So I’ve always known that there are things lacking in my little library that I’ve been in charge of for 18 months, but as it was only refurbished 4 years ago I felt grateful for fresh furnishings and just quietly lamented its shortcomings. After studying information literacy (ETL401) and resourcing the curriculum (ETL503), I had new problems anyway. The Decision Makers in the school won’t let me collaborate or resource the curriculum! Now, after starting ETL501, I’ve decided I can blame them for the space issues too. Which means that I’m looking forward to ETL504, Teacher Librarian as Leader!
I’m not completely ungrateful. It’s good but…
The windows are great for painting special event information but…
… they are high and behind book shelves so I can’t ask students or volunteers to paint them due to work health safety (WHS) issues. I have to be extra careful too.
There are plenty of flat surfaces on top of the shelves for displays but…
… again they are too high for students to reach so I can’t put books on them.
The entry is aesthetically pleasing with double doors and a long foyer lined with display wall felt but…
… the entry is via a staff carpark so I’m not allowed to open the library in the morning.
There is a bank of 19 chromebooks for students but…
… only stage 3 have been given permission to use them.
The library is too small. I can’t seat an entire class at the tables and I can’t seat the whole staff or even a stage 3 class in front of the interactive whiteboard but…
… at least there is an interactive whiteboard? There isn’t really an exception for size. It really is just too small.
And then I remembered. The library renovation from 4 years ago? The Decision Makers (not the TL), stole about 18 square metres at one end of the library, put a wall in and created an office for themselves. And no doubt they needed one. But clearly they weren’t thinking about the school library as a hub. And they definitely weren’t thinking about needing a venue for collaborative inquiry style learning and presenting. What really annoys me is my theory that all they were thinking about was that the school library is a just a classroom for RFF. I honestly think that’s all they see it as. And a storeroom from books. OK, so clearly I am not even trying to hide my frustration but even I can see that I need to keep a dialogue going with the Decision Makers so we can all understand each other better and hopefully have the same goals. Meanwhile, I am not one to sit around and sulk. Well, not for long. I have already come up with a solution…
The Solution: I am the hub. The TL is the hub not the library. It came to me when I read the ETL501 subject notes, that a library display doesn’t have to be in the library. Neither does a teacher librarian, neither does inquiry style pedagogies. I can take collaboration to the classrooms; I will take classes to the tech (to the computer lab, to the room with a green screen). We will move to the hall for presentations and/or create digital presentations. I will create an online space, a school library website that is a hub for the whole community and helps me achieve my library goals. Surely the Decision Makers will grant me that freedom. I mean, they’ve said no all year but I am ready to ask again. In other words, if the library space doesn’t support my goals, I will find another venue that does support them. The perfect school library space could be found in a variety of locations across the school, in the community and online.
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