When librarians have an online identity, especially in primary school setting, it is critical that they are aware of their online identity. Online identity is how you are portrayed on the Internet, the personality, attitudes and beliefs that constitute someone’s character. Of course, not all online identities reflect reality however it is vital that primary school teacher librarians are mindful of what and how they share their identity online. A teacher librarian is required by the education department to remain professional at all times and this undeniably extends to the online world. Teacher librarians must be aware that students, colleagues and employers can access most content posted online.
There are broad yet evident principals that teacher librarians must adhere to when posting on both personal and professional social networks including not posting inappropriate content, not posting content with student faces or names and being aware and following strict guidelines on copyright. A solution to personal social networking is to remain private and only allow close friends and family access content posted on personal social networking. This creates the necessary divide between personal posting which can include opinions and personal content and professional online identity.
Cho and Jimerson (2017) highlight how school eladership may be confident in their interactions in face-to-face contexts however the online environment may present new challenges. The teacher librarian and other school leadership must be able to transfer their skills of physical interactions to the online sphere. Cho and Jimerson (2017) also make the interesting observation that online interactions lack certain nuances that are present in face-to-face interactions such as non-verbal cues. This can lead to miscommunication and a misconstruing of the online identity of school staff. Cho and Jimerson (2017) also outline how online interactions can lead school staff to alter their opinions or perspectives to suit the audience they are trying to reach and therefore lose authenticity. Mewburn (2015) recounts the anecdotal experience they had when searching identities online. Mewburn (2015) describes how individuals leave traces of their ‘digital selves’ over many areas of the Internet. Mewburn (2015) was able to extensively learn about another scholar in an hour time frame which is an accurate indicator of how much information is available to any individual who may search a name, quoting this perspective as a ‘ 360 degree view of a person’. Mewburn (2015) recommends information professionals devise a ‘minimum presence model’ that encourages positive aspects to identity and are easily found in searching a name including; a university page as well as a LinkedIn and Twitter account. This ‘minimum presence model’ is an excellent strategy to mitigate risks involved with audiences forming an identity of an individual that is not reflective of their professional identity. The model provides teacher librarians with the opportunity to accurately reflect their professional identity.
Cho, V., & Jimerson, J. (2017). Managing digital identity on Twitter: The case of school administrators. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 45 (5). 884-900. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143216659295
Mewburn, I. [Thesis Whisperer] (2015, August 11). Scholar, Google thyself. Thesis Whisperer. https://thesiswhisperer.com/2015/08/11/scholar-google-thyself/
