After reading several articles about creating an annual school library report, I am completely sold that this is an essential task at the end of the year. Starting off in 2023, I will be keeping a folder specifically for the annual report where I will pop in anything and everything I think will be important to highlight in the report. It probably will not all make it into the final document, however at least I will have plenty of items to choose from at the end of the year.
Our library is well-funded as it is a priority at the school, however I do not for a moment take this for granted as funds are consistently shifting. Financial situations are fluid, so the library team must be informing the leadership team and even the wider community of the value that we bring.
We are also under-utilised, so showcasing the work that we do in classrooms to support and develop the reading culture, academic honesty and information literacy goals of the school can inspire other teachers to take up our offerings and services. By focusing on the contributions the library has made to teaching and learning, setting SMART goals for the following year, the library can build a positive picture in the minds of school community. In this way, the annual report is also an advocacy document. So often staff and leadership do not understand what the library team does (aside from circulation and shelving!), so creating and presenting the annual report is the perfect opportunity to showcase how the collection has been managed, the details of how the library has worked to develop readers and a reading culture, and pinpointed exactly how the library has supported inquiry learning and digital literacy.
It is vital that the senior leadership team know exactly how the library budget is being spent, and the annual budget report makes the management of the library budget allocation transparent. It is here that we can connect the dots and show how the acquisitions have augmented student outcomes. The next time there is a budget cut, the library might not be first on the chopping block as leadership has been made aware of the direct positive correlation between the library’s budget and student outcomes.
Creating an annual report also ensures that we are accountable to ourselves. In creating an annual report, we can identify not only where we have succeeded, but also where we have fallen short and where we can put more focus and emphasis. This can help us identify goals for the following year and helps create a path to the successful attainment of these goals. Over the years, the documents can be put together to tell a longer-term story of the library’s impact.
I read some excellent (and some less excellent) examples up of annual reports provided through the module and which I can use to guide me when I create my annual report at the end of this year. The important thing is to be aware of this document all throughout the year so that come November, I will be armed and ready to create my own.
Reference:
McKenzie, D. (2009). Importance of creating an annual report. [blog]. Library Grits. http://librarygrits.blogspot.com.au/2009/06/importance-of-creating-annual-report.html.