When I consider the imagery that these 2 words conjure: a knight with sword and shield at the ready and the latter an enthusiastic and flamboyant street hawker; they seem to make an odd couple. However, this is what being an advocate is; someone who is willing to both defend and promote a specific idea, group or place.
So, what does this mean for a TL? Firstly, you need to have a clear understanding of what you’re advocating and why. You will not be able to convince someone that the library or a TL is an essential part of the learning landscape if you can not articulate why. Secondly, many TL’s are great defenders, ready to stand toe to toe with the enemy when they arrive but this is only one half of the advocacy coin. We need to leave the safety of the shelves and seek out our would-be enemies and convert them through promotion. This can be as simple as a weekly email highlighting a resource, a 5-minute chat at a staff meeting, offering a P.D. session on a new app or program, the list goes on.
If we truly want to be a champion for libraries and our profession we must make an effort to engage teachers, students and the community to highlight all of the amazing things that a library and TL does for students.