TLM Statements of Value

KEY MESSAGES

VALUE QUESTIONS

 

INTRODUCTION

Successful advocacy depends upon being able to educate those people whose support is important to your library. Only when others understand the value the library brings to the school will they be willing to become advocates themselves.

When you talk to people about your library, you want to educate them in ways that are meaningful to them. You have to let them know how the library helps, or could help, them, as well as how it contributes to the overall success of your school. An ideal way to do that is to use “statements of value.”

These statements are really key messages that define the role of the library – and librarians – within your institution.

As you read the statements remember that what might seem self-evident to you about your library might be eye-opening to someone else – particularly those faculty and administrators who may visit the library only on rare occasions. Think about how you would tailor these value statements to fit the unique characteristics of your library and school.

You and your staff can use these messages during your advocacy efforts, such as when you’re networking with faculty and administrators – especially with those who are not as familiar with the library’s strengths.

This document includes some general key messages and questions to help you create additional statements of value for your own library.

KEY MESSAGES

• A strong library is valued by anyone associated with a theological school because it supports everyone – students, faculty, administrators, researchers – who is engaged in an academic task. Strong libraries are also valued by alumni, who take pride in the quality of library services and may even use the library long after they have graduated.

• Theological debates and study span religions, countries and centuries. A person’s research online might produce one side of an issue. Librarians help students, alumni and researchers uncover a host of differing views, and help sort out which ones are most relevant to a particular project.

• A strong theological library has a diverse collection of old and new books, subscribes to many relevant periodicals and has a staff of librarians who are experts at researching on-site sources and online materials, and locating information available from other institutions. Students, faculty and other researchers who rely on just the Internet for theological research are not getting the full picture. They miss out on the most current material because many recently published books have not been digitized. And, many materials published in scholarly journals are not available online.

• Theological librarians are on the front line, helping students navigate large research projects. Librarians help them plan their strategy, frame their thoughts and map out where they need to go.

• A partnership with a theological librarian allows students and faculty to spend more time reading and reflecting, rather than hunting for material.

• Theological librarians are information pioneers who use the newest technology before anyone else sees it and help people make sense of it once it’s available. Librarians blend their traditional research skills with high-tech savvy.

• Graduates from theological schools become thought leaders for their communities, and their careers depend on their ability to write persuasive arguments based on strong research. Theological librarians teach students vital research skills that last a lifetime.

• Universities and seminaries are judged on many things, including the quality of their libraries. Prospective faculty members will consider the strength and prestige of a theological library before deciding on whether to join a school’s faculty. Students will consider the quality of a library before choosing to attend an institution. And, donors appreciate the resources and prestige an excellent library brings to a school.

• A strong theological library is the bedrock of a seminary or divinity school. When libraries are given the proper resources, they thrive and improve the academic standing of the school and its students and faculty. When funding is cut, the foundation provided by the library suffers.

• Librarians, working through school development or alumni relations offices, have become an important facet of theological schools’ outreach to alumni. The ATLASerials® for Alum database provides much-needed research assistance for theological school graduates and gives alumni a reason to re-connect with their schools.

VALUE QUESTIONS
Here are some questions to help you tailor your statements of value to the individual needs of your school and library:

• What are the little-known treasures of your library? For example, do you have a collection of rare books that is historically significant but few on campus know about?

• Are any of your librarians experts – on a regional or national level – about a particular subject?

• Does your library offer any programs or seminars that teach students and faculty best practices on researching in the library and online?

• Do you have examples of how librarians have helped faculty conduct difficult or very specialized research for books or articles? 

• When the library is given the proper resources, how does that benefit students, faculty and administration? And, how would cuts hurt all of them?

• What honors has your library received and how does it compare to others of similar size? What are some aspects of the library that the school could publicize on its Web site or in printed material that it doesn’t currently?

• Do you keep track of the special requests you’ve filled for administration and faculty? Do you bring these up when talking with administration and faculty to show how the library is helping the school as a whole?

Your statements of value also might help you plan activities for Theological Libraries Month (TLM). For example, if you want to deliver the message that librarians are essential partners in research projects for faculty, you could set up a book signing or book discussion event during TLM with recently published faculty who could also talk about how much librarians helped them conduct their research.