Reflection on the Role of the Teacher Librarian

I have always been interested in teacher librarianship, and my commitment, focus and enthusiasm for learning about the role of the teacher librarian were documented early in my study of the subject (‘The End Depends on the Beginning,’ 2012). At the outset, prior to commencing the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) at Charles Sturt University, I initially perceived the role of the teacher librarian to be two-fold, comprising collection management and curriculum involvement in the school library. Now near the end of study in ETL401- Teacher Librarianship, I consider this initial view to be somewhat narrow. Reading the literature, completing the course modules, learning the subject content, completing the associated assignments, interacting with teacher librarians, communicating on the professional forums and maintaining a blog to reflect on the professional learning have so far combined to provide me with a broader, more inclusive understanding of the role, which I look forward to putting into practice within the context of a school library.

My initial perception of the role of the teacher librarian was perhaps based on the activities I had observed practised teacher librarians undertaking on a daily basis, from the viewpoint of a primary classroom teacher with limited knowledge of the range of other types of work that are involved. Reviewing the literature has indicated that this relatively widespread perception may have contributed to the rise of evidence-based practice that I have learned about through the subject readings, which assists in proving the value of teacher librarians as information professionals and educators in school contexts (Todd, 2007). One prevalent goal to this end is showing how teacher librarians positively impact on students’ achievement (Haycock, 2007, p. 25; Oberg, 2002, p. 10).
  
In coming to understand this premise, I related my own background and experience as a primary classroom teacher, where I am familiar with using students' assessment results and work samples as one basis from which to inform the creation of ability based groups, ongoing planning and programming for content and skills across the Key Learning Areas and judgements in reporting on student achievement (‘School Libraries and Evidence-Based Practice,’ 2012). This is one example of how my skills and abilities as a primary classroom teacher have provided a starting point from which to learn about, and work toward becoming proficient in, the role of the teacher librarian. Classroom teachers and teacher librarians can be considered mirror images of each other (Brown and Sheppard, 2005, p. 125), and in the process of expanding from one to the other, I am starting to see both sides.

The assignment tasks within ETL401- Teacher Librarianship have provided worthwhile opportunities for me to extend and consolidate my knowledge. For example, evaluating different aspects of the role of the teacher librarian in the first assignment had considerable impact, as this was primarily how I came to appreciate the diversity of the position. Moreover, although I initially understood the aspects of the role to be independent of each other, investigation into a variety of school and public library contexts demonstrated that they are actually interconnected (American Association of School Librarians, 2009, in Purcell, 2010, p. 33; Barrett, 2004, in Herring, 2007, p. 32). I consider that the position of teacher librarian should be valued highly (Lonsdale, 2003, p. 1) for the myriad of tasks and responsibilities performed in meeting the challenges presented to schools, teachers and students (McKenzie, 2010, p. 1).

One model that identifies the role of the teacher librarian, proposed by the American Association of School Librarians (2009, in Purcell, 2010, p. 30) incorporates the aspects of leader, instructional partner, information specialist, teacher and program administrator. Some of these aspects correlate with the framework proposed by Herring (2007, p. 30), which includes the aspects of librarian, information services manager, information literacy leader, curriculum leader, information specialist, instructional partner, website developer, budget manager, fiction and non-fiction advocate, staff manager and teacher. However, although they share similar terms, many of the aspects of these models are defined differently, and it was worthwhile to examine, critically compare and evaluate these views in ascertaining the broad role of the teacher librarian. To this end, it was also pertinent to consider the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Australian School Library Association (ASLA) Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians (2004), devised within the broad framework of professional knowledge, professional practice and professional commitment.

As my knowledge of the role of the teacher librarian has developed, I have noticed that the importance and prevalence of technology in school libraries has been a common frequent thread in many discussions (Combes, 2012) on the topic. Reference to the need for teacher librarians to develop sound skills in using, and teaching with, a range of technology to support the current and evolving needs of school libraries and users of the collection are paramount. It seems that this is also closely interrelated to the notable increase of digital resources in many schools (‘Teacher Librarians and Technology,’ 2012), used at relevant stages of the information models (Lowe, 2012). The Teacher Librarianship subject modules have provided a basis for professional learning in technology, information models and information literacy, as well as constructivism, collaboration and management (Interact Modules, 2012).

An initial influential factor contributing to my goal of becoming a teacher librarian was the value I place on the school library as a learning environment, and this, at least, has remained constant. Libraries have traditionally been established and maintained on the premise that they offer a significant contribution to the development of a democratic, educated, knowledgeable society (Todd, 2007), and this is quite obviously irrevocably interwoven with schools as places of learning to cultivate informed citizens who can make effective contributions to their communities (‘School Libraries and Evidence-Based Practice’, 2012). Teacher librarians are in positions of leadership (Brown and Sheppard, 2005, p. 118) and influence (Hartzell, 2003, p. 5) to facilitate access to knowledge (‘The Role of the Teacher Librarian,’ 2012) beyond the school gates and develop information literate, lifelong learners (Bartlett, 2005, p. 51; Limberg, 2005, p. 45).

My understanding of the role of the teacher librarian has evolved continuously, and will continue to be refined, to result in the recognition that it is diverse, interesting and challenging. Teacher librarians can operate as the axle on a wheel, creating a common place of learning for all students so the library becomes the heart of the school (‘School Libraries and Evidence-Based Practice,’ 2012). As a future teacher librarian, I still believe that this is worth striving for, and will endeavour to ensure that the goals and objectives of teacher librarianship define and inform my work.

References

ALIA, & ASLA (2004). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/

        policy/standards.htm

Bartlett, J. (2005). Curriculum integration and information literacy: Developing independent learners. In M. Asselin & J. Henri (Eds.), The
        information literate school community 2: Issues of leadership (pp. 51-64). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt
        University.

Brown, J. & Sheppard, B. (2012). Teacher librarians: Mirror images of teachers and pioneering voyagers. In M. Asselin & J. Henri (Eds.), The
        information literate school community 2: Issues of Leadership (pp. 115-134). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles
        Sturt University.

Combes, B. (2012, May 20). Re: Communication technology - boon or burden? [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://

        forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?task=frameset&forum_id=ETL401_201230_W_D_Sub7_forum&message_id=5801682

Hartzell, G. (2003). Building influence for the school librarian (2^nd ed.). Worthington, US: Linworth.

Haycock, K. (2007). Collaboration: Critical success factors for student learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 25-35. Retrieved from
        http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy. csu.edu.au

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.). Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions
        in information (pp. 27-42). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Interact Modules (2012). Retrieved May 21, 2012 from Charles Sturt University website: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/

        ETL401_201230_W_D/page/b185ce53-0264-44d6-00d6-d2458c162ba7

Lowe, K. (2012, April 20). Re: The Big6 and different cohorts in case studies [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from           

        http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?task=frameset&forum_id=ETL401_201230_W_D_Sub5_ forum&message_id=5737846

Lonsdale, M. (2003). Impact of school libraries on student achievement: A review of the research. Camberwell, Vic: Australian Council for
        Educational Research.

Limberg, L. (2005). Informing information literacy education through empirical research. In M. Asselin & J. Henri (Eds), The information literate
        school community 2: Issues of leadership (pp. 39-50). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

McKenzie, J. (2010). From now on. In The educational technology journal, 19(4), 1-10. Retrieved from http://fno.org/mar2010/still.html

Oberg, D. (2002). Looking for the evidence: Do school libraries improve student achievement? School Libraries in Canada, 22(2), 10-13. Retrieved
        from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.  

Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books, right? A look at the roles of a school library media specialist. Library Media Connection, 29
        (3), 30-33. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au

Teacher librarians and technology (2012). Retrieved from http://www.aliterarylandscape.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/teacher-librarians-and-
        technology.html

The end depends on the beginning (2012). Retrieved from http://www.aliterarylandscape.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/end-depends-on-
        beginning.html

The role of the teacher librarian (2012). Retrieved from http://www.aliterarylandscape.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/role-of-teacher-librarian.html

School libraries and evidence based practice (2012). Retrieved from http://www.aliterarylandscape.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/school-libraries-        andevidence-based_18.html

Todd, R. J. (2007). Evidence-based practice and school libraries. In S. Hughes-Hassell & V. H. Harada (Eds.), School reform and the school library
        media specialist (pp. 57-78). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.