Are school librarians an endangered species?

No, I think not!

Karen Bonanno presents some interesting advice on the viability of teacher librarian positions in schools. Our digital world is presenting many new opportunities for this role, and whilst perhaps in the past we have been challenged to justify and keep our positions, with the need for ICT, IT and IL qualifications, we are at the threshold of rising to this challenge of accommodating the needs of our students, by upskilling in these areas. Whilst Bonnano states that the profession has been regarded as invisible (Bonanno, 2011), the stabilisation of library budgets (Softlink, 2014) and the increased emphasis on students developing digital literacy skills that prepare them for school and beyond, has opened doors that now require school librarian leadership (Stripling, 2014). This will see an increased need for teacher librarians to possess strong digital and technology backgrounds (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada and Freeman, 2014a). With studies indicating that parents acknowledge the great and important role libraries play in children’s lives (Miller, Zickuhr, Rainie and Purcell, 2013), they will be one of our strongest advocates for the success of future libraries that are ‘well-staffed and well-resourced’ (ALIA 2014b p10).

Bonanno suggests that we gather evidence, engage in formal presentations, engage in scholarly articles, document library usage of both print and database statistics, which are all powerful strategies that reinforce the Teacher librarian’s role and importance (Bonanno, 2011).

I don’t think we are an endangered species – but we have to be proactive about what we do! It saddens me that we have to prove our worth and value, when the work we do is so crucial. If we are to prove our worth, we need to have a bird’s eye view of the curriculum so that we may support staff in the design and implementation of curriculum, improve and update our skills, keep abreast of information literacy and digital platforms and work collaboratively with teaching staff. This reminds our school communities how imperative and vital our role is to the success of our students’ literacy and information literacy, by integrating and delivering these skills (Bonanno, 2011).

Bonanno’s advice to see the glass as half-full, is encouraging and indeed, correct. There is no better time to be a teacher librarian in schools where the digital world continues to evolve. We are at the gateway of leading our students and staff through this online digital world; we just need to remind key stakeholders of how vitally important this role is!

Australian Library and Information Association 2014a, ALIA LIS Education, skills and employment trend report 2014, ALIA, Canberra, ACT.

Bonanno, K. 2011. A Professional at the tipping point. Viewed 20 April 2019, from http://kb.com.au/profession-tipping-point/

Johnson, L, Adams Becker, S, Estrada, V & Freeman, A 2014a, NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Library Edition, The New Media Consortium, Austin, Texas from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2014-library-edition/

Miller, C, Zickuhr, K, Rainie, L & Purcell, K 2013, Parents, children, libraries and reading, Pew Research Center, Washington, DC. from http://libraries.pweinternet.org/2013/05/01/parents-children-libraries-and-reading/

Softlink 2014, The 2014 Australian school library, Softlink Australia, Brisbane.

Stripling, Barbara K 2014m ‘The peril and promise of school libraries.’ Advocating for School Librarians, American Libraries from http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/advocating-school-librarians/