Since the beginning of my studies to become a primary school teacher, I always knew that I wanted to become a teacher librarian. From personal experience, the library was an oasis for myself; a place I could read, discover and learn. I have always valued the library, not only within the school environment but within society. However, despite having such an admiration for libraries and the people responsible for its well-maintained function, I was not aware of the diversity of the role and how it extends beyond the physical space. (School Library Association of South Australia, 2015). There are various impacts on the teacher librarian and their practice however this blog post will focus on the information landscape, digital information and opinions on the role.
There are many factors that impact on the role of a teacher librarian. A prominent factor is the dynamic and wide-ranging nature of the information landscape. The information landscape that students are exposed to stems from a range of areas. Hutchinson (2017) outlines the key areas that constitute the immense literacy information landscape including academic literacies, new literacies, digital literacies and media literacies. From Hutchinson’s work, it is evident that student’s information literacy levels can develop from a range of sources which poses a challenge to the teacher librarian. The teacher librarian must be a dynamic educator who can swiftly adapt their practice to incorporate all forms of information within the information landscape. It is also noteworthy to mention that education of the information landscape is a small fraction of the role. It is an immense task to teach students to navigate the information landscape however it is extremely vital to student academic success.
Another impact on the role of the teacher librarian is the rise of the digital age which has brought about significant changes within libraries and society at large. Otlet (2013) describes how the internet has changed over its inception particularly focusing on the coupling of old and new technologies and information delivery modes, the reduced use of traditional literature, the convenience of hyperlinking, the consideration of how information is accessed and its validity for example payment required to view information in contrast to openly sourced on the web as well as the vast amount of information that is accessible and the implications involved. These changes in the digital information world translate to the library as well. The teacher librarian must constantly be evolving to suit the context they are teaching within which could be achieved through regular professional development sessions on technology, networking with other schools and educational professionals and personal research of trends.
In addition to the factors mentioned above, the opinions of fellow staff and principals can heavily affect the perspective on the library and the teacher librarian at the helm. Hartzell (2002) notes that negative perceptions of teacher librarians can have a ripple effect that starts at the individual level and can carry through to an institutional level. It is vital that fellow educational professionals work harmoniously with teacher librarians in order to ensure the maintenance and thriving of the information hub, the library, within schools.
References:
Hartzell, G. (2002). The Principal’s Perceptions of School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, 8 (1), 92-11. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241606611_The_Principal’s_Perceptions_of_School_Libraries_and_Teacher-Librarians
Hutchinson, E. (2017). Navigating the Information Landscape through Collaboration. Connections, 101, 8-9. Retrieved from http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/connections/latest_issue.html
Otlet, R. (2013). Surviving or Thriving? Building an Information Landscape. Trends, Discovery and People in the Digital Age, 71-90. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285623511_Surviving_or_thriving_Building_an_information_landscape
School Library Association of South Australia. (2015). Teacher Librarian Role Statement. Retrieved from https://www.slasa.asn.au/Advocacy/docs/RoleStatement2015.pdf
Congratulations on a well-considered and nicely written reflection for your ETL401 assessment blog post. You have included some quality resources and explained your personal understandings of the role of the TL in schools. It is a very ‘studied’ response, but I am sure that at the ‘heart’ of it is a new student keen to engage in the profession and enjoy and be challenged by the opportunities that this will give her working with her students. You’ve demonstrated a very clear and well-structured writing style, which sets you up well for the next assessment too. Well done overall.