Up until recently, a career in teacher librarianship seemed out of reach. Having only recently come to end of 4 years studying part time to complete my teaching qualification, adding on more study seemed absurd. The moment I realised that I needed to pursue this goal was when I found myself exasperated by all of the paperwork involved in becoming a teacher and exclaimed to myself “I just want to read books with children. Is that so hard?”. I knew at that moment that becoming a teacher librarian was a desire deep inside of me, but what does this career even involve? I wasn’t even sure.

My initial understandings from my own days at school were that teacher librarians were there to assist students with research, matching students with books they might enjoy and providing a safe space in the school for children. Most of all, my understanding was that one of the primary roles of the teacher librarian was to maintain quiet in the library, through lots of shushing!

Since then, I’ve come to see that promoting a love of books, reading and literature as just one of the many roles of the teacher librarian. Sparking the imaginations of learners, teaching them the joy and solace to be found in reading as well as providing the foundations of literacy are key roles of the teacher librarian, but they do not come close to describing the breadth of this job.

Creating displays for various events at the school, such as NAIDOC Week and World Environment Day, promoting Book Week and organising the book parade and events surrounding the week and Children’s Book Council Awards (CBCA) are some of the more visible roles the teacher librarian carries out.

Managing resources and book collections, ensuring books are in the correct place and easily found. Understanding the students in the school in order to present books that peak their interest as well as providing the opportunity to ‘see themselves in a book’ is something that I see as a pivotal part of the role.

Information literacy is a key element of the teacher librarian’s role. More contemporary aspects of the school library include the part school librarians play in developing learners’ skills using information and communication technology (ICT); conducting research online, using resources such as Minecraft, Augmented Reality (AR), coding and other STEM related resources.

Providing a space for students to explore, create and innovate is another contemporary role the teacher librarian has taken on. Lunchtime clubs such as Makerspace and Lego Clubs have become a part of the fabric of the school library.

The teacher librarian’s role of collaborating with teachers to enhance learning resources and support teaching programs is one area I’d like to learn more about.

Whew! That all seems like a lot of work!

Having the opportunity to create and maintain an ever-evolving learning hub for a school seems to be a unique opportunity and I’m looking forward to learning more about this dynamic role.