Blog Post two – study visits

“Don’t they just put crap teachers in the library?”

That was the question I was asked when I told my colleagues that I was going to be my school’s new librarian – A position that had not been filled for three whole terms. Did I take offence? Not really. Schools have tended to underutilize and underfund high school libraries ( Korodai, 2019) there was a real risk that school libraries would cease to exist – and changed to common learning areas or IHubs ( Baker 2020) luckily, working in the NSW context, the policy states that all NSW public schools must have a school library and a Teacher librarian staffing allocation (Joep 2021) meaning that my role is safe for now.

The road to a career in the information industry came naturally to me. In my previous life, I was a Design and Technology teacher – inquiry-based learning and 21st-century pedagogy were not new concepts to me and it was a fairly painless transition – what I was not expecting was the attitudes that my work colleagues would change. My pathway was simple – in order to gain codes as a TL, I had to complete a Master’s in Teacher Librarianship – opting to complete this entirely online. However, when working within the information sector – this is not the only path.

All of the professionals I encountered during my study visits came to their profession one way or another. Tehani Croft from West Moreton Anglican College fell into the career the same way as i did – through teaching and a love of information, however, people like Daniel Wee from the Rare Books Collection and Anna Griffith from the Albury Wodonga Health Library had different paths. Tehani advises that “quite often, you don’t have to be a TL to work as a teacher librarian ( her context is a private school – different rules for them) In NSW public schools, a teaching degree is a must – she does mention that without the qualification a bit of exploitation can become an issue (Croft 2024). David Wee fell into his position at the Rare Books Collection through a “ love of History” (Wee 2024) and considers himself lucky to be where he is. He believes that everyone has the skills to be a curator but states that he has a deep understanding of history and provenance to properly understand his collection and how it can be accessed. David had some previous experience working in special collections which gave him some experience working in the field but also mentions that unfortunately “there is no clear path to becoming a rare book librarian – you’re a rare book librarian so you look for rare books – and the rare book world can be pretty rough” (Wee 2024)

Anna De Chesne of the Charles Sturt University Library focuses heavily on the research components of her role. I was impressed with her focus on artificial intelligence and open education resources (OER) and how she is implementing these to bypass the big publishers were very impressive ( De Chesne 2024). She states that a challenge in her career is looking at the digital components of her collection as the library is not just a storehouse for books (Chesne 2024). and it needs to resource both the physical and digital worlds accordingly. Anna Also came from an education background (like so many of us do) and originally gained an entry-level position while studying teaching at the University of Technology Sydney – in which she eventually completed her information studies degree – She also states that she “ Just fell into these things” but continues to ensure her study is up to date but completed other degrees.

The NSW Department of Education still governs TLs through the Teaching Standards – there isn’t much separating us from our other teaching peers regarding Professional learning. However, I do think it is more important for TLs to become leaders in 21st-century learning. This is where they can create transformation in curriculum and become leaders in the school environment which has been particularly pertinent in the past few years with the development of AI and the acceleration of misinforming in the digital sphere. This is a real opportunity to use teaching standards 3 and 7 for planning for effective teaching and learning and engaging professionally with colleagues. I want to make my colleague’s lives easier, but I want to ensure they are at the forefront of technology and pedagogy. So far, as advised by all of the studies visit presenters, I have joined both ALIA and ASLA to ensure that I have access to PD (Professional Development) that is relevant to my area and by listening to how others in the information sphere have curated their online collections I may also be able to replicate this successfully in my own library space – something my library sorely needs to bring it into the 21st century. Another professional development plan, besides joining professional organizations, will be looking for PL in AI. According to Softlink’s “Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Schools” Survey (2023) librarians are overall positive as this tool could be used to free up time and enhance resource accessibility. I would love to focus on this too through PD to try and future-proof my library space.

Baker, J. (2020, January 31). Sydney’s new $225 million school has 17 floors, but no library. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-s-new-225-million-school-has-17-floors-but-no-library-20200131-p53wiy.html\

Croft, T. (2024) West Moreton Anglican College Library Video link

Joep. (2021, November 24). The new chapter for SIG recognises a vital role. NSW Teachers Federation. https://www.nswtf.org.au/news/2020/03/06/new-chapter-for-sig-recognises-vital-role/#:~:text=Crucially%2C%20in%20correspondence%20to%20Federation,library%20allocation%20cannot%20be%20deleted.%E2%80%9D

Korodaj, L. (2019). The library as ‘third space’ in your school: Supporting academic and emotional wellbeing in the school community. Scan, 38(10)

NESA (2023, September 27). The Standards | NSW Government. Www.nsw.gov.au. https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/teacher-accreditation/resources/standards

Wee, D. (2024) Rare Books Collection, State Library of Victoria   Video link