Perceptions of the Teacher Librarian roles in schools

People are often perplexed at the role of a teacher librarian- myself included! Through television and books, librarians (more often than not) are usually portrayed as uptight individuals who are very particular about enforcing rules, restoring peace and directing people to the books (Purcell, 2010). While I knew that this was a cliched and exaggerated stereotype, I still assumed that the role of a teacher librarian was mainly to promote reading and encourage borrowing. This perception of the role of a teacher librarian greatly shifted after almost four of being a classroom teacher, however I still know that there is a lot for me to learn about the role of a teacher librarian beyond my own experience.

In the first 2 years of my career as a stage 1 classroom teacher, I would accompany my class to their weekly 30-minute library lessons. The students loved visiting the library! They were always captivated by the teacher librarian’s remarkable storytelling skills! She always prepared a simple activity to accompany what was read. The teacher librarian was amusing and engaging, whilst maintaining a calming presence. I always envied her job. I wondered how amazing it would be to spend my day reading picture books in a cosy and well-decorated space, instead of programming and planning for each and every Key Learning Area.

After 2 years I moved onto stage 3 and I was excited to learn that library lessons ran for an hour in upper primary. In that hour I was surprised to see how different the library lessons looked. Students were involved in a variety of different projects that usually integrated some form of technology and aimed at developing critical and creative thinking. One such project required students to choose and utilise their coding skills to alter the ending of a popular fairy-tale (fractured fairy tales). They then used virtual reality headsets to view their projects in other mediums. Another project involved  students using Lego to build a narrative using simple text features, then they used their stop motion animation skills to bring their stories to life. After each project, students presented their work to their peers and the teacher librarian provided them with explicit feedback.

It was then that I realised that I had undermined and the efforts of the teacher librarian at my schools and the role in general. I realised that the role of a teacher librarian is a truly complex and multifaceted. I acknowledged the great deal of planning and programming that was probably involved in creating and designing these engaging cross curricular lessons across all stages of the school. Nonetheless, it led me to fall in love with the idea of perhaps one day becoming a teacher librarian and creating a dynamic learning hub for students and teachers to enjoy.

Reference:

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, 30-33.