When working in a primary school library, there are many considerations to including a social media presence. As schools are propelled into 21st Century learning, the school library is becoming more and more recognised as the main inquiry hub of the school. Teacher librarians are then encouraged to find innovative ways to connect with the learning community and foster collaboration between students. This is where a quality, well-maintained social media platform within the school is invaluable. The National Library of New Zealand (2017) reinforce the importance of social media in fostering connectedness amongst the school community and that social media can encourage student participation. Stower and Donaghue (2016) discuss anecdotal experiences of incorporating social media and how it resulted in teacher librarians receiving immediate feedback on resources and also encouraged interaction between different groups within the school. Stower and Donaghue (2016) also discuss the intriguing idea of using social media platforms such as Pinterest to curate digital collections. Ultimately, teacher librarians incorporating social media platforms is one of many technological developments currently occurring in school libraries. Hirsh (2018) highlights how teacher librarians must be prepared for and adapt to the continuous changes in technology and the implications for education.
A major factor in the role of a teacher librarian is the ability to adapt practice for consistently developing technology and education trends. The Independent Education Union (2020) note some teacher librarian anecdotal experiences involving the challenge of ‘learning…how to solve tech problems and…be an onsite tech support resource’. These anecdotal experiences demonstrate how teacher librarians must consistently learn and develop their skills in a diverse world of technology. Wenborn (2018) notes how the evolving trends and developments in our technological society will involve librarians increasing their skills as well as undertaking and providing professional development in technology. Librarians must also consider how technology trends will affect their physical space. Wenborn (2018) describes how students interact differently with libraries in recent years and it is now the task of the librarian to ensure their physical space is suited to modern user needs. Teacher librarians must emerge as technology leaders in current education to ensure students receive the most comprehensive and well-resourced experience in technology and interacting with Web 2.0 (Hirsh, 2018). Although the school library has undergone many varied changes and developments over history, the information service and library science context is consistently changing and holds many new opportunities and challenges that we may not even be able to predict! It is the responsibility of the teacher librarian to be prepared for any technological advancement and how this translates to the school environment.
References
Hirsh, S. (2018). The global transformation of libraries, LIS education and LIS professionals. https://rikkyo.repo.nii.ac.jp/index.php?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=16425&item_no=1&attribute_id=22&file_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=49
Independent Education Union. (2020). The future of school libraries. http://publications.ieu.asn.au/2020-march-ie/article1/future-school-librarians/
National Library of New Zealand. (2017). Social media and the school library. https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/school-libraries/library-services-for-teaching-and-learning/your-school-library-online/social-media-and-the-school-library
Stower, H., & Donaghue, M. (2016). Using social media to support school library services. Connections, 98. 5-7. https://www.scisdata.com/media/1044/connections98.pdf
Wenborn, C. (2018). How technology is changing the future of libraries. https://www.wiley.com/network/librarians/library-impact/how-technology-is-changing-the-future-of-libraries
