Jul
2017
The Role of a Teacher Librarian
I have taught in a range of primary schools over the past decade, throughout this time there were only two schools with a Teacher Librarian and the other schools had classroom teachers who would take their students to the library once a week to return and borrow books. I actually felt this to be quite disappointing as it was taking away the importance a library has in a school and all that it can offer to staff and students. Audrey Church, the President of the American Association of School Librarians reiterated the importance of school librarians in her article and emphasised the impact they have on student learning outcomes which is why it is vital to have as many librarians in schools as possible (Church, 2017, p. 5). This resonates with my experiences in schools without Teacher Librarians as staff did not have an opportunity to collaborate with librarians to create units of work that could be as rich as possible which in turn has an impact upon what students are being taught and consequently student outcomes. Even having a Teacher Librarian to help students find books they love to read for enjoyment has an impact on student outcomes simply by fostering their love of learning, “school libraries are an integral part of the educational process and they carry the responsibility for encouraging students to become learners who enjoy reading and develop the habit of using library resources in their daily lives” (Domínguez, García, Martinó & Méndez, 2015, p. 236).
In my opinion and from what I have seen, the Teacher Librarian is an information manager, inspires students and staff, encourages students to find literature they enjoy reading, assists students and staff with resourcing, manages budgets, educates and trains students and staff with technology and social media and promotes the library throughout the school and all of the many wonderful resources, programs and opportunities it provides. It is difficult to identify all of the roles a Teacher Librarian is responsible for as there are so many and from my experience, different schools have different expectations of the Teacher Librarian. One survey which was completed suggested, “school librarians are not only managers of school libraries but are also playing other roles such as of educators, administrators, teaching consultants, information specialists and information literacy (IL) teachers” (Lo & Chiu, 2015, p. 696) which again demonstrates the many hats a Teacher Librarian wears.
In the schools I taught in with Teacher Librarians, they were looked upon very highly by other staff members and administrators in the school, as they added so much value to the curriculum and the students absolutely loved the time spent with them. The Teacher Librarians in both these cases also collaborated extremely well with other teachers in the school, ensuring they were assisting with resources and ensuring their classes were linked to the inquiry unit in some way making the content in their library classes even more meaningful.
The role of the Teacher Librarian has definitely changed over time and it is an extremely diverse role offering so many positive experiences to staff and students.
Reference List
Church, A. (2017). An effective school library program…for every student. Knowledge Quest, 45(3), 4-5. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=a53ff532-2552-4adf-80ee-eda2598dc880%40sessionmgr4007
Domínguez, N., García, I.,Martinó, J., Méndez, A. (2015). The school librarian as motivational agent and strategiest for reading appreciation. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 48,(3), 236-246). doi: 10.1177/0961000615591650
Lo, P., & Chiu, D. K. W. (2015). Enhanced and changing roles of school librarians under the digital age. New Library World, 116(11), 696-710. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1732338136?accountid=10344
ccappe22
July 24, 2017 at 8:30 am (8 years ago)Hi Emma,
It was interesting to read your comments on teacher librarians from your direct experience as a teacher. I was very surprised to read that only two of the schools you have worked in employed a teacher librarian and am curious to know why these schools hadn’t appointed an information specialist to assist students and teachers with their learning. Were financial issues the key motivator driving this decision? I think the words from the President of the American Association of Librarians could be applied to Australian schools, and globally, where equally students would benefit from learning information gathering skills from qualified specialists. Something which would be lacking in schools who do not have the benefit of experiencing what a teacher librarian can offer.
It is interesting to note the emerging and changing role of the teacher librarian. The description of the teacher librarian you put forward by Lo & Chiu (2015) certainly outlines the many varied roles for which the teacher librarian can be responsible. My question which arises from this is, in a school where there is no teacher librarian, who takes on the role of teaching consultant, information specialist and teacher of information literacy? My feeling is no one and unfortunately students and teachers miss out on a specialist teacher who can enhance the learning and teaching experience. As you say where there is a teacher librarian engaged in the school community, their input to the learning experience is highly valued.
I enjoyed visiting your blog site. I liked the clean design and found it easy to navigate, it was interesting to read about your challenges in maintaining a blog space from previous studies and seeking the best means of representing your experiences from both learning journeys. The topics of interest in the right-hand column are a clear way of categorising and assisting with navigation. The typeface was clear to read and I enjoyed the design features of the blog date in the circle to assist with navigation. I look forward to reading your comments during the course.
eshanahan_2
July 27, 2017 at 8:29 pm (8 years ago)Thanks so much for your comments and observations about my blog and the information it contained. In response to your question, ‘were financial issues the key motivator driving this decision?’ in relation to teacher librarians not being present in some of the schools I taught in, unfortunately I honestly believe this was the reason, which is very sad. I am glad you found my blog easy to navigate around and found in to be a ‘clean design.’
Thank you for visiting my blog site and I look forward to reading your blog throughout this subject also.
Lee FitzGerald
July 31, 2017 at 5:43 am (8 years ago)Hi Emma,
This is a thoughtful and well supported post on the role of the TL, as you’ve experienced it thus far. Your blog is simple and effective and you’ve dealt with the copyright requirement. You’ve used sources particularly well, using them accurately both in text and in your reference list.
You’ve left a thoughtful and encouraging peer reflection on Jill’s blog, which shows you suggesting a reading for her from subject readings and encouraging her in her belief that classroom teachers should at least be present in primary library lessons to make them reflect the curriculum.
For the next task, the literature review, go on with the excellent research you’ve been doing, and change the tone from informal to formal. Choice of an issue relating to information access is critical. It needs to be broad enough to be able to sustain the search of academic papers, TL practitioner articles and public commentary that you will carry out. So, for example, a broad issue relating to information access could be digital literacy. Do come to the online meeting on Thursday night to explore this assignment further.
Well done so far!
Lee
ETL401 Subject Coordinator