Transcript collaboration TreaMt07 - DSpace at The University of Texas at

Teacher Librarian Collaboration:
Using Social Marketing
Techniques
By Barbara Immroth and Bill
Lukenbill, School of Information,
University of Texas at Austin
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Teacher Librarian Collaboration:
Using Social Marketing Techniques
• Our study was designed to test the
assumption that collaboration is possible
by using a social marketing approach
applied by school librarians
• Social marketing
– Promotes social good through bringing about
changes in behaviors and attitudes using
techniques of commercial marketing and
promotion.
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• Social marketing, like commercial marketing
centers around:
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gaining attention;
creating interest;
fostering desire; and
encouraging action on the part of the target audience.
• Techniques used:
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promoting services and programs;
effective and approachable personnel;
locations, and
using incentives as well as promotion techniques
such as advertisements.
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•
Our assumption:
– We posed the question that social marketing techniques when applied in a
school situation would increase the collaboration between teachers and
librarians.
•
To test this assumption we employed two approaches.
•
Approach 1 used student librarians who were completing their
practicum experience for certification to create and execute a social
marketing campaign to encourage teachers to collaborate with them
on a teaching experience designed to increase information literacy
skills among their students.
Approach 2 used two focus groups of teachers (one elementary group,
and one secondary group) to react to a series of questions regarding
teacher-librarian collaboration.
•
– The Student-librarian group was given instructions as to how to conduct a
marketing campaign using advertisements, and a monetary incentive to
encourage participation.
•
The focus groups were led by a facilitator who presented questions
and teacher-librarian scenarios to the groups for their reactions.
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• Our data were analyzed according to standard
expectations of collaboration as well as unique
experience-based data that emerged from our
field tests.
• Important elements in collaboration include:
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Efficiency;
negotiation skills;
social and professional benefits;
power in decision making;
social and administrative support;
instructional skills of participants (librarians);
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– territoriality;
– teacher authority and control;
– initiation of contact
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•
Major findings:
1. Teachers felt they were efficient using collaboration
skills involving librarians
2. Teachers in the field tests indicated satisfaction with
results feeling that they had gained socially and
professionally from the experience; gained in
exposure to more resources; allowed them to spend
more time with other teacher demands
3. Student librarians felt they had gained from the
experience, but in some cases their role as a
student limited their full participation as
collaborators. In other cases they were given much
more freedom and assumed a more active role as
collaborators.
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4. Teachers felt that their building level
librarians were capable of collaboration
5. Time limitations placed limits on
collaboration of both librarians and teachers
6. Teacher-librarians felt that the teachers with
whom they worked were flexible and
accepting of ideas
7. Teachers felt that their administration would
support and expect collaboration
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9. Teacher styles often determined level of
collaboration available
10. Teachers need an invitation and suggestions as to
how to collaborate with librarians; librarians must be
able to initiate, negotiate, and set boundaries
11. Collaboration is based on the level of interpersonal
relations established between librarian and teachers
12. Traditional forms of marketing do not always work advertising services; communication must be
localized (e.g., emails rather than posters)
13. Monetary incentives are not so important, but do
help in individual cases
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14. Territoriality was integrated into many
aspects of the experiences; freedom allowed
to student librarian by field librarian; past
experiences with librarians; respect for
librarians as a teacher and educator;time
constraints; initiatives expressed by
librarians.
15. Social atmosphere of the school is
significant (atmosphere influences
expectations, rewards, and standards set for
interactions).
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• Predicative Indicators for collaboration
– Time available
– Clear indications of benefits to teaching and
student achievement
– Positive past experiences with librarians
– Administrative support and rewards
– Librarians must be recognized as full
members of the teaching staff and not an
auxiliary person
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• Conclusion
– Collaboration is an expected professional
responsibility for librarians
– Must be cultivated and initiated by librarians
– Social marketing can serve as a theoretical
base for collaboration in terms of promoting
social improvement (using some of its
techniques)
– Collaboration can help enhance the role of the
school librarian in a community of learners
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