What can my state affiliate do to change the classification of library media specialists?
State affiliates can work with their departments of education and teachers’ unions to lobby for a change in the classification of school library media specialists in their state. Find out who in your state establishes the classifications used by school district financial officers when reporting their expenditures. For example, state auditors general or other policy-making officials are responsible for determining the classification of teachers, librarians, counselors, nurses, and other school personnel. Educate those officials as well as the public with regard to the teaching responsibilities of 21st-century school library media specialists. Affiliates can organize letter writing campaigns, write letters to the editor, and/or op-ed pieces that specify the role of school librarians in student achievement and lifelong learning. The Texas Library Association and the Texas Association of School Librarians provide a successful model in advocating for library media specialists and library se
