Regardless of their unique qualifications, the role of the teacher librarian (TL) is often perceived in schools by faculty, parents and the community as the person who simply reads picture books, lends out the library resources and may have the knowledge to repair a broken computer. I have found in my experiences working as a teacher librarian and working alongside several teacher librarians within NSW public schools, that the imperative and pivotal role and knowledge of the TL is often grossly understated, under utilised and frequently forgotten about.

From the perspective of a member of teaching staff within primary schools, it is often not known the specific skill sets, qualifications and professional knowledge that the teacher librarian essentially possesses. Given and Julien (2005) suggest that faculty attitudes, misperceptions and lack of professional relationships are the defining factors that result in the isolation that teacher librarians experience within their schools. The teacher librarian is often segregated from the rest of the school in their separate building, working independently and without a lot of the support and higher management that classroom teachers perhaps receive. The assistance or expertise of the teacher librarian is rarely sought after unless there is a specific text or resource required.

The misperceptions and misinterpretations of the teacher librarians role, capabilities and expert knowledge from faculty can become detrimental not only for the library professional, but can hinder productive faculty collaboration, which in turn can negatively impact student learning experiences and opportunities for the wider school community.

The role of the teacher librarian is specifically in one respect, an information specialist. The teacher librarian’s role is to coordinate, organise and ultilise information and to make it easily accessible to students, staff and the school community (ASLA, 2004). As the shift from classroom based teaching to student centered learning and inquiry based learning has created a central focus on the student’s individual learning needs and interests, a significant number of schools are requiring information and technology specialists, providing training to staff members in this field to support the diverse learning needs of students (Chen, 2010). While this is an excellent means of professional development for teaching staff, it is often other members of teaching faculty that are promoted to the role of ‘Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Coordinator’. It is frustrating to see this happen when schools have an ICT expert and information specialist already working within their school library, probably already doing this job, just without the fancy title.

However, this is simply what I have experienced so far within the education system and while I may seem to be critical and judgmental to other members of faculty, from the minimal research and reading I’ve done it seems as though I am not singular in my opinion that teacher librarians are misrepresented in their role and due to library transformations, appear to be a steadily dying breed.

Throughout my experiences and observations within schools; parents, caregivers and the wider school community seem to possess a greater, yet quiet, respect for teacher librarians. Whether this is because there may be a successful means of open communication between librarian and parent/caregiver, less strain on the relationship between the two parties in comparison to classroom teacher/parent relationships, or simply because their child loves the library. If the library environment is a warm, friendly and inviting place to be, students are excited to visit, listen and learn and they want to share these joyful experiences with their families.

While the politics that manifest within schools, arguing over whose role and responsibility it is to do whatever the specific job is, the little shining light for the humble teacher librarian.. is the students. At the end of the day, our role is to facilitate a love of learning to all students. We are the constant support network, facilitators of learning, the information providers, the technology consultants, the book fixerupperers and the literacy lovers and experts. We grit our teeth through the political debates held over the specific role and job title of the librarian (teacher, information leader, school library media specialist, learning hub manager.. etc.) decided by politicians and faculty that have never worked a day in a library.

Reference List:

Australian School Libraries Association (ASLA). (2004). Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians.  Retrieved from: http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.aspx

Chen, R. (2010). Investigating models of preservice teachers’ use of technology to support student-centered learning. Retrieved from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1ed0/4480078fa5d4bb906536d2f363ae5f0f1710.pdf?_ga=1.129794575.20

Given, L.M. & Julien, H. (2005). Finding Common Ground: An Analysis of Librarians’ Expressed Attitudes Towards Faculty. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heidi_Julien/publication/233046061_Finding_Common_Ground_An_Analysis_of_Librarians’_Expressed_Attitudes_Towards_Faculty/links/5436a87a0cf2bf1f1f2c788e.pdf