Literacy requires foundational skills of not just being able to read, write, listen and speak, but to make meaning from what has been read, written, heard or said. It is only when these skills have been mastered that multiple literacies can emerge within the complex digital landscape. I remember hearing a teacher say many years ago that literacy is the foundation of all learning. Holdaway also acknowledges this, stating literacy is the foundation of learning in all areas of the curriculum (Holdaway, 1979). Holdaway (1979) also states that to ‘integrate a literate society, it is important to foster a lifetime habit of purposeful and critical reading for information, education and recreation.’ Likewise, Zurkowski in the same decade also shared concerns with the increasingly complex and rapid development of the information landscape and suggested that a national program be created so that citizens would be information literate by 1984 (Kurkowski, 1974). Even though these ideas were published forty years ago, these concepts are still very much relevant today and resonate with the 21^st century skills of the Australian Curriculum. Just as foundation skills are important to information and digital literacy, so to is the research conducted forty years ago. Clearly, the research doesn’t change, it is just adapted to suit the challenges and ever-evolving information landscape of the 21^st century! Even UNESCO is on board!

Information literacy is certainly diverse and interesting, and can have a myriad of definitions depending on the context and purpose that information literacy is required. Trying to figure out what it means to me as a teacher-librarian is so important, because if I don’t understand it and have a clear picture of what it means, then how can I teach students the skills necessary to be information literate? For me to understand it, I need to think about my own context and purpose.

Whilst students love to search for information through easily accessible sources such as Google and Wikipedia, changing these badly formed habits is not going to happen overnight. And whilst our students may be able to use a computer and its software, it is definitely used on a superficial level. Students will need to gain competencies through a range of digital literacies, including computer, ICT, Web 2.0, Internet, Media literacies, as our readings suggested. However, with Information Management, I do wonder whether students will need to be skilled in the other literacies first. If information management means being able to locate, filter, select and evaluate information, won’t they need to master the other digital literacy skills necessary to access these sources first?

I have been sharing some useful strategies for colleagues on how to encourage students to access the wonderful e-resources we have available. As these resources or access to these databases hasn’t been promoted in recent years, I understand WHY our students do resort to the ‘quick fix’ of google searching! I realise now that I have a mammoth task ahead of me to think about how to share the importance of information literacy – and decide whether it is indeed a set of skills or a way of learning, as Bruce, Edwards and Lupton debated (2007). Because ‘people see literacy differently and our ways of seeing Information Literacy, our ways of seeing teaching and learning are likely [to] influence our approaches to and experiences of IL education (Bruce, Edwards and Lupton, 2007). I think every school will need an Information Literacy model and fortunately, there are a range of models that have been developed. These models will hopefully not only help students, but teachers too with inquiry learning and approaching inquiry based tasks.

Holdaway, D. (1979).The foundations of literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Zurkowski, P. G. (1974). The information service environment relationships and priorities. Related paper no 5. National Commission of Libraries and Information.

Bruce, C., Edwards, C., & Lupton, M. (2007). Six frames for information literacy education. In S. Andretta (ED.). Change and challenge: Information literacy for the 21^st century. Blackwood, SA: Auslib Press. eBook, CUS Library Reserve.

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/

This is a fabulous example of how a nation values its libraries! Helsinki in Finland, home to 650 000 people, boasts 36 public libraries. This article shares some fascinating facts, including first and foremost, that Finland is the most literate nation in the world. With 853 public libraries nationwide, they are leading the way in offering invaluable library access to their people. One of the first things asylum seekers receive when arriving in Finland is a library card! Finns love their libraries. Online services are increasing by 40% a year, and what is even more interesting is that no new librarians were hired for the opening of this library, with 50 librarians sourced from existing libraries…..and ROBOTS support these librarians by sorting and returning books! Have a read, it’s quite fascinating. Is this the face of public libraries of the future?

Oodi Library, Helsinki
Image courtesy of Tuomas Uusheimo

When you create work and make it available to the public, you own the copyright to that work. If you want to protect your work, you can register this work with a copyright office. This means that if somebody else wants to use your work, they have to gain your permission. To make your work sharable, you can use Creative Commons, which is an internationally recognised organisation that provides sets of licences, that allows your copyrighted work free for sharing. In other words, you don’t have to approve a request to share your work every single time you receive a request, as long as the user follows the rules of the copyright you have set up through Creative Commons and they acknowledge your work as the creator.

My understanding of the role of Teacher Librarian has changed immensely over the last few months. As a teacher of Senior English and French, I have spent many afternoons wandering the shelves of our library looking for inspiration from texts to assist with my teaching of novels and to find ways to share my love of literature and reading with my students. I would access our online catalogue and databases or indeed seek help from our TL. My dream was to foster a love of literature my teachers and parents instilled in me. I would observe our TL in her domain and envy her job of being surrounded by books!

Now I realise this exceptional role is multi-faceted and goes beyond the cataloguing and ordering of books! I was totally oblivious to the demands of a TL and I realise I have totally underestimated the incredible service our TLs offer our students and teachers alike. TLs are more than book shelvers…they are a curriculum leader, information specialist and information services manager (ASLA, 2018). This description is totally daunting and I have no idea how I am going to be all this and more. Having transitioned into the role of TL at the beginning of the year with no previous experience, I am swimming solo in an ocean of the unknown and I am terrified.

The digital world is a constantly changing entity and will continue to evolve as the world becomes more proficient with such technological advancements. With Queensland moving into the new QCE system this year, we as teachers have been charged with the task of providing our students with the 21^st century skills that underpin our syllabuses, including ICT skills (QCAA, 2019). The need for TLs to have a great command of these 21^st century pedagogies and curricular can only strengthen the skills of and benefit teachers and students (ACT Government Education). Our role is incredibly important and the more I learn about this role, the more apparent it becomes that the library is, in essence, the heartbeat of a school. The direct impact the digital world has on us, as educators and more specifically teacher librarians, means that we must be abreast of information and resource services and learn how to implement these, as well as use and teach others how to implement them into their daily practice. It is paramount that TLs are well-informed and proficient in their skills and have the capacity to impart this knowledge with students and colleagues alike.

The Australian School Library Association states that TLs are ‘uniquely qualified [and] valuable because curriculum knowledge and pedagogy are combined with library and information management knowledge and skills (ASLA, 2016). In fact, research conducted both overseas and in Australia reports that students’ learning outcomes and achievements improve when there is a qualified teacher librarian on staff (ACT, Government Education). What an incredible responsibility and role we are going to play.

The nature of the world we live in today, compared to the world I grew up in, is vastly different. We have information at our fingertips, and an abundance of information actually, and to navigate these sources can be daunting for anyone. Our role as TL is to help students effectively locate reliable, authoritative and meaningful resources (ACT, Government Education).

It’s an exciting time to be at the helm of a multifaceted role that is going to be pivotal to the learning success of our students of the future. Students of the 21^st century. We need to equip our students (and teachers) with the skills to navigate the information overload and be discerning with locating, selecting and evaluating this material to create the best possible learning outcomes for our core business – our students.

ACT Government Education. (2019)
https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/916301/School-Libraries-21st-Century.pdf

QCAA, Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2019) https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/senio

Australian School Library Association. (2016).
https://asla.org.au/about-asla

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/senior-subjects/general-subjects/21st-century-skillsr-subjects/general-subjects/21st-century-skills