If someone told me one year ago that I would become a Teacher Librarian one day, I would think that person was insane. One year ago I didn’t even think of changing my career path to start working in a school library. Back then I was teaching a small English Academy class with twelve students ages 8 to 10 years old. 

    My understanding of the role of the TL has changed a few times starting from being a student to being the TL today. When I was a student, I used to think that school librarians were only in charge of circulation and navigation in the library. At that time titles, “teacher” and “librarian” were differentiated in my understanding and I didn’t think of librarians as being teachers. These seemed to be completely different jobs to me. Later, when I started working as a teacher in an international school, I realised that librarians also cooperate with other teachers and help to support their plans with necessary resources. Besides, the librarians in our school gave Library lessons to primary students once a week, so I started looking at librarians as single-subject teachers. Teacher Librarians worked closely with the curriculum coordinator and participated in our collaborative planning meetings where TLs looked at central ideas of units of inquiry that we were planning and suggested some resources they had available to support us. I understood that the library was there not just to provide us with textbooks and cover the reading interests of students, the librarians had knowledge of the curriculum of the whole primary school including vertical and horizontal alignment and they were ready to support it across all subjects. On top of that, TLs organised whole-school events like “Book Week” providing many engaging activities for students of all ages. 

     Last year our school library went through a significant transformation with a new librarian who rearranged the stacks and made the library a great welcoming place. I came to the library one day and instead of rows of ordinary shelves, I saw a lot of space filled with cosy sofas, chairs, carpets, cushions, and beanbags. There were small coffee tables covered with tablecloths and signs hanging under the ceiling, which navigated me through different sections of the library. The books in the children’s area were turned to display the front covers to make it easier for small kids to choose books. The library became much more user-friendly and kids were happy to spend time there. That was when I realised how important it was to consider the needs of different types of learners. I understood that TLs create an environment where learning can happen. 

    Later that year the vacancy for TL was announced and I decided to take part in the competition together with other candidates. During the interview process, I had a chance to work together with the TL to see what the job looked like from the inside. I learned about collection development and orders. I understood that TLs are conductors of information and they connect students and teachers with the whole world of information inside and outside of the school. I realised that TLs need to display an extensive range of skills including IT and ICT skills and be aware of the constantly changing information landscape and all current trends. This is how my understanding of the TL’s role has evolved and I’m sure that it will continue developing further on during my studies.