Many who work in schools seem to think that when it comes to selecting resources for the school library, this is the sole responsibilty of the teacher librarian. Not true! Upon wrapping up my first year as a TL in a new (to me) school, I have come to the realisation that my role is incredibly collaborative, more so than any other role I have had, and this is especially true when it comes to resources selection.
I have worked very closely with Heads of Departments, who come to me with queries about particular resources, can we acquire them, how much, would it be worth getting them for students or just teacher references, plus many more other questions. As I’m new to the role (and hadn’t yet started this subject!), I had to do quite a bit of digging to figure these things out myself. I guess this is where my role is different from that which is required by all teachers – all teachers can find resources, but the teacher librarian needs to do that extra bit of digging to see if the resource is relevant, necessary and engaging to students – our clients – and their needs. That is not to say in any way that “the buck stops” with me – I have learned so much and been open to so many suggestions made by teachers with more expertise in areas I am still learning about. The only way the buck stops with me is when it comes to paying for the new resources as I manage the budget!
I have thoroughly enjoyed spending this year working with teachers and utlising their own skill sets and interests to help build on our library collection. This year we wanted to add to our very small collection of LGBTQ+ fiction and non-fiction as we realised this was a growing area of interest for our students (both LGBTQ+ students and their allies were keen to broaden their understanding and read more widely). I worked alongside an English teacher who is an avid reader of this genre and she passed on an extensive list of book recommendations, which I then worked through to see what was suitable for the school library context. Students then saw we had added to our collection, and began to make suggestions of their own. Building upon the library collection is truly a combination of the collaborative efforts of teachers, students and the TL.
