According to Combs (2016), an information literate person “knows when they don’t know and knows how to find out.” Well, at the start of this subject, I literally knew nothing. Sure, I knew that teacher librarians lived in the library. They ordered books, recommended new series to students, taught a few subjects, would throw in some research skills here and there. But I had no concept of the sheer expanse of roles a TL played within the school community, despite the fact I had literally just become employed as one!
This course has already made me think and stretch my mind is ways that my mind hasn’t stretched in YEARS. I very quickly realised I didn’t know much at all, but I knew where to find out, and that was via various readings and discussion posts provided throughout the semester. When looking back at my own discussion posts, I can see I may have come across as overwhelmed, and that’s because I was! And still am! But at least now I have a clearer definition of what it means to be a TL and how my own strengths fit into this role.
Before this subject, I didn’t really know what information literacy was. That’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I have been a classroom teacher for 15 years before this and was so wrapped up in the huge amount of work in front of me that I never really thought about it. Now it’s very clear to me – information literacy is working with, thinking about, managing and communicating information. In fact, it’s something that teachers and students have always done, except maybe not in the best way we could. And that’s where the TL comes in.
Our role IS about books and reading, but it is so much more than that. Our job is to guide others towards being a more information literate person. I was surprised to see in the 5.4b: Convergence discussion post that pretty much no one knew of an information literacy policy in their school. I certainly know there wasn’t one in my last school (although no surprises there, as they didn’t even have a TL), and wasn’t too surprised that there wasn’t one in my new school either. However, it made me feel a little better to realise that the wonderful TL who came before me had set up a subject that focused on research skills, inquiry learning, digital citizenship – two lessons a week for the year 8s devoted to the growth of these vital 21st century competencies. It wasn’t a whole-school approach, but it was certainly better than nothing, and I’m excited to do more with this subject, knowing what I do now about my role to play.
I also think I sometimes approached the concept of information literacy and inquiry based models with some negativity, as seen in my contribution to the 4.1b: Inquiry learning discussion forum. I realised after looking back that I think I was approaching this with my “teacher hat” on, not my new and slightly awkwardly-fitting “teacher librarian hat”. I even discussed in there that the biggest hurdle to introducing IL into schools was the resistance of teachers, and upon reflection I now understand I was being one of those teachers! Whoops. Old habits die hard! In my defense, I still think that teachers can and will work well with inquiry based models as long as they have been properly introduced to a concept, given time to process it, given time to practise and implement it…and I now know this is where the TL comes in.
WE are the conduit between news ways of learning and having information literate students. It is our job to be the “bridge”, for want of a better term, between teachers and students; to step in and help create information literate digital citizens who “know what they don’t know, but know where to find it.” In my blog post, ‘Is the TL an endangered species?’ (https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kylieobrien/2020/04/01/is-the-tl-an-endangered-species/), I come to the conclusion that we shouldn’t have to defend our jobs and why they are important, and this holds true, especially knowing what I know now – that the role of the TL is absolutely VITAL in promoting IL and inquiry based learning. If schools can see the promotion of information literacy via their TL, our role becomes simply invaluable when it comes to the growth of 21st century students and teachers.
