Before joining ETL504 – Teacher Librarian as a Leader, I could not think that a Teacher Librarian can showcase their leadership in so many ways. I used to believe that leadership is more of a positional thing, and people who affect decision making are mostly school principals and project coordinators. 

While studying the first module of this subject, I started thinking about different examples of leadership from literature and around me. One good example was the experience of Lana Read described by Vukovik (2019) which I reflected upon in the discussion forum (Kaigorodova, 2024, Mar 5).  I could see the connection between Read and my Head of School. Being a transformational leader like Read, when he joined our school, he initiated the MSA accreditation process which helped him dive into all the processes and operations. I think starting such a project is a good way to identify gaps and develop a strategy. 

When learning about middle leadership, I’ve noticed a shift in my mindset as I realised that there are a lot of leaders around who do not hold a leading position, but they lead by example. Farrel (2014) claims that leading from the middle is natural for school librarians as they collaborate with a larger community. I started looking at my position from the viewpoint of middle leadership and I saw ways I can contribute to the decision making process by becoming a part of a committee, so I joined the Literacy committee in my school. 

Learning more about Leadership theory helped me understand different leadership styles. When working on Assessment 1, it was interesting to analyse the school organisational structure, identity leadership styles, and see connections between the roles. This task helped me better understand how my school is structured and who is responsible for what. I could clearly see where I was placed, my connections with other departments and possible ways to build new relationships, for example with the Student Support Team. 

When learning about strategic and operational planning, I analysed my school’s mission and vision statement in a discussion post (Kaigorodova, 2024, Apr 25). This exercise set me into thinking about the library vision statement which does not exist in our school library. Bundy (2008) suggests that the vision statement should be inspiring and future oriented and I’m thinking about writing one for my library. 

Another important aspect of leadership is the leader’s ability to manage and resolve conflicts. McNamara (2017) provided practical guidelines to problem-solving and decision making which I think I will use in my professional practice in case of a conflict.  It was interesting to reflect on my conflict resolution style in a blog post (Kaigorodova, 2024, May 13).  Boros et al. (2010) claim that cooperation is better in equal groups  and I realised that I lack knowledge about other cultures, which could potentially help me avoid conflicts with other people. 

My reflection on what 21st-century libraries should look like (Kaigorodova, 2024, May 16) transformed my understanding of the role of a TL in leading the change. Librarians are natural leaders of Information and digital literacy, technology implementation, community engagement and lifelong learning.  Jones and Johnson (2020) insisted that providing new technology is a key growth driver for libraries. Harris and Smith (2018) suggest that good library programs and services determine the impact of the library in the community.  

Informed by the learning from this subject I want to start showing my leadership by being visible to the school community and showcasing the initiatives that our library  does to improve student learning.  I have developed a program of integrated library lessons, which will allow me to co-plan and co-teach inquiry lessons with teachers to show how the library can support them and their students. 

References:

Boros, S., Meslec, N., Curseu, P. L., & Emons, W. (2010). Struggles for cooperation: conflict resolution strategies in multicultural groups. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25(5), 539-554. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941011048418

Bundy, A. (2008). How are your library’s mission and vision statements? Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services, 21(1), 3-4.

Farrell, M. (2014). Leading from the middle. Journal of Library Administrations, 54(8), 691-699. https:doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2014.965099

Harris, L., & Smith, J. (2018). The importance of library programming: A user-centric approach. Library Trends, 66(1), 45-57.

Jones, K., & Johnson, S. (2020). Integrating technology into library services: Best practices for 21st-century libraries. Journal of Library Technology, 28(4), 211-224.

McNamara, C. (2017). Problem solving and decision-making. Free Management Library. http://managementhelp.org/personalproductivity/problem-solving.htm#guide

Vukovik, R. (2019). Leadership: Creating a culture of learning. Teacher Magazine. https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/leadership-creating-a-culture-of-learning