from ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom and from her state organization, she said it was lonely and she was often fearful.  She had a positive outcome, and the challenged books were re-instated in the library.  Even better, she was a role model for her students.  But, it was a very difficult time.

Sitting alone and selecting which books to order, librarians quietly face the dilemma of whether to adhere to the strong beliefs which are a foundation of our profession or take the easy way out.  Many decide it isn’t worth the risk, rationalize their budgets aren’t large enough to buy all the books they would like, and pass over titles on LGBTQ subjects or other hot-button issues in their communities.  No one knows of their individual decisions.  There are no consequences for their action or inaction – except for a student or patron who doesn’t get access to much needed information and/or reassurance.

Those who would remove books often point to librarians’ decisions on what to purchase and what not to buy, claiming it, too, is censorship, but they miss a fundamental point.  Book selection—which is what librarians do—is based on the merits of the work as a whole and whether it serves the library’s population. Censorship focuses on snippets—a word, picture, or idea-found unacceptable. It seeks to impose what should be a personal decision on all the library’s users.  As a guide, many of us hold that every library should have something that offends someone – including the librarian who purchased it. I have had works by Klansman and other equally personally offensive titles in my libraries because it was my responsibility to present a broad range of viewpoints.

So as another Banned Books Week comes to an end, I want to honor and celebrate the courageous librarians who take on the toughest aspect of our profession.  I hope those of you who are librarians are equally brave. For non-librarian of this blog, I wish you have these librarians in charge of the library you use.

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Aside from the content, I particular admire the choice of the word “Declaration.”  The best definitions for it in this context are proclamation or pronouncement.  It is the proud statement of belief—what we as a profession stand for.  Making such a huge public announcement carries risk.  Some might argue with it or consider it was promulgated from self interest.  It takes courage to stand up for your beliefs.  It reminds me of the Declaration of Independence, a bold statement putting the lives of the signers in jeopardy.  While not as extreme, the Declaration for the Right to Libraries brings librarians out from our behind-the-scenes service and boldly asserts the value of what we provide.

There is a lesson here for individual librarians.  Hiding your light under a bushel, doing a great job but not communicating it out loud, keeps you invisible.  And invisible all too often these days means eliminated.  Paraphrasing a famous quote, it’s time to “boldly go where librarians have not gone before.”  Get the word out about all the ways you work with teachers, students, and administrators.  Learn through Twitter, Facebook, conferences, (and School Librarian’s Workshop) the best platforms for reaching your target audience.  Share your successes so others can follow your lead.

I love this quote by Nora Roberts, “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”  What do you want?  Do you really want to remain in the same place you are in?  What are you going to do about it?  Declare yourself!

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