assignments – A Novel Idea

ETL 507 – Assessment Item 5: Professional Reflective Portfolio

23rd September 2019karla_oAssignments / ETL 507 / UncategorizedLeave a comment

In this post I have summarised the key learnings I have obtained from my two years in the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) degree. I have broken the reflection into three parts: Part A – Statement of personal philosophy, Part B – A discussion of key ideas facing Teacher Librarians and Part C – A personal reflection and evaluation on how my practice thus far reflects the professional Teacher Librarian standards.

Part A – Statement of Personal Philosophy

The role of the Teacher Librarian is to lead and advocate for a school culture whereby language, reading, writing, expression and information literacy are valued. They are an information specialist who is committed to ensuring students are both information literate and striving to improve. They must develop strong interpersonal relationships with staff, students and the community to ensure programs are delivered that are reflective of the syllabus requirements, innovative in their design and engage students in higher order thinking and experiential learning that will encourage a deeper understanding of information literacy. The development of the physical and virtual collection, the library space as well as teaching and learning resources should include cutting edge technologies so as to reflect best practice and support quality teaching. The Teacher Librarian is the vital connection in ensuring that the library becomes and remains the central learning hub within a school.

Part B – Critical Evaluation of Learning

Through my study in the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course I have come to believe that the role of the Teacher Librarian can be broken down into three key areas: teaching, collection management and leadership. As such in choosing to discuss three themes I have guided my discussion around these key points.

Teaching: Guided Inquiry and Information Literacy

Fundamentally, I believe, a good Teacher Librarian must be a good teacher first. I have felt this very strongly in my year as Relieving Teacher Librarian at my school. Looking back on one of my very early blog posts it is evident how much my thoughts on this have changed. The ASLA/ALIA teaching standards outline the guidelines by which the TLs practices must be founded and so many of them come back to the fundamentals of good pedagogy such as: “Excellent teacher librarians thoroughly understand how all learners develop and apply lifelong learning skills and strategies.” (Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA], 2004).

ETL 401 was pivotal in gaining an understanding of information literacy and the guided inquiry model. Familiarising myself once again with the Australian Curriculum and the cross curriculum priorities was also valuable as I found that by engaging with these it gave greater meaning, purpose and value to the Australian Curriculum in the context of the NSW curriculum in which I work.

Floridi (2007) discusses the information landscape and the various modes in which it is delivered: both digital and physical formats. The breadth of this information and the rate at which new information becomes available means that it is a complex and evolving landscape that needs to be navigated effectively (Combes & Valli, 2007). Thus the role of the Teacher Librarian in ensuring the skills needed to navigate these landscapes is taught. Guided inquiry’s constructivist approach provides students with an opportunity to learn how to judge the quality of information, find a way through complex and disparate sources, formulate their own focus, the answer to their own questions and to transform information into knowledge.

We looked at different models including the ISP process and how it is embedded into the guided inquiry model:

Image Source: https://guidedinquiryoz.edublogs.org/

This clip sums up the benefits of inquiry learning in schools:

Guided Inquiry from M E Shenefiel on Vimeo.

ETL 503 contributed to my understanding of guided inquiry and information literacy in terms of the Teacher Librarian’s need to evaluate the current physical and digital resources available to students when they are working on inquiry based units. What has been challenging in my current role is the need to find a range of texts for various reading levels, the speed at which a lot of the information on certain topics dates, particularly in the physical collection, how this impacts budgets and the way the library is viewed and utilised as a result. Trying to find resources online that are credible and current as an alternative to the physical collection has also been difficult.

ETL 504 and its focus on leadership has also been valuable in shifting the awareness and attitudes towards the library and its place in supporting the teaching and learning of teachers and students. I have worked closely with the Head Teacher Secondary Studies and teachers of “Future Focused Learning” to redevelop the programs for our inquiry based units in Year 7 and 8 so that they are modelled on guided inquiry. This is the first phase of a whole school introduction of this model across the school.

EER 500’s scaffolding on how to research a question of interest was valuable, particularly in the early stages when we were completing the first and second assignment because it modelled fundamental research strategies that are useful when starting an assignment. I have then replicated these in my own teaching of the research process.

INF 532 helped me to appreciate the value of several web based tools that can be used to design and create resources that may be useful when delivering teaching and learning programs to students. In this unit I considered the nature of learning in the digital age and how the near unlimited resources have also had the ability to connect learners with others, a valuable skill when participating in inquiry learning. Students have been cultivating minds, seeing other students as resources and have been figuring out how to learn from each other. As such there is now a bridge between two worlds: the public and information based and the personal and structured (Thomas & Brown, 2011, p. 17-18). As such we looked at flexible and digital learning environments, MOOCs and sharing of resources as a way for students to learn and how the teacher is able to facilitate this.

This unit also emphasised that teachers need to be connected as well if they are to build effective pedagogies that utilise cutting edge and current technology. As such I reconnected with building a PLN restarting a Twitter account. At the same time I also learnt an extensive amount about digital curation as a result of the artefact assignment, a valuable skill to help students manage the resources they find on the web. I have been able to use the artefact I created to teach students about digital curation in Stage 6.

INF532 – KN Artefact from Karla O on Vimeo.

Library Management: Collection Development

My understanding of collection development has certainly expanded due to my study in ETL 503 and ETL 505. It is probably the one part of the role that is the most new and unfamiliar. Therefore I’m struggling to find an approach that works.

Cataloguing in ETL 505 was challenging but I appreciate how fundamental it is in understanding how to approach the organisation of the collection. It is important to reflect upon and evaluate the collection regularly because user needs change and the collection needs to maintain relevance if it is to be used. (Kennedy, 2006) Of particular focus in my practice has been deselection. My school’s fiction collection has not been weeded in over three years so it was important to be strategic in how I approached this with my staff. When on my Study Visit in Canberra earlier this year, one of the Librarians at The Australian National University was very practical in her approach to weeding and reminded us all that “part of a librarian’s heart is cold and black” and must be when weeding if the collection is to remain relevant and useful. I also had to explain this to the school staff as they saw trolley loads of books being taken to the skip bin or being sold at the bargain bin price of 50 cents. I tried to make light of it as many staff were mortified at the thought of books being thrown in the bin. I found this clip quite helpful:

SCIS Subject Headings was also something I found challenging. I feel it is valuable that all schools work within a “controlled language approach” (Schools Catalogue and Information Service [SCIS], 2016, pg 1) for subject access to the catalogue as it makes it transferable across schools and easier for students. There was a considerable amount of metalanguage that was also difficult to grasp. However, in my day to day workings as a TL I have been pushing for greater use of the search terminal, Oliver, and as such I have had to model how to search the catalogue and the benefit of subject headings in helping students to find resources, so without this subject I would have struggled to teach it.

My colleagues and I have had many discussions about the genrefication of the collection and the advantages and disadvantages of doing this. Whilst no firm decisions have been made in this regard I have lead the development of a new section called “Quick Reads.” This simple adjustment of the collection has already begun to attract “non-readers” who are trying to find “their kind of book” (Stiles, 2004, p 32).

This blog post highlights my learning and understanding of collection development. Much of that learning still holds true now. Writing the collection development policy for my school has been helpful in relation to this as it has provided a framework from which to consistently revise the collection and deselect anything that is not current. Writing the strategic directions was also useful. We wrote a direction that focused on developing the collection to ensure that it is current and useful to students and staff. I am still learning the intricacies of each of the KLA’s syllabi and have been working closely with Head Teacher and teaching staff to ensure the collection development policy and therefore collection, reflect their needs.

Lastly in this area of my practice, the development of the virtual collection has been a challenge. The library must ‘dismantle its walls’ and use the wider networked world as its new teaching space, rather than staying in its paper-based world (Lee, 2012). I conducted a survey with staff and students to ascertain their interest and willingness to use virtual resources. We have conducted several ebook/audiobook trials through Wheelers as well as a database trial with JSTOR. I have no firm perspective on this as yet and am still working to ascertain the benefits from staff but I am continuing to engage in discussion with various networks in order to keep abreast of ways in which to develop this area of our collection.

Leadership: The Role of the Teacher Librarian

ETL 504 was particularly influential for me throughout this degree. It held a great deal of resonance this year as I have relieved in the Teacher Librarian role in my school. It helped me to find a new vision, focus and motivation as I had become stale in my teaching practice and my desire to make a difference to young people. As such, it really helped to reinvigorate my teaching, how I view my role in public education and how I want the Teacher Librarian role to be viewed. It highlighted for me the shift that information professionals are trying to push for that moves the Teacher Librarian out of the familiar stereotypes and into the 21^st Century.

Key ideas in ETL 504 that I came to reflect upon in my learning included the diverse range of management styles and the complexities of working with a diverse range of people. Working with the Principal is a key aspect of leadership of the library as this collaboration, if done well, should ensure support for initiatives and promotion of the library and its value within a school (Haycock, 2007, p31).

It highlighted for me the necessity for the Teacher Librarian to be visible, model best practice, contribute to committees and provide professional development for staff. To ensure they maintain an evidenced based practice to validate the vision, goals and strategies they are implementing. To effectively lead change the Teacher Librarian needs to understand the present culture and work towards creating new values and vision with like-minded staff. Additionally, leading from the middle was something I felt could help with this as it would be good to draw out the leadership capabilities of the staff because there is something “about the power we all have to build something together that none of us can accomplish on our own” (Gottlieb, 2012, para 26). Ultimately however, to advocate for the library requires leadership and through advocacy comes stronger leadership skills (Toor and Weisberg, 2011, pg 28).

I have taken a very active approach in my role as Relieving Teacher Librarian to raise the profile of the library within the school. This has involved me being a constant, engaged presence in staff rooms by attending faculty meetings, participating in collegial discussion about their information literacy and collection needs and considering how best to facilitate that through team teaching. I have begun to involve the Principal and Deputy Principal in discussions about the planned changes for the library including the development of a collection development policy, strategic directions and professionally develop them as to the expectations they should have for the new generation of librarians. I have been working to raise the profile of the library through its student leaders. The Library Leader program has the students not only volunteering their time in the library several times a week but also that service being recognised on their school report.

Part C – Personal Reflection and Evaluation

In reflecting on the ALIA/ASLA professional standards, I feel I have demonstrated an ability to address these in the following ways:

Professional Knowledge

I have actively sought the opportunity to develop teaching and learning programs in the Library. Utilising my understanding of guided inquiry and information literacy from ETL 401, I have revised and redeveloped the teaching and learning programs in Year 7 Future Focused Learning and Year 8 Project Based Learning to more effectively follow a guided inquiry model. Additionally, I have produced a series of lessons explicitly teaching research and referencing skills to select classes in various KLAs across Stages 4-6.
I have demonstrated a capacity to learn and lead the use of new and cutting edge technologies to deliver teaching and learning programs that reflect best practice and support quality teaching. INF 532 was particularly useful in developing these skills. I familiarised myself with new web based tools that I could add to my existing technology experience and as such implemented a number of innovative methods of curriculum delivery designed to improve student engagement for 21^st Century learners. This has included redeveloping the online search terminal, implementing maker spaces and engaging with teachers and students in their classrooms through the BYOD program.

Professional Practice

I have actively sought out ways to develop and embed the library as a central learning hub within the school. I led professional development seminars for staff on accessing credible websites and databases and the APA referencing system whilst working in their classroom. I also undertook team teaching with various KLA teachers. I redesigned the layout of Oliver to include more specific, topical reading lists from which students could source credible information.
I have demonstrated highly developed interpersonal skills with a proven ability to work collaboratively within a team to support the development of high quality teaching and learning programs in the library. I am able to determine key content from the syllabus across KLAs and integrate technology across the breadth of curriculum. This has been through a collegial approach with Head Teachers and teaching staff. I have designed these for a range of performance and learning styles as well as a range of abilities including those with special learning needs through to gifted and talented students.

I have lead the upgrade of library facilities and physical resources.
- The recent renovation of the library has presented challenges in terms of space and resources. Through my learning in ETL 504 I have lead the library staff in ensuring the library remains a positive, inviting space that is flexible to the needs of the staff and students during this time.
- I have successfully lead the design and delivery of a library survey for staff and students to ascertain what the strengths and weaknesses of the library were in relation to the collection and services offered. A collection development policy, library handbook and strategic directions for 2020-2023 including a mission and vision statement have been developed in collaboration with the Head Teacher Secondary Studies, Principal and library staff to create improved transparency and accountability for all staff working in the library. My work from ETL 503 was imperative in gaining an understanding of these areas in order to implement these strategies.
- Other initiatives introduced in collaboration with various staff and students included: a book fair, student resource recommendation slips, student reviews, displays, an improved library leaders program, reader’s advisory, pop-up library, reading circles, book club, refinement of the library collection to enhance diversity and support the school’s DEAR initiative and PRC all of which have enhanced the profile of the library within the school.

Professional Commitment

I feel my actions in the above two areas have demonstrated that I am a hard working information specialist who is committed to extending my capabilities as a teacher and my commitment to the profession. That being said, I can continue to develop my knowledge and practice by extending my networks and drawing on and contributing to these to develop programs within the library. I also aim through my enthusiasm, dedication, care and commitment to build on school strategies and teach students the relevant skills they need to become independent and mature young people and to support this with relevant and engaging resources. I will strive to continue to develop and expand the library to continue to effectively support students and their differentiated learning needs.

The Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course has been a worthwhile learning experience. At times it has been very demanding, particularly when juggling full time work, family and friends. I feel the long term benefits will outweigh these short term challenges however and allow me to have a new range of skills that I can contribute to my teaching for years to come.

References

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

Combes, B. & Valli, R. (2007). Fiction and the 21^st century: a new paradigm? Cyberspace, D-world, e-learning: giving libraries and schools the cutting edge. The 2007 IASL Conference, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

Floridi, L. (2007) A Look into the Future Impact of ICT on Our Lives. The Information Society, 23(1), 59-64, doi: 10.1080/01972240601059094

Gottlieb, H. (2012, October 30). Leading from the middle: Bringing out the best in everyone [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://creatingthefuture.org/leading-from-the-middle-bringing-out-the-best-in-everyone/

Guided Inquiry in Australia. (2015). The guided inquiry design process (GID). [Image]. Retrieved from https://guidedinquiryoz.edublogs.org/2015/12/20/welcome-to-the-new-look-australian-guided-inquiry-community-2/

Haycock, K. (2007). Collaboration: Critical Success Factors for Student Learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 25-35.

Kennedy, J. (2006). Collection Management: A Concise Introduction. Wagga Wagga: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Lee, M. (2012). A library without books? Curriculum Leadership, 8(15).

O, K. (2019, May 1). INF 532 – KN Artefact [Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/333498922

Olmos, K. (2018). ETL 401 – Assignment One – Part B. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2018/03/04/etl-401-assignment-one-part-b/

Olmos, K. (2018). ETL 401 – Assignment One – Part C. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2018/05/21/etl-401-part-c-reflective-practice/

Olmos, K. (2018). ETL 503 – Assignment 2 Part B. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2018/05/20/etl-503-assignment-2-part-b/

Olmos, K. (2018). ETL 505 – Module 1 Reflection. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/09/22/etl-505-module-1-reflection/

Olmos, K. (2018). Forum 1.1 Group 3 (Surnames N-Z). In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2018/05/20/forum-1-1-group-3-surnames-n-z/

Olmos, K. (2019). 4 big ideas around the connected educator. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/04/12/4-big-ideas-around-the-connected-educator/

Olmos, K. (2019). A new culture of learning reading. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/04/12/inf-532-a-new-culture-of-learning-reading/

Olmos, K. (2019). Connected and social learning. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/04/12/connected-and-social-learning/

Olmos, K. (2019). Flexible learning and digital learning environments. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/05/25/flexible-learning-and-digital-learning-environments/

Olmos, K. (2019). Globally connected educator –Apps I already use. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/04/15/globally-connected-educator-apps-i-already-use/

Olmos, K. (2019). Open learning and resources. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/05/25/open-resources-and-learning/

Olmos, K. (2019). The Connected Educator – Reflections. In A Novel Idea: the learning experiences, musings and resources from a beginning Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/anovelidea/2019/04/12/the-connected-educator-reflections/

Olney, K. (2018, June 6). Let them go- a library weeding parody. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vo3BjYm8zM

Pixabay. (2019 August 29). Books in Black Wooden Book Shelf. [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.pexels.com/photo/books-in-black-wooden-book-shelf-159711/

Ragnarsson, G. & Olmos, K. (2019). CHS Library Handbook 2020.

Schools Catalogue and Information Service. (2016). Overview and principles of SCIS subject headings. Retrieved from Schools Catalogue and Information Service website: https://www.scisdata.com/media/1743/overview-and-principles-of-scis-subject-headings.pdf

Shenefiel, M. (2013, May 15). Guided Inquiry. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/66270188

Stiles, L. (2004). Shelf Shifters. School Library Journal 50(9), 32. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=14407881&site=ehost-live

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). Arc-of-Life learning. In A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change (pp. 17-33). Lexington, KY: CreateSpace

Toor, R., Weisburg, H. K., & Walter, V. A. (2010). Being indispensable : A school librarian’s guide to becoming an invaluable leader (epdf). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

ETL 504 – Part B – Reflective Practice

4th October 2018karla_oETL 504Leave a comment

In reflecting on my learning in this subject, I have come to understand that leadership is the actions which an individual takes either individually or collaboratively to achieve outcomes. Individuals do not necessarily need to be in positions of management to lead (Korodaj, 2018). This is very true of teachers. Teachers are leaders of their students every day. If “leaders” was the term used to describe teachers, it is worth considering how society’s perception of the role and importance of teaching might change.

I attempted to adopt this thinking as I learnt about the leadership role of the Teacher Librarian. The Teacher Librarian role is multi-faceted and dependent on the individual circumstances of the school. There were aspects of the case studies that were relatable in my own school context but there were others I had not which made considering appropriate leadership styles and strategies to manage the difficulties quite challenging. The ever-changing nature of the school environment means there is a need for flexibility in leadership style. This is true for the Teacher Librarian.

In Case Study 2 perspectives on collaboration and communication were addressed. In our group, I initiated a discussion thread to try to eliminate issues relating to this. It established lines of communication and ensured transparency in terms of the processes used to complete each task. (Olmos, 2018). The key ideas we generated through our wiki were communication initiatives such as structured meeting agendas and minute taking. Our suggestions were quite practical so it was beneficial to read Group 10’s perspective where they specifically addressed the leadership theory identifying the need to move from an autocratic style of leadership to one that is more transformational (Moses, 2018). This reiterated my understanding that leadership style requires flexibility.

Case Study 3 focused on conflict resolution between personnel. Most of our group did contribute to the wiki each fortnight. We had a group member leave (V Bishop, personal communication, August 2018) part way through the semester which didn’t overly impact things as our structure was well established and we could continue to work around the issue. If members were in conflict this was not openly discussed on the forums. One week I was delegated to post the case study and another group member posted it before me. I felt I needed to justify that I wasn’t being lazy so I responded to a thread of communication (Olmos, 2018) on the group discussion board to make sure that it was clear I hadn’t forgotten, that I appreciated her effort and that I could be relied upon to follow through on what I had said I would do. In Group 9’s response they offered some good strategies to managing personnel including addressing issues of conflict directly (Coventry, 2018). Whilst this was not conflict directly I felt I took a step towards ensuring that this would not develop.

References

Coventry, D (2018, August 4^th) Case Study 3 Group 9 [Online discussion comment] Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://bit.ly/2IATCLF

Korodaj, L. (2018). Introduction to leadership. Leadership for learning. [ETL 504 Modules: Topic 4] Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://bit.ly/2NkAwKw

Moses, M. (2018, August 4^th). Group 10 response case study 2 [Online discussion comment] Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://bit.ly/2DWoqru

Olmos, K. (2018, August 4^th). Introductions [Online discussion comment] Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://bit.ly/2IAOCXp

Olmos, K. (2018, September 9^th). Case Study 4 [Online discussion comment] Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://bit.ly/2OCctLM

ETL 401 – Assignment 1 – Part C

4th March 2018karla_oAssignments / ETL 401Leave a comment

For Part C of the assignment, here is my peer review on Tyler Ashcroft’s post:

Hi Mr Ashcroft,

Your blog appealed to me for a few reasons. Firstly, the use of white space in the choice of theme made it easy on the eye to read, consider and respond to the thoughts you expressed.

It also used engaging language appropriate to a blog post. For example “…the local community for many schools seem to have little to no involvement with this learning centre oozing with knowledge and resources.” I felt this personalised the writing. However, I am aware that it is also being viewed from an academic perspective so I would perhaps consider when and where you use this in future posts.

In terms of your discussion on the role of the TL, I liked the angle that you took exploring the TL role: how humour contributes to instruction in the library. It was something I had not considered because I too have had similar memories of libraries not being particularly humorous places. Your article further prompted me to consider, should they be? Your discussion I felt, looked at teacher pedagogy and is something I would argue all teachers must contest with at present. The article and quote you cited earlier in the reflection connected with your initial thought about how humour could be used, however stronger context was needed to strengthen how supportive the quote was to your argument.

Your use of the anecdote to conclude your reflection and support your thoughts created some strong imagery of the TL in a pastoral as well as management role. To strengthen the impact of this anecdote, a specific example of one aspect that had strengthened the community and therefore highlighted the complex role of the TL would have worked well.

Overall, I enjoyed reading your post as it made me consider the role in a way I had not done before.

[305 words]

References:

Griffin, S. (1990), “Joy riders: comedy traffic schools eye state”, Phoenix Gazette, March 13, p. A1.

Thinkspace.csu.edu.au. (2018). Assessment ETL401: Online Reflective Journal | MrAshcroft, Imagination Overlord. [online] Available at: http://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/tyedashash/2018/02/26/assessment-etl401-online-reflective-journal/ [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018].

Zucco, T. (1997), “A ticket to laugh”, St Petersburg Times, January 22, p. 1D.

ETL 401 – Assignment One – Part B

4th March 20184th March 2018karla_oAssignments / ETL 4012 Comments

Reflecting on your experiences of school libraries thus far, write a 500 word piece about how you think the role of the TL is perceived by parents/community in schools.

When considering my response to this question, I immediately thought of this popular meme:

Source: http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/250521-what-people-think-i-do-what-i-really-do

I felt a meme was appropriate in helping to articulate my thoughts on this topic as they are often used today to reflect popular thoughts on ideas relating to culture and stereotypes.

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as:

Meme (noun):

An image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users, often with slight variations.

There were various versions of this meme but I selected this one mostly because I felt a couple of the pictures summarised, for me, common misconceptions about librarians.

Namely, the picture of the woman with a stern expression, glasses and the caption, “What my friends think I do.” It captures what I believe is a common idea: that librarians are old, grumpy and spend most of their working day telling people to be quiet and/or joyfully giving out library fines (see picture one).

The other images I connected with included the last two: the image of the children, riding a rainbow into a book, with the caption “What I think I do” and the last image, “What I really do” which sees the librarian almost tearing her hair out at the incompetent patron.

Having now read the Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians (Asla.org.au, 2018) it is evident that the Teacher Librarian’s role is more than the sum of an internet meme. In some ways, I feel a Teacher Librarian is a super human teacher. They have the qualification of a teacher first and foremost. This means they must comply with the Australian Teaching Standards (Aitsl.edu.au, 2018) and ensure they maintain their proficiency in these areas. They utilise those skills in teaching literacy, inquiry learning and information literacy in a classroom setting and have the same requirements of any competent teacher: know your students and how to teach them.

In addition, they must comply with the ASLA standards and have evidence to support that they comply with these standards. This aspect of the role has a whole school focus: understanding the curriculum and collaborating with various areas of the whole school to do this as well as managing the library resources and the space as a learning environment. Purcell (2010) explores in her journal article that Teacher Librarians are working in a micro and macro environment within a school.

This, to me, is an idealist approach to the role and correlates with the second last image, “What I think I do.” It is one TLs should strive for however, TLs must work against these persistent, simplified community perceptions. I also believe if the role isn’t viewed positively from within the school environment: as being multi-faceted, dynamic and necessary in its assistance of the whole school’s achievement of outcomes, then unfortunately, I think these commonplace stereotypes will continue to persist.

References:

Aitsl.edu.au. (2018). Teacher Standards. [online] Available at: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018].

Asla.org.au. (2018). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians :: ASLA. [online] Available at: http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.aspx [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018].

Purcell, M. (2010) All librarians do is check out books right? A look at the roles of the school library media specialist. Library Media Connection 29(3), 30-33.