Month: July 2021

ETL401 Assessment 1: What is the role of the Teacher Librarian?

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ETL401 Assessment 1: Online Reflective Journal

Part B: Blog Post

Reflecting on your experience as a teacher before you became interested in working in a school library, write a 500 word piece about your understandings of the role of the Teacher Librarian in schools.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Teacher Librarians are white, female, middle-aged, bespectacled, and obsessed with books. This is certainly the impression left after a brief Google Images search:

Indeed, even the title of this blog reinforces the long-held, pervasive stereotype that Teacher Librarians primarily work with books. How is it that, despite the increasingly diverse Teacher Librarian population and the ever-evolving complexity of their role, these widespread assumptions still propagate? Public perceptions of teachers’ roles are informed by personal experiences; the same is true for the role of the Teacher Librarian. 

My own experiences of Teacher Librarians run the gamut from kind and enthusiastic lovers of literature to unwelcoming and intimidating guardians of knowledge. My first introduction to the world of Teacher Librarians was during my Kindergarten year in 1993. Her friendly approach encouraged me to browse to my heart’s content, leading me to borrow a book every single day that year and starting a love of reading that would last a lifetime.

By the time I reached High School in the year 2000 technology had evolved and the information landscape alongside it. Yet my main impression of our Teacher Librarian was of an imposing and unfriendly woman who saw our presence as a nuisance. To us she was what Osler called “the fiery dragon interposed between the people and the books” (Osler, as cited in Purcell, 2010, p.31). Our library was stocked with minimal technological resources and it seemed there was no one willing or capable to help us navigate the new online world.

In 2020 when I decided to take up the mantle of temporary Teacher Librarian, I was largely unaware of the complexity of the role brought about by the evolution of the “infosphere” (Floridi, 2007, p.59). The general perception among staff at my school was that the Teacher Librarian’s role was something vaguely to do with books and could be fulfilled just as easily by one of our office ladies. It has been a challenge as I stepped into the role firstly to understand the varying aspects of the Teacher Librarian’s role and secondly to promote this understanding amongst the school community. 

A few months ago the position opened up to permanent applications, so I decided to apply. As a result of my experiences as a student and classroom teacher, in my job application I focused on the role of the Teacher Librarian as professionals who:

This understanding has been further expanded by my studies so far. The Australian School Library Association states that Teacher Librarians have three primary roles: first as curriculum leaders; second as information specialists; third as information services managers (ASLA, 2021). Purcell expands this list to five key roles: as leader, instructional partner, information specialist, teacher, and program administrator (Purcell, 2010, p.30). A word cloud of the Australian Library and Information Association ‘Standards of Professional Excellence’ (ALIA, 2004) emphasises concepts such as ‘information’ and ‘learning’ as crucial to our role:

It is interesting to note that in these professional publications there are limited references to books. Clearly there is a disparity between public perceptions of the role and professional descriptions which focus on a broader understanding of our role navigating the changing information landscape. Overcoming this discrepancy continues to pose a challenge for the modern Teacher Librarian. 

Word Count: 547

References:

Australian Library and Information Association (2004). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians 

Australian School Library Association (2021). What Is A Teacher Librarian? https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian

Floridi, L. (2007). A Look into the Future Impact of ICT on Our Lives. The Information Society 23(1), 59-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/019722406010599094

Google Images Search, accessed 24/7/2021

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(1), 30-33.

I’m going on an adventure!!!

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Just like Bilbo Baggins was plucked from relative obscurity when he least expected it,  I’m embarking on an unexpected adventure – the Master of Education (Teacher Librarian) at Charles Sturt University. Let’s get started!

I’ve been an English and History teacher at my old high school since 2011. In that time I’ve been uniquely privileged to continuously teach both of these subjects, and love delivering fun and exciting lessons to our wonderful variety of students. I’m known for my love of semi-colons (the sexiest punctuation mark), for being married to Shakespeare (just don’t mention that he’s been dead for over 400 years and it won’t get weird), and trying to make everything into a game, like some borderline-delusional Mary Poppins impersonator. I particularly love extending Gifted and High Potential students, and I’ve been very fortunate to have taught both the History and English extension courses throughout my career. This job has literally taken me around the world, since I’ve been fortunate enough to organise two overseas excursions to Italy, Germany, Poland, Belgium, and France for our Stage 6 Ancient and Modern history students. We would have gone again this year but alas! Covid19 sucks.

Unfortunately, our school demographics are changing and in 2019 we experienced a significant increase in violent behaviour. As a result, in two separate fights I sustained several serious injuries which meant that at the end of last year I had to undergo shoulder reconstruction surgery. I was quite nervous about returning to the classroom where I’d be exposed to possible reinjury and where my decreased functionality in my right arm would impact my teaching. But every cloud has a silver lining, and things fell into place! The previous Teacher Librarian decided that it was time for a change of scenery, and I was lucky enough to be successful in my application to fill this role in a temporary capacity. But things moved a little faster than I anticipated and last term I had to make a tough decision – to apply for the TL position permantently, or return to the classroom. To be or not to be, indeed! Slings and arrows and all that jazz.

After significant to-ing and fro-ing (and many risk/benefit lists!) I decided to apply for the permanent TL position. Once again the stars aligned in my favour! At the end of last term I was successful in my application and am now the permanently appointed Teacher Librarian. Only problem is, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING!!! Light the beacons! Gondor calls for aid!

So here I am, enrolled in yet another Master degree. I know the next two years of study are going to be challenging, but I’m excited to learn how to better support my colleagues and the students we teach as they move through their own education journeys.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

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