teacher librarianship – Page 2 – From dust jackets to digital horizons

The Principal and the TL

Posted on March 24, 2022

Collaborative partnerships with staff, from teaching staff to school leadership, are essential for a TL’s success as a learning leader (Haycock, 2007). A productive relationship with the Principal, and other key leadership team members, is vital for library advocacy, justifying funding/budget changes, reporting, future planning, professional development, and much more. Often the work of library staff goes unnoticed by other members of staff, especially leadership who aren’t necessarily ‘on the ground’, so it is important to make these efforts known. Communicating the essential role that school libraries play in the lives of the broader learning community, and their incredible impact, is an ongoing process. Regular collaboration meetings could be a good way of keeping the Principal informed and on-board.

A supportive Principal can enable a TL by backing their vision for the school library, providing suggestions and support, sharing leadership advice or strategies, and ensuring appropriate funding (for staff and resources). I think a supportive Principal should also trust a TL’s expertise and genuinely understand that the library is adding value to the lives of all learners through library offerings and services.

In turn, TLs can support a Principal by driving whole-school initiatives, such as reading programs, teaching skills (e.g. digital/information literacy and research), supporting literacy development, teaching classes and more (Kemp, 2017). TLs can also provide guidance about information needs, assist with curriculum development (including cross-curriculum priorities or inquiry learning projects) and support staff as they plan learning units. For independent schools, a wonderful library could also be a selling point for prospective families!

References:

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

Kemp, J. (2017). Ten ways to advocate for your role as a teacher librarian. Connections, 103, 6-7. https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-103/ten-ways-to-advocate-for-your-role-as-a-teacher-librarian/

Image Credit: Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Teacher Librarianship Standards

Posted on March 24, 2022

Looking at the evidence guide produced by ASLA for the ‘proficient career stage’ brings back stressful memories of collating my VIT portfolio of evidence, responding to all the AITSL standards (as I applied for full teacher registration). The portfolio itself ended up being more than 150 pages and the process was overwhelming – but I did learn a lot in the process! It forced me to reflect on my practice and consider areas for improvement as well as future benchmarks of success.

I think these ASLA evidence guides confirm, publicly, that teacher librarianship is primarily an education-focused role. In Victoria, it seems that schools don’t have to employ qualified teacher librarians. For example, in my current school, the sole middle/senior school librarian is not a qualified teacher and cannot assist with curriculum resourcing or pedagogical strategies. However, these evidence guides show that the work of teacher librarians can be substantiated against the AITSL standards, as the work of teachers can be.

The evidence guides also give examples of how the standards can be interpreted and practically applied. As the documentation states, the guides can be used for professional learning and goal-setting – which is how I imagine I will use them – particularly moving from the ‘proficient’ to the ‘highly accomplished’ level of career progress (ASLA, 2015). It is always helpful to have a framework to check that you are on track and also for accountability and reporting purposes (e.g. sharing your annual or term progress with school leadership). I think the guides add credibility to the profession, which is important for advocacy initiatives, particularly relating to future funding and job security.

References:

Australian School Library Association (2015). Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the proficient career stage. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/evidence_guide_prof.pdf

Image Credit: Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

Recommendation: Children’s Books Daily

Posted on March 20, 2022

Children’s Books Daily is an amazing website run by passionate QLD teacher librarian and parent, Megan Daley. Megan is a previous recipient of the national Dromken Librarian’s Award and has been working as a teacher librarian for many years. She published the incredibly helpful book for parents/teachers ‘Raising Readers‘ in 2019 which is brimming with wisdom and advice.

There is a lot of helpful content on her website, including a blog, a range of different ‘top 20 book lists’ for different age groups and a categorised section for book reviews. These book reviews are mostly written by Megan or a member of her team (e.g. teacher librarian Mel Kroeger).

Pros:

Megan is an expert! She knows students through her work in schools but also as a parent with kids of her own
She promotes quality Australian literature, particularly new titles
Her knowledge base and audience are tailored to Australian school students/teachers/parents
Can filter reviews by age group and genre

Cons:

It’s not clear of Megan is ever sent material to review from publishers/authors
Potentially biased towards book suiting her interests (but she does seem to read broadly!)

Here is YouTube video produced by Queensland University of Technology celebrating Megan Daley!

Image Credit: Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

Teacher Librarians and the Information Landscape

Posted on March 10, 2022

“In this particular context, the term information landscape refers to textual knowledge mapping of individual cultural practices and experiences, which constitute a holistic and dynamic knowledge system.” (Savolainen, 2021).

Why it is important to have an understanding of the broader information landscape?

As a school-based teacher librarian, you are the resident expert for how to best navigate the information landscape (both digital and print). It can seem overwhelming, for both staff and students, because there is so much information out there to be filtered/appraised/sorted and so on, before it can be used for various education purposes. Not only do TLs need a good grasp on how it all works, but they need to be actively modelling how to navigate the landscape regularly, so they can keep informed. Effective TLs will always be the go-to people in school for staff and students who need help or have questions about sourcing or critiquing information.

How you think the information landscape will affect your role as a TL in a school?

I think the information landscape, particularly ever-evolving digital resources, will impact us as TLs daily! We need to make sure that we are accessing the best resources for our learning community and giving them up-to-date information to best navigate the information landscape themselves. The pace of change and vastness of digital resources means that we must keep up-to-date and be open-minded about trialling new platforms, emerging technologies, and diverse resources. It’s easy to focus on the digital information landscape, but this encompasses print information resources as well – we need to keep abreast of excellent print learning resources as well (from non-fiction resources to quality novels by local authors). The information landscape will remain a thrilling, slightly terrifying, essential part of our jobs!

References:

Savolainen, R. (2021). Information landscapes as contexts of information practices. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 53(4), 655–667.

Image Credit: Photo by Robynne Hu on Unsplash

Assignment 1: What I thought I knew

Posted on March 8, 2022

Task Description: Reflecting on your experiences 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 TL in schools.

I first became aware of Teacher Librarians (TLs) when I undertook my two teaching placements as a Master of Teaching student in 2016 (I ended up teaching at the first placement school the following year). Both of the schools I taught at had thriving school libraries staffed with a variety of librarians and technicians but, most importantly, were headed by a passionate and qualified TL. Unfortunately, the first TL has just recently passed away from cancer. I wish I had had the opportunity to learn more from him while he was still alive. He remains the single most extraordinary person – enthusiastic, supportive, resourceful – I have met during my five years in education.

During these two placements I loved spending time in the libraries, and often took my classes for reading or research sessions. I once put on a podcast exhibition event with a Media class, supported by the library team, and we invited the whole school to attend – putting on a delicious spread and showcasing exciting student learning. On my second placement I saw the library come alive with poetry readings, music events and fierce chess competitions. Teachers often visited for support and there was a constant flow of students in and out.

I remember the TL on my second placement commenting, “I’m one of the few surviving TLs. They are as rare as hen’s teeth these days. Their expertise just isn’t appreciated any more.” Upon hearing that, I essentially dismissed becoming a TL myself, mistakenly assuming that the qualification no longer existed or was fast becoming extinct.

I look back on these experiences fondly because they showed me what an effective TL can be and the incredible impact they can have on the whole school community, through the library environment they cultivate. They open the door to the physical library space for students to read, learn and inquire, but they also open doors in the digital landscape; modelling information literacy skills, supporting student learning and connecting the community with quality resources. As Hill (2017) summarises, they oversee “places where the letter ‘C’ is key: create, connect, collaborate, communicate, care and change with your community.”

Interactions with library staff in schools who are not qualified TLs has only reinforced to me the vital role that TLs play in the school community. As the Australian Library and Information Association (2016) outlines, the “key roles of the teacher librarian are learning and teaching, management, leadership as well as collaboration and community engagement.” As the digital landscape evolves with complex information and resources, necessary for both staff and students to navigate confidently, TLs in schools are, arguably, more important than ever.

References:

Australian Library and Information Association. (2016). Statement on Teacher Librarians in Australia. https://read.alia.org.au/alia-asla-statement-teacher-librarians-australia

Hill, A. (2017). Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year 2017: Reaffirming and celebrating the pivotal role of teacher librarians in our school libraries. Access, 31(3), 28-29.

Maridashvili, A. (2021). Young woman in blue jacket choosing a book from a bookshelves [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/gqk2hoqGAL0.

In The Beginning

Posted on March 1, 2022

Well, here we are! Day one of studying my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) and time to birth a new blog. I enrolled in this course because I am an avid bibliophile with a longstanding love of books and libraries. I have found school and public libraries to be places of wonder, shelter, inspiration, and comfort, particularly during stormy times. I have been an English teacher for five years and am passionate about supporting students to be lifelong readers and promoting quality Australian literature.

I vehemently disagree with alarmist rhetoric about the ‘death’ of books and libraries. On the contrary, I believe that libraries have never been more important and am enthusiastic about the way that libraries are transforming to expand offerings, incorporate digital resources, increase collaboration, and support wellbeing. I have never wanted to be a stuffy, cardigan-clad, teen-hating librarian presiding over an immaculate, untouched collection of books anyway!

Effective Teacher Librarians are worth their weight in gold and the very best I’ve met are all dynamic, warm, supportive, inspiring education leaders. I am taking this course to hopefully become a TL myself but also learn how to equip 21st century learners, share powerful learning resources, connect with others around the globe, become a better reader and, well, just learn a whole lot more myself.

Image Credit: Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash