The impression I formed throughout the MTL course is that ETL504 is the nightmare class! I had never heard of a “middle leader” before and was secretly terrified that my introverted self was going to be told to narcissistically insert myself into leadership meetings. Thankfully, that was not the case and my learning across the class could be better described as, “waking from a dream.”
If I had thought much about leadership at all, I would have said that leaders were charismatic individuals who drew followers through their personalities, positions, and opinions. Through the coursework, I came to understand what a leader is and that they can be strategically formed (Kanold, 2017) as visionaries who can exploit opportunities to advance the school. Middle leaders improve outcomes for students (Fleming, 2019) through their ability to form strong partnerships with staff horizontally and vertically (Farrell, 2014). I realised that my informal mentors had been middle leaders and that I am well positioned in the library to lead in this way. I also understood that, although I had experienced the impact of change, I had not thought about strategies for managing it, like giving teachers ownership of the change (Clement, 2014), particularly as I plan to be a catalyst for change in my school community.
Many in the school community do not see teacher libraians (TL) as leaders (Merga, 2020). However, through this process, I have discovered that I am already emerging as a one! I possess many of the qualities such as innovator, visionary, and collaborator. I have more to offer others than I realised, and I am keen to develop more. I have a renewed appreciation for my role in advocating for the library and as a guardian of community spirit (Hunter & Buchanan, 2021).
My confidence and view of my role have been expanded and clarified. After Assessment 1, I carried out a SWOT of my work role to identify where I am doing well and where I need to grow. Assessment 1 also highlighted that I have real strengths as a visual thinker, a 21st-century skill that I can help develop in students (Hattwig, et al., 2013) and use to promote the library. Another effect of this class is that my eyes have been opened to how my school leadership is working to manage change and that I can be a resource to them. TLs know they are indispensable to schools, but we need to keep reminding staff of that (Toor & Weisburg, 2011)!
There are many ways the timing of this class has been perfect. While hiring a new library assistant, I was able to use what I learned about vision and mission statements to determine what I wanted in a new team member. Assessment 2 was also great timing. I have felt like our K-12 library is viewed as something that is for the Junior School and that Google has replaced the need for the High School students to use the library. This course led me to think about how I can engage High School students and staff. My first idea is to develop a portal of quality digital resources, so it is their first port of call instead of Google. I will slightly modify and use the strategic plan I developed for Assessment 2 as a vehicle for this change. I hope to use the development of the website as a means for more collaboration with staff. In the meantime, however, I am going to approach each Head of School and ask if a section meeting can be held in the library where I can take the opportunity to promote what the library can offer teachers so that the staff can see “to ask why we need libraries at all, when there is so much information available elsewhere, is about as sensible as asking if roadmaps are necessary now that there are so very many roads” (Bing, 2009).
References
Bing, J. (2009). American Libraries Magazine.
Clement, J. (2014). Managing mandated educational change. School Leadership & Management, 34(1), 39-51. https://doi:10.1080/13632434.2013.813460
Farrell, M. (2014). Leading from the middle. Journal of Library Administration, 54(8), 691-699. https:doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2014.965099
Fleming, P. (2019). Successful middle leadership in secondary schools: A practical guide to subject and team effectiveness (2nd ed., Vol. 1). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351066709
Hattwig, D., Bussert, K., Medaille, A., & Burgess, J. (2013). Visual Literacy Standards in Higher Education: New Opportunities for Libraries and Student Learning. Portal (Baltimore, Md.), 13(1), 61–89. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2013.0008
Hunter, L., & Buchanan, S. A. (2021). Responsive stewardship and library advocacy in dystopian times: using information from the Civil Rights Movement and 1984 to strengthen libraries. Online Information Review, 45(4), 853–860. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-08-2021-565
Kanold, T. D. (2017). Heart! : Fully forming your professional life as a teacher and leader. Solution Tree Press.
Merga, M. K. (2020). School librarians as literacy educators within a complex role. Journal of Library Administration, 60(8), 889-908.
Toor, R., & Weisburg, H. K. (2011). Being indispensable : a school librarian’s guide to becoming an invaluable leader. American Library Association. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2020.1820278