The parameters of what constitutes literacy is changing and evolving. The development of trans literacy is evolving into an important part of the role of the teacher librarian. Trans literacy is the ability for students to be able to navigate, read, write, understand, interact and think critically across a wide variety of platforms. I have come to realise that this form of literacy supports a participatory learning culture. Transliteracy is an active form of literacy, where students have to engage with multiliteracies, such as visual and critical literacies. Constructivist in nature, it enables students to engage with literacy learning in a multimodal way.

As teacher librarians, our role is to step out of our comfort zone with what literacy learning might look like. We have to participate in this culture ourselves. We can do this by creating our own participatory digital spaces through engaging pathfinders or curating a range of digital literature. We can create spaces where educational gaming is sanctioned. As a teacher librarian, we can establish learning environments which encourage students to create though podcasts, blogs or in a makerspace. Constructivist spaces that encourage collaboration, critical thinking and support digital connectivity. In these way, we can begin to support the development of trans literacy in our students.