Part A: Statement of personal philosophy
An effective teacher librarian is central to a school’s teaching and learning, fostering curiosity, collaboration, and lifelong learning skills. Clear and authentic communication is essential, as is building genuine relationships with staff and students to ensure the library meets their needs and remains a relevant space.
An excellent teacher librarian stays attuned to the school’s pulse, aligning library services with initiatives, student interests, and the school’s strategic goals. Embracing innovation and change, they explore new technologies and resources to enhance teaching and learning. Passionate and committed to lifelong learning, they inspire growth in others, serving as a bridge to knowledge, literature, and connection.
Part B
My journey in the Teacher Librarianship Masters course has been a long one due to different personal circumstances along the way however this has made for a richer experience as my professional career has progressed in interesting ways alongside my studies. When reflecting on the course many themes stand out however for the purpose of this reflective blog I have chosen to focus on the themes of leadership, information literacy and collection management and library design.
Librarian as Leader
Over the course of my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) studies, my understanding of leadership within the library has evolved significantly, transforming both my perspectives and practices. Initially, I underestimated the library’s potential for leadership, assuming it played a largely supportive role. I even noted in my first ETL 401 blog post that as a beginning teacher, before I had enrolled in this course, I felt that the library was “a silo subject, completely withdrawn from what was happening at the coal face of the classroom” (Otto, March 3, 2018). Over the years since this post I have been exposed to various leadership roles, had numerous leaders as well as, most importantly, undertaken the Librarian as Leader (ETL 504) subject which has helped me identify that I have in fact been exercising leadership qualities right along my career journey. For example, when reflecting on my early blog posts, such as one from ETL 401 where I noted that “publicity is key to success” and emphasised how I had to make a conscious effort to shift perceptions of the library among classroom teachers, I can now recognise these efforts as early, albeit unintentional, leadership initiatives. This need for self promotion is still just as crucial all these years later. I now know that by utilising a transformational leadership style I can “project purpose, promises, and priorities into conversations, meetings, emails and presentations” (Blane, 2017, p. 78) and that this consistent approach will help to cement the standing of the library within the school.
Through the coursework, my professional placement, and practical experience I’ve had in my workplace, I have come to understand the multifaceted leadership roles a teacher librarian can assume, from advocating for budgets, implementing library programs and shaping whole-school initiatives. My knowledge of leadership styles has deepened, enabling me to navigate the diverse approaches of colleagues and to strategically align the library’s goals with broader school priorities. This shift in my thinking has empowered me to proactively build connections with key stakeholders, ensuring the library is a vital participant in the school’s strategic direction. In particular the subject Librarian as Leader especially helped to inform the need to create a mission statement for my library that would help to create “purposeful, collective action” (Ytterstad & Olaisen, 2023). Ensuring that I had a clear mission statement that I could share with others meant that I can succinctly communicate how the library can work alongside the school’s strategic goals and help to lead the ‘information needs of the students” (Crowley, 2011, p110). Armed with this knowledge and the commitment to further learning, I am committed to fostering collaborative relationships with teaching staff and driving initiatives that enhance both student learning and cementing the library’s role as a hub of innovation and support.
Information literacy and the changing educational landscape
Throughout my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) studies, my understanding of information literacy and its place within the changing educational landscape has undergone significant growth. When I began the course in 2018, my focus was on a structured inquiry process, rooted in my experiences teaching primary school students. Over time, and now working in a secondary school library, I recognise the need to adapt these approaches to meet the diverse and evolving needs of older students, especially in light of the dramatic changes brought about by the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Reflecting on past blog posts, I continue to hold the belief that information literacy cannot thrive without true collaboration between teacher librarians and classroom teachers and that a whole-school approach, supported by rigorous discussions among colleagues, is essential for fostering these skills. I still stand by my blog post from 2018 entitled Reflection on Information Literacy and Inquiry Learning where I commented that the “teaching of information literacy is [shouldn’t] fall solely on the teacher librarian instead it should be a whole school approach with the teacher librarian as leader’ (Otto, May 21, 2018).
Undertaking Assessment 2 in ETL 504 allowed me to deep dive into designing a strategic proposal around AI policy and education, this was incredibly valuable and had a direct impact on my real workplace. I was able to demonstrate the need for developing an AI curriculum that aligned with ACARA and “emphasised the necessity of students understanding not just how to interact with AI but also how AI systems work and what the limitations of them can be” (ACARA, 2024). Exploring a new information literacy domain such as artificial intelligence has reinforced my belief that a teacher librarian must always be a learner. Fullan believes that leaders are more effective when they learn alongside their colleagues when enacting change (2010) but to be an excellent teacher librarian I know that I must be a learner at all times and always be willing to explore and consider new ideas especially in the information literacy space. I must continue to engage with academic findings as well as learnings from my colleagues and peers. Informal information like Tedx talks such as the one below: AI Literacy: The Key to Responsible Use of AI in Education (2024), are a useful way to continue to build my knowledge of subjects and get timely information of how other educational facilities are embracing and educating the changing technologies.
Through various subjects studied I now have a far better understanding of how I can tackle the information literacy skills gap at my current school but while I feel I have made progress, I acknowledge that there is still much growth to achieve, particularly in understanding how generative AI can support, challenge, and redefine the teaching and learning of information literacy. As I look ahead to the 2025 school year, my professional learning will focus on building skills so I can equip students and staff with the skills to critically engage with emerging technologies, ensuring the library remains a cornerstone of innovative, ethical, and informed educational practice.
Collection management and good library design
My growth in the areas of collection management and library design during my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) studies has been transformative, providing me with a solid foundation to tackle real-world challenges. Recently, starting a new position where I had to establish a secondary library from scratch, tested and validated the knowledge I have gained throughout this course. With limited space I have had to think critically about what to include in the collection. I have also had to consider my role in the library design and needed to ensure that the task is not a solo one, but one of collaboration and consideration of those that the space will serve. I knew from discussions during this course and experience in my own teaching practice that student input was crucial in creating a successful library. As Torres and Tagoe remind us “when students have a sense of ownership they are more likely to attend and participate” (2022, p. 26). Using my knowledge gained during Research in Practice (ETL 567) I have been able to design a small research study that tracked the effectiveness of the new library along with gathering valuable information about what students wanted to see within their new space. My practical skills have grown considerably through tasks such as Assessment 3 within ETL 567 where I was able to learn the importance of mixed-method research design and I was able to apply my new understanding to my own research study and ensure that, as Creswell and Clark explain, using one data source would not elicit the comprehensive results needed and they wouldn’t effectively address the research problem (2011). Creating a research study that I could then present to school leadership is something that I would not have been able to achieve without the studies undertaken in this course.
It has been interesting to reflect on my former blog posts and see the shift in my ideas, in a 2019 blog post I initially questioned the need to genrefy the fiction collection and stated that “determining the genres to use in a fiction collection is fraught with difficulty and can easily pigeon hole both authors and readers” (Otto, Jan 11, 2019). While I still somewhat agree I have a far more open perspective that has developed from ongoing discussions with library professionals, engagement with fellow students and learnings during things such as my practical placement and study visit. As Tehani Croft, who provided great insights during the virtual study visit, suggests in her writing it is vitally important to be flexible and try different ideas that may build usage of the library and also reflect what the students are most interested in (2019). Similarly, my initial stance on censorship, rooted in a belief in complete and uninhibited freedom of access, has evolved into a more nuanced understanding of the importance of carefully applying selection criteria to ensure the collection is suitable, balanced, and reflective of the school community’s needs. As I noted in a 2019 forum post, “a well-written selection criterion can help to develop a collection that is suitable and balanced” (Otto, Jan 11, 2019) and I now apply this principle with greater confidence and precision. While I feel my learning has provided me with a strong framework, I recognise that collection management and library design are ever-evolving areas, and I remain committed to ongoing professional development to create dynamic, inclusive, and student-centered library spaces that support learning and teaching.
Part C
Undertaking the Masters of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course has been invaluable in building my professional knowledge along with advancing my professional career into positions I never thought possible. I have learnt a huge amount during my time enrolled in the course and when looking critically at the ALIA-ASLA Standards of professional excellence for professional teacher librarians I can see there are many areas that I feel like I can confidently say I excel in.
However as someone committed to lifelong learning I know that there are areas that will need to continue to build my skills and knowledge in. I have created a simple colour coding system for the ALIA-ALSA standards that demonstrates things that I do well: green; I am competent at but require more attention: blue; and those that need further learning as I do not feel confident in them yet: yellow.
With each new subject I developed a deeper understanding of what I need to do in my professional career in order to be an excellent teacher librarian. I feel like the most influential skills that this course has provided me with are around leadership and research. ETL 504 Librarian as Leader has been incredibly significant in understanding how the leadership structures operate in my own school and how I can tailor my approaches to suit. While I feel I have a good basic understanding of leadership I have colour coded the Leadership 3.3 standards as either yellow or blue. These are areas that I know I need to further develop my skills, in particular ‘actively engage in school leadership and participate in key committees’ (ALIA, 2024). As I approach my one year anniversary at my new school I now feel that I can confidently start to approach leadership and make a positive influence in key committees. This sense of confidence in myself, my qualifications and my abilities is crucial to leadership success, “confidence supports communication and relationships” (Everhart & Johnston, 2016, p. 21) and its this confidence that Everhart and Johnston suggest is what will allow teacher librarians to influence and inspire others in their school (2016).
Another subject that has directly impacted my learning and continues to shift the way I approach my job is ETL 567 Research in Practice. I found this subject incredibly challenging and at the time I undertook it I struggled to see the practical implications for my ‘on the ground’ work at school. However, since finishing this subject I have continued to refer back to it and the learning that came from it significantly helped me to collect and use data gathered from students when I was tasked with creating a brand new library collection. I am committed to learning more in this area and this aligns well with my standards that I identified for development, 3.1 Lifelong learning. Alongside the learnings from Research in Practice I also will draw upon the reflective practice developed during the course. It has been a wonderful practice to be asked to reflect on my learning and this is something that will assist in becoming an excellent teacher librarian. As John Dewey stated “ we don’t learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience” (Dewey, 1933, p. 78).
Resources:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2024). Artificial Intelligence. Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/teacher-resources/understand-this-curriculum-connection/artificial-intelligence/
Australian Libraries and Information Association. (2024). ALIA-ASLA standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. https://read.alia.org.au/alia-asla-standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians
Blane, H. (2017). 7 principles of transformational leadership : create a mindset of passion, innovation, and growth (1st edition). Career Press.
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd ed.), Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science, edited by Barbara M. Wildemuth, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=4743711.\
Croft, T. (2019). Starting a new library position: Suggestions and recommendations to kickstart a new role. Access, 33(1), 4–11.
Crowley, J. D. (John D. (2011). Developing a vision : strategic planning for the school librarian in the 21st century (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited. https://doi.org/10.5040/9798400639531
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. D.C. Heath and Company.
Everhart, N., & Johnston, M. P. (2016). A proposed theory of school librarian leadership: A meta-ethnographic approach. School Library Research, 19. http://www.ala.org/aasl/slr/vol19
Fullan, M. (2010). ‘‘The Awesome Power of the Principal.’’ Principal 89 (4): 1012. http://www.
naesp.org/resources/2/Principal/2010/MarchApril/M-Ap10.pdf
Otto, A. (2018, March 3). Changing perceptions of teacher librarians. The Book Was Better. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/msotto/category/etl-401-introduction-to-teacher-librarianship/
Otto, A. (2018, May 21). Reflection on information literacy and inquiry learning. The Book Was Better. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/msotto/2018/05/21/reflection-on-information-literacy-and-inquiry-learning/
Otto 2019 (2019, Jan 11). Should we genrefy?. The Book Was Better. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/msotto/2019/01/11/should-we-genrefy/
Tagoe, V., & Torres, J. E. (2022). Liven up your library : design engaging and inclusive programs for tweens and teens. International Society for Technology in Education.
TEDX Talks. (2024, April). The key to responsible use of ai in education: Mary Lou Maher. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weemM1r-zaY
Ytterstad, S., & Olaisen, J. (2023). Learning Transformational Leadership : A Pedagogical and Practical Perspective (1st ed. 2023.). Palgrave Macmillan.