Near each term’s end, our long-serving library assistant begins gathering resource boxes to support learning for next term. Increasingly, few of these, mostly, non-fiction books are taken. This causes frustration and anxiety for her. She expresses concern that students will have no classroom resources to support their learning. It has led us to conversations about other ways we can support learning in classrooms and assurances that print non-fiction will continue in our collection, albeit with a refined purpose to pique curiosity and be, as Tobler (2018) writes, a ‘launching pad for student research’ (para.6)
TLs must consider how schools access and engage with digital information and what that means for the library. Rather than this being an end to our value, this is an opportunity for us to do less hand-off of volumes and, as described by Jaguszewski and Williams as cited in Gleason (2016), ‘participate in the entire lifecycle of the research, teaching and learning process’ (p.17). One way we can do this is through the creation of learning objects and resources which cater to local needs.
Teachers require a tailored and annotated selection of resources. Rather than maintaining a large selection of books about marine life (including multiple copies), we collaborate with teachers to make distinctions between print material and digital material according to needs. These conversations inform the creation of locally produced learning resources.
I now create reading lists in our LMS after collaborative planning with teachers. For example, Year 2 did not have a need for many information books about marine life because they have iPad access to the library’s digital encyclopedia. Rather, they requested picture books and poetry on this topic. The subsequent reading list, discoverable through the OPAC, means we are curating and retrieving targeted resources.
In a previous blog post (Linton, 2023, September 16), I recounted a review of research tasks across Years 2-10 and the discovery of incongruities in the skills and expectations found therein. I am noticing the same in my new school. Laretive (2019) suggests the TL is best suited and obliged to address this as a curriculum leader, information specialist, and information service manager (p.231). As I did to prepare for my research guide, I map research tasks across the primary and link them to information literacy skills found in the General Capabilities. From this, I create resource guides on our learning management system which ensures skills are being developed with a plan and embedded in the learning life of students.
To produce resources and objects to meet local needs, TLs must learn to evaluate and select the right tools and use them effectively. In her forum post, Chelsy Gaskell (2023) identified the importance of accessibility and inclusivity so all students can use selected technology and engage with its products. Research guide creation has made me more aware of standards and guidelines for this, such as those produced by World Wide Web Consortium. Evaluation can get complicated.
Recently, while preparing learning objects, I used a generative AI tool to create a supporting image for a mnemonic. Referencing this took me down a wormhole of AI considerations. TLs must be knowledgeable on copyright, ownership, and licensing of AI objects. The contemporary TL has powerful AI tools for creating and modifying works to create scaffolds for learning (Smartcopying, 2023). Yet, these tools come with considerable ethical decisions. Creators of original works, like author Richard Flanagan, are deeply distressed that their books have been used to train AI without their permission (“’Biggest act of copyright theft in history’…” 2023). The ethical choices of AI companies must also be considered.
The 21st century TL can support student learning in traditional and contemporary ways with the help of technology.
Burke, K. (2023, September 29). ‘Biggest act of copyright theft in history’: Thousands of Australian books allegedly used to train AI model. Guardian (Australian Edition). https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/28/australian-books-training-ai-books3-stolen-pirated
Gaskell, C. (2023, August 2). RE: Activity: Discussion Forum 3 [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://tinyurl.com/bdhmx72r
Gleason, Ann Whitney. (2016). New methods of teaching and learning in libraries. Rowman & Littlefield.
Laretive, J. (2019). Information literacy, young learners and the role of the teacher librarian. Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association, 68(3), 225–235. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/24750158.2019.1649795
Smartcopying. (2023). Using Generative AI Platforms in Schools. https://smartcopying.edu.au/using-generative-ai-platforms-in-schools/
Tobler, R. (2018). Non-fiction: the elephant in the library. SCIS Connections, 18. https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-107/non-fiction-the-elephant-in-the-library
