Posts Tagged ‘Role of a TL’

05
Sep
2021

Sarah Mounsey Professional Reflective Portfolio 

categories: ETL507 Professional Experience and Portfolio

My learning Journey through the Master of Education, Teacher Librarianship

Part A: Statement of Personal Philosophy

An effective teacher librarian (TL) needs to lead from the middle and demonstrate how they can support teaching and learning in a school. A TL needs to be an information specialist who ensures the library is a dynamic learning environment that is not confined to the walls of a library. They need to inspire, develop and foster a passion for reading and develop in students, and teachers, the information and digital literacy skills for lifelong learning and global citizenship. A TL needs to ensure that students will graduate as ethical, critical users of print and digital media who are able navigate the changing information landscape.  

Part B: Three Learning Themes 

Theme 1 : The Teacher Librarian as a Leader 

The ALIA and ASLA standards for professional excellence for TLs (2004) highlight the importance of demonstrating leadership within school and professional communities. I started my Master of Teacher Librarianship a few weeks before I moved from a teaching role to be a TL.  ETL401 was an insightful introduction to the multifaceted role of a TL and the potential to be a leader. I write about this in an early blog post, The Role of the Teacher Librarian in Schools (Mounsey, 2016a). As I progressed through this degree, undertook additional professional learning, and learned ‘on the job’, I have been inspired to work as a TL who is also a leader. On reflecting on my learning, some key themes emerged of how TLs can be leaders. 

Leading from the middle

When I earned the role of head of year 1 and 2 at a school in London, I was encouraged to enrol in a course, Leading from the Middle, which was a useful step on my learning journey. Years down the track I started the subject ETL504, Teacher Librarian as Leader, which was possibly the most useful subject in my degree. I wrote a number of reflections which included important topics including leadership styles, advocacy and dealing with conflict (Mounsey, 2019b, 2019d, 2019c). Most importantly this subject helped me to advocate for the need for our school to have a Director of Libraries. My two TL colleagues and I had mentioned this to leadership previously, but it had not been met with interest. Studying ETL504 inspired me to create a mind map to show all the contributions the TLs were making in our school (figure 1). I used this to demonstrate much of the ‘invisible’ work the TLs do and to advocate for this role. The school leadership team then agreed to create a new role. I applied for it and to my delight, was offered this position.  

Library mindmap includes so many of the things TLs do in a school

Figure 1

For the past two years I have been the Director of Libraries for Dulwich College, Singapore.  I am now part of the Educational Leadership Team in a school that has 2800 students and three libraries. I collaborate with 2 other TLs, 8 library assistants and parent and student volunteers. Without the learning from this degree, I would not have had the skills or knowledge for this role.  The qualification has ensured I develop the library and school curriculum with regards to recent research, information literacy, literature learning and technology. 

Lifelong learning  

Professional learning in addition to the CSU course has also been of great benefit, as have connections in TL communities. In my reflection post for ETL504 (Mounsey, 2019e), I mention that The AITSL standards for teacher library practice include “to engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities” (Australian School Library Association, 2014). In Singapore I have been an active member of The International School Library Network  (ISLN) and I have attended and presented at international conferences. Additionally, the library staff from the nine Dulwich College International (DCI) network of schools regularly connect, and in Singapore we hosted a conference for all Dulwich library staff. 

I value the importance of reading research which is related to current pedagogy and literacy. Although I have taken time to complete this degree, it has allowed me to delve deeply into the readings and I often share relevant literature with colleagues. I found the subject INF447, Research in Practice, the most challenging of all subjects. At the time I did not appreciate the importance of understanding research paradigms, methods, and methodologies so deeply. However, I am so pleased I completed this subject because earlier this year I was asked by a professor at a Singapore University to collaborate on mixed methods research into the reading preferences and habits of our students. I have blogged about this in the post, What books are ‘hot’ (Mounsey, 2021a) and we are currently finishing the report to deliver to the school (figure 2) and submitting a research paper to be published in an academic journal. 

Front cover of school report

Figure 2

I spoke about this research when I was asked to present for the National Library Board of Singapore (2021) in their Education in the City series. 

An Advocate 

The report ‘Future learning in school libraries’ discusses how a TL needs to be an instructional leader who leads the library into the future by planning and thinking strategically and using advocacy and marketing (ASLA, 2013). One of the biggest takeaways from this degree has been about the importance of NON STOP advocacy. A TL can easily be an invisible role in a school and advocacy can be done in many ways. Some of the ideas that I have learnt that have been effective are: 

  • Promoting the print and digital resources through social media channels, staff meetings and school newsletters. 
  • Creating library annual reports including infographics which are displayed around the school and included in newsletters (figures 3, 4 and 5).
  • Delivering parent workshops and staff training. The video below is one example we created because parents have not been allowed on site during the pandemic (Dulwich College Singapore, 2021). 

Collaboration

TLs have the capacity to work with all school staff, students, and parents, and together they can generate change (Herring, 2007). They are in a unique position to see the big picture across a school and can work as a leader to manage a library and support teachers to plan and deliver a curriculum that is future focused. In the blog post Leaders Who Lead (Mounsey, 2019b), I share the learning about different leadership styles and assert that instructional leadership is the style that I aim to use (Ferguson and Hamm, 2013; McKewan, 2003). Other important collaborations have included working with: 

  • the IT team to introduce new resources and technologies; 
  • the marketing team to promote the library and resources; 
  • TLs from other schools to shortlist the Red Dot books and organise the ISLN Readers Cup; 
  • the finance team to manage the library budget; 
  • the Asian Festival of Children’s Content committee to help plan their program. 

Strategic planning 

ETL504 was a crucial step in my learning about the importance of maintaining policies, procedures and strategic planning for libraries. It also helped me to reflect on the importance of library vision and mission statements and how they should be closely aligned with the school vision, culture and values. After this subject ended, I put much of this new learning into practice. I collaborated with the other TLs in the school to create a 5-year libraries strategic plan and updated our policy documents. 

 Theme 2: Information Literacy 

Until I started this degree I did not know what a significant role a TL should play in ensuring information literacy (IL) skills are embedded into the curriculum. ETL401 was my first introduction to this, and I blogged about my steep learning curve in the post, A Shift in Thinking (Mounsey, 2016b) . Then during assignment two of ETL504, I discussed how “information seeking is a primary activity of life” (Kuhlthau, 2004, pp. 13-27), and how it is essential that schools support students to develop IL skills.  The American Association of School Libraries (2014) reports that finding information online for academic purposes is overwhelming to most students and that digital technology makes it harder for them to find a range of credible sources.  

Effective teaching and learning should move away from heavy curriculum instruction and involve deep learning which involves personalised learning and opportunities for students to develop problem solving skills and the four Cs, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking (Martinez and McGrath, 2014; William, 2018; Wolf, Jones and Gilbert, 2014). This new knowledge has helped guide me to deliver IL learning in different ways and I wrote an article about this in the Alleynian review (Mounsey, 2020). 

Resources on DCSG Library Pages

Figure 6: Resources on Library pages

The ASLA document Future Learning and School Libraries (2013) refers to the challenge of dealing with information overload and how students must be taught to be more sceptical when approaching content. In my blog Beyond the tip of the digital iceberg (Mounsey, 2019i) I wrote about this and how this learning has influenced my thinking and teaching. I dedicate lessons to directing students to reliable websites on our school portal and we have these all on our library pages(figure 6).

% W's of Wed evaluation, Who? What, Where, When, Why?

Figure 7 (Schrock, 2009)

Despite many lessons on this, the teachers and I observe that most students will still go to Google first when they research. For this reason, we ensure we plan lessons where students are taught to use website evaluation tools. In ETL501, The Dynamic Information Environment, I was introduced to Kathy Shrock’s 5Ws of website evaluation (figure 7). I also enjoy sharing the book ‘But I read it on the Internet’ (Buzzeo, 2013) as a provocation to these lessons.  

I blogged about this in more detail in the post, To Wiki or to not Wiki? (Mounsey, 2019h) and referenced Harris who states, “Educators need to understand that students will go to Google and will use Wikipedia outside of school if not inside, no matter what alternatives we provide” (2011, p.31). In this blog I also discussed how my perception of how to use Wikipedia had changed. I used to tell my students not to use Wikipedia when researching because it could include a lot of inappropriate and incorrect content. I now tell my students that it can be a possible place to start research as it will not only provide lots of information, but it can provide links to lots of credible, reliable and useful websites on a given topic. They know they must fact check it and they know that it is not a source I would expect to see in a reference list. 

The importance of teaching and valuing academic integrity is a huge part of the TL role. In my first year as a TL, I collaborated with teachers to plan lessons with the year 3-6 students to understand academic integrity and referencing sources. I would not have known to do this without the learning from ETL401. One of my favourite lessons is when I trick the year 3s into putting their name on someone else’s drawing and then giving the wrong child credit for it. The students are outraged and it is always a lesson the students remember and then learn that they should not take the credit for someone else’s content. 

With the year 5s, I do a lesson where they learn about the copyright case between Vanilla Ice and a Queen and David Bowie collaboration. We listen to their two songs and the students debate if they are the same or different and the ethical dilemma of using someone else’s content without permission and without giving credit. These lessons then lead into lessons on creating bibliographies, from very simple ones in year 3 and developing each year until they use the SLA online reference generator which was been seen in figure 6. I think I introduced this so well that teachers were over-focussed on telling me and showing me the bibliographies the students had made, but not focussing on the other important research skills, such as skim and scanning, note taking and using web evaluation tools. Oddone (2020), addresses this and discusses the importance of not only delivering all these lessons but of linking them together into an information search process to ensure that the students think about all of the skills that are required for research. The staff I collaborate with have also recognised this and this has helped me to introduce an IL framework. In collaboration with staff across the school we agreed on The Big 6 and Super 3 (Eisenburg and Berkowitz, 2003), which has been embedded and is being increasingly used by students and staff. 

With all of this new knowledge and information I have managed to make many changes in our school. The final change with regards to IL has included the creation of a whole school information and digital literacy framework tracking the skills development from early years to year 13. This has been a huge project and I am in the final stages of completing this. The next step will be to ensure these skills are embedded and edit and adjust the framework so it remains a working document. 

Theme 3: Dynamic library collections and spaces 

I now understand how important it is that the library is seen as the physical and virtual learning hub of the entire school. In reflecting on my five year journey, there are so many ways I have learned how to improve both the physical and virtual library space. This has included learning about curation and collection development of print and digital resources. 

Arguably, more important than the physical space is the collection that is included in that space. I learned about this in ETL503, Resourcing the Curriculum. When developing a collection, TLs need to ensure that they are not relying solely on intuition or opinion, but using their experience and knowledge of selection aids and selection criteria to ensure that the collection is developed to meet the needs of the school (Hughes-Hassell and Mancall , 2005). I work hard to develop a library collection that supports reading for pleasure, changes in the curriculum and reflects diversity, equality and inclusion. 

In the post Developing a Library Collection (Mounsey, 2017a) I discuss this in more detail and how The NSW Handbook for School Libraries (2015) mentions the importance of collaboration. Collection decisions should not be the sole decision of a TL, but occur in collaboration with teachers, students, parents and school management. I recently attended an ASLA webinar about successful student-led collection development and we are now adapting this into collection development.  

 In addition to following collection development policies and guidelines, I use a lot of data to inform decisions. I analyse in detail what the students are borrowing. In addition to this quantitative data, I use qualitative data in the form of surveys, incidental conversations and focus group interviews. Figures 8 and 9 demonstrate some examples of the kinds of analysis I do. 

The post What should I read next? (Mounsey, 2021c) shares data from a survey question ‘what was your favourite book this year?’ I then created recommended reading lists that include these titles. 

A strong ‘reading for pleasure’ culture will take place in schools where the library collections reflect the reading taste of the students. I work hard to advocate the importance of reading for pleasure with students and the importance of parents and teachers not judging children’s reading choices. I was asked to speak about this with regards to graphic novels in an episode  of the How we Read  podcast (Loh, 2021) about the importance of comics as a valid reading choice. I also shared some key findings in an article I had published titled, Reading in the Digital Age: what is our role as parents and educators? (Mounsey, 2021a). All of this learning has been as a result of this degree. 

When talking about collection development it is essential to discuss deselection or weeding. I first learnt about this term in the subject ETL503, Resourcing the Curriculum and I wrote the blog post, Getting my weeding gloves dirty (Mounsey, 2017b). Farmer (2014, p.70) talks about the reference section life cycle which includes acquisition, processing, organisation, circulation, maintenance and deselection. This refers to both physical and digital formats and I wrote about this in the post, Physical and Digital Formats for reference material (Mounsey, 2019g).   

For a library to be dynamic, the physical space is also very important. The subject, ETL501, was an opportunity for me to learn, plan and reflect on how to improve the library spaces in my school. In the post Dynamic Library Spaces (Mounsey, 2019f) I shared many improvements I have made to the physical library space including new furniture, signage and flexible layouts (Images 1, 2 and 3).

 

I also wrote about my learning about genrefication from ETL505, Describing and Analysing Education Resources. In the post ,To genrify or not? (Mounsey, 2019a), I discussed in detail the pros and cons behind using Dewey and generifying. As a result of this learning, I decided not to generify our fiction collections but have added genre stickers to the entire collection. We asked students to get involved in this process and it has led to students discovering titles they may not have otherwise. 

 Part C: Reflection on professional development   

A lifelong learner should be reflective and one tool I have used for this is the DCI Librarian Standards. These were created by a group of TLs across the Dulwich network of schools (Appendix A). This evidence demonstrates my development and growth as I have improved my practice.  With my planned move to Australia in December, I am thinking seriously about what new learning I need to undertake to fill in any gaps in my knowledge. In the next section, I have evaluated my learning over the course of the  Master of Education in Teacher Librarianship in the context of ALIA and ASLA’s standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians (2004). I can see a huge amount of growth and learning and I have identified areas for development. 

This reflection has highlighted many areas where I have developed professional knowledge in understanding principles of teaching and learning and how I have a specialist knowledge of information, resources, technology and library management. I have identified two key areas to develop to ensure I could be seen as an excellent TL in Australia. They are both from the professional knowledge part of the standards: 

 “1.3 to have a rich understanding of the school community and curriculum.  

1.4 to have a specialist knowledge of library and information management.” 

In particular, I will need to deepen my knowledge of Australian literature. Although I follow Australian literature awards, blogs and podcasts, I have not widely read Australian literature. This is an area I will enjoy developing because one of my strengths as a TL is how widely I read and promote books to all patrons. I will also need to ensure I have a deeper understanding of the Australian curriculum and in particular content relating to the three cross- curriculum priorities (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2010) to ensure that I am aware of resources to support the curriculum. 

I believe I have an excellent understanding of how professionally managed and resourced school libraries are crucial to the achievements of the school community. However, the areas for my development include understanding the Australian context more deeply. Two particular areas of growth will need to be: 

  • have a rich professional knowledge of national standards for library and information management 
  • have a comprehensive understanding of national standards for information retrieval 

Next year I will be completing the last part of this subject when I do my workplace placement. I will ensure that these are both targets during this placement. 

Using the standards for self-reflection I had many strengths in the professional practice and professional commitments sections, but am aware that these standards will be a useful tool to constantly refer back to. I also believe 3.1, excellent teacher librarians model and promote lifelong learning (ASLA, 2004) could be my philosophy as I continue this never-ending journey of learning. If I keep this as part of my practice, I hope that I can continue to be an effective TL who inspires, educates and supports others to be lifelong learners. 

References  

American Association of School Libraries. (2014). School librarians transform learning .  http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/advocacy/tools/docs/AASL_Infographic_FINAL.pdf   

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010). Cross-curriculum priorities. Australian curriculum: F-10 curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities 

Australian Library and Information Association & Australian School Library Association (ALIA & ASLA). (2004). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians.  https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians   

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2013). Future Learning and school libraries.   https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Resources/2013-ASLA-futures-paper.pdf 

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2014) Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the highly accomplished career stage. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/evidence-guide_ha.pdf 

Buzzeo, T. (2013) But I read it on the internet. Upstart books. 

Dulwich College Singapore. (2021, April 21). The inside story: libraries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Can3XtG1JEw&t=1s  

Eisenburg, M. B., & Berkowitz, R. E. (2003). The definitive Big6 workshop handbook  (3rd ed.). Linworth Publishing. 

Farmer, L. S. J. (2014). Developing resource collections, Chapter 4. In Introduction to reference and information services in today’s school library.   http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/reader.action?ppg=52&docID=1664627&tm=1499996228722 

Ferguson, A. & Hamm, B. [BlueBearEdVidoes]. (2013, January 22). Seven steps to effective instructional leadership [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-p9A7EHCR4

Harris, F. J. (2011). The School Librarian as Information Specialist: A Vibrant Species.  Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 28–32. 

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In  S.Ferguson (Ed.), Libraries in the twenty-first century : Charting new directions in information (pp. 27-42): Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.  

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners [ALA Editions version].  http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=289075 

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Learning as a process. In Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to  Library and Information Services  2nd ed.).  Libraries Unlimited.  

Loh, C. (Host). (2021, January 25). Comic relief (episode 4) [Audio podcast episode] in How we Read https://omny.fm/shows/how-we-read/how-we-read-ep4-comic-relief?fbclid=IwAR2nBOVfJfKr7o7yXoP4kzgQs9xe9IygmFN6qaILVovnVHasNuQaRvPRb3M 

Martinez, M. R., & McGrath, D. (2014). Deeper learning How eight innovative public schools are transforming education in the twenty-first century. The New Press.  

McKewan, E.K. (2003). 7 Steps to effective Instructional Leadership. Corwin Press, Inc. 

Mounsey, S. (2016a, August 1). The role of the teacher librarian in schools: many  hats to be worn. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2016/08/01/the-role-of- the-teacher-librarian-in-schools-many-hats-to-be-worn/  

Mounsey, S. (2016b, October 10). A shift in thinking.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2016/10/10/ashiftinthinking/  

Mounsey, S. (2017a, May 1). Developing a library collection.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2017/05/01/developing-a-library-collection/   

Mounsey, S. (2017b, May 19). Getting my weeding gloves dirty.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2017/05/19/weeding-a-library-collection/  

Mounsey, S. (2019a, March 12). To genrefy or not? That is the burning question.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/03/12/to-genrefy-or-not-that-is-the-burning-question/  

Mounsey, S. (2019b, March 24). Leaders who lead.    https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/03/24/leaders-who-lead/ 

Mounsey, S. (2019c, April 8). Courageous conversations.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/04/08/courageous-conversations/ 

Mounsey, S. (2019d, May 3).  Advocacy using mind mapping and concept mapping.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/05/03/mind-mapping- and-concept-mapping/ 

Mounsey, S. (2019e, June 5). ETL504 reflection: teacher librarian as leader.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/06/05/etl504-reflection-teacher-librarian-as-leader/  

Mounsey, S. (2019f, July 27). Dynamic library spaces.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/07/27/dynamic-library-spaces/  

Mounsey, S. (2019g, August 10). Physical and digital formats for reference material.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/08/10/physical-and-digital-formats-for-reference-material/  

Mounsey, S. (2019h, August 10). To wiki or not to wiki?  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/08/10/to-wiki-or-to-not-wiki/  

Mounsey, S. (2019i, October 14). Beyond the tip of the digital iceberg.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/10/14/information-saturation-how-do-we-help-students-search-beyond-the-tip-of-the-digital-iceberg/  

Mounsey, S. (2020) Information and Digital Literacy in 21st Century Learning. Alleynian Review.https://singapore.dulwich.org/news-and-events/information-and-digital-literacy-in-21st-century-learning 

Mounsey, S. (2021a. March 5) Reading in the Digital Age: what is our role as parents and teachers? Alleynian Review.  https://singapore.dulwich.org/news-and-events/alleynian-review-reading-in-the-digital-age-what-is-our-role-as-parents 

Mounsey, S. (2021b, July 22). What books are hot for 7-11 year olds?  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2021/07/22/what-books-are-hot-for-7-11-year-olds/  

Mounsey, S. (2021c, July 22). What book should I read next?  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2021/07/22/what-should-i-read-next-book-recommendations-for-7-12-year-olds/

National Library of Singapore. (2021, August 17). Strategies to reading and learning in current times [Video] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xhUl9H4XWE 

NSW Department of Education. (2015).Handbook for School Libraries.  https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/library-policy-schools 

Oddone, K. (2020, June 17). Supporting students through the learning process. Linking Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/supporting-students-through-the-research-process/ 

Schrock. K. (2009). The 5W’s of website evaluation. Kathy Schrock’s guide to everything    http://www.schrockguide.net/uploads/3/9/2/2/392267/5ws.pdf 

William, D. (2018). Creating the schools our children need: why what we are doing right now won’t work, and what we can do instead. Learning Sciences.  

Wolf, M., Jones, R., & Gilbert, D. (2014). Leading in and beyond the library.  http://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/BeyondTheLibrary.pdf  

 Appendix A

03
May
2021

Research, writing and podcasts

categories: ETL507 Professional Experience and Portfolio

The last few subjects I have not needed to blog so I have been quiet on this front but exceptionally busy elsewhere. I am so delighted to be in the middle of my final subject and then I will have a Master degree in teacher librarianship! The past six months have been very exciting and busy working in the library, studying, attending virtual conferences and doing other library and literacy community outreach.

A few highlights are:

  • Having an article published about reading in the digital age in the Dulwich College publication, The Alleynian Review. This is a topic I could talk endlessly about and have enjoyed listening to a number of professionals speak about this topic at conferences and webinars.
  • Speaking in episode 4 of Professor Chin Ee Loh’s How we Read podcast about the importance of comics as a valid reading choice.
  • Working with Professor Chin Ee Loh on a mixed methods research project in my school library- this is an ongoing project and we are currently analysing questionnaires, focus group interviews and library borrowing data. We will have an article published about our findings in the second half of the year.
  • Moderating at AFCC– I have been involved in the Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) for 10 years now. I have launched my own books there, been a speaker, served on the organising committee and I often moderate sessions. This is a wonderful festival and a big part of my Singapore story. This year I am moderating a session about Reading for Pleasure and speaking in a panel about digital reading resources.
  • Working with the communications team at school to create a video about our libraries. We are unable to have parents on site at the moment so we created this instead. I must say I am a better script writer than I am a presenter- when the camera rolls I am not a natural and I look rather serious in this one!

Socially distant in the recording studio

25
May
2020

ETL402 Reflection: Literature Across the Curriculum

categories: ETL402 Literature Across the Curriculum

Just when I get comfortable and think I am being an effective teacher librarian (TL), I commence a new subject. New learning comes and the ‘to do’ list grows again! ETL402 has enabled me to delve deeper into new aspects of a TLs role. My two biggest take-aways are:

  1. Understanding the concept and application of literacy learning and the TLs role to work with teachers to embed the use of literature and literature response strategies into the curriculum.
  2. An awareness of enhanced digital storytelling resources.

I have not been ensuring literacy learning is taking place in the classroom. I get excited sharing titles with staff that link to their curriculum topics. Then I hand the resources on in the hope that they are well used (and sometimes they are!) I believe a lot of classroom practice in a primary school focusses on learning to read rather than reading to learn. My future practice will involve working with teachers to apply literacy learning into classrooms to ensure that literature is being used to learn in all curriculum subjects.

The other new learning is around enhanced digital storytelling resources. O’Connell, Bales & Mitchell (2015) identify three types of enhanced eBooks including interactive story books, hypertext books and transmedia books and I reflected on these in Digital Literature: it is not just eBooks (Mounsey, 2020d).  Rowberry (2018) discusses how 21st century citizens rely on decoding and analysis skills to utilise different formats of literature, including digital. TLs and teachers need to ensure students have strategies for navigating and analysing hypertext and multimodal literature.

What else have I reflected on in this subject?. Here are some important posts where I have been provided with research to back up some existing knowledge.

  1. Schools should provide time for reading for pleasure with self-selected texts. This has been found to have a positive impact on children’s academic performance and many schools have created effective initiatives to implement this (Allington, 2014; OEC 2011; Stower & Waring, 2018). I reflected on this in Why reading is important (Mounsey, 2020i) and discussed this in the module 1 discussion forum (Mounsey,2020f).
  2. Templeton’s (2020) blog on Literacy learning  discussed how standardised testing has no proven benefit to improving literacy outcomes and I replied in the module 5 discussion forum (Mounsey, 2020g) where I reflected on my own experience of this.
  3. Module 3.3 posed the question, if libraries didn’t exist would we build them today? YES! Libraries have had to reinvent themselves in the 21st century to embrace massive technological change. In my post, Connecting with Stories and Copyright Implications (Mounsey,2020c), I discussed how library closures due to COVID-19 have provided opportunities for libraries to evolve again.
  4. I explored trends (Mounsey, 2020b) in children’s literature including the growth in literary non-fiction (Mounsey, 2020e, 6-7) and how these texts are excellent tools for literacy learning. Analysing trends also involved looking at diversity (Mounsey, 2020h) and censorship (Mounsey,2020a) in children’s literature.

So, that is a lot of reflecting! Literature has always played a vital role in education. This subject has helped open my eyes to the possibilities of how literature can be used across the curriculum to help students develop 21st century learning skills. So now I better get to it…time to embed literacy learning into the curriculum!

References

Allington, R. L. (2014). How reading volume affects both reading fluency and reading achievement. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 7(1), 13-26. Retrieved from https://www.iejee.com/

Mounsey, S. (2020a, May 16) Censorship and developing a library collection. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2020/05/16/censorship-and-developing-a-library-collection/

Mounsey, S. (2020b, March 8) Children’s Literature: past, present and future. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2020/03/08/childrens-literature-past-present-and-future/

Mounsey, S. (2020c, March 29) Connecting with stories and copyright implications during COVID-19. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2020/03/29/connecting-with-stories-and-copyright-implications-during-covid-19/

Mounsey, S. (2020d, May 23) Digital literature: it is not just eBooks. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2020/05/23/digital-literature-it-is-not-just-ebooks/

Mounsey, S. (2020e, April 19) The Dulwich Information Book Award. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2020/04/19/the-dulwich-information-book-award-dibas/

Mounsey, S. (2020f) Module 3.1 Read like a girl. ETL402 Discussion Forum. CSU. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_44234_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_88815_1&forum_id=_181937_1&message_id=_2840459_1

Mounsey, S. (2020g) Module 5: Blog entry for literacy learning. ETL402 Discussion Forum. CSU. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_44234_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_88815_1&forum_id=_181939_1&message_id=_2913314_1

Mounsey, S. (2020h, March 16) Thinking about diversity: shortlisting titles for the red dot book award. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2020/03/16/thinking-about-diversity-shortlisting-titles-for-the-red-dot-book-award/

Mounsey, S. (2020i, March 15) Why reading is important. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2020/03/15/why-reading-is-important/

O’Connell, J., Bales, J., & Mitchell, P. (2015). [R]Evolution in reading cultures: 2020 vision for school libraries. The Australian Library Journal, 64(3), 194-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2015.1048043

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2011, September 18). Do students today read for pleasure? PISA in Focus, 8. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisainfocus/48624701.pdf

Rowberry, S. P. (2018). Continuous, not discrete: The mutual influence of digital and physical literature. Convergence: The International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 26(2), 319-332. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856518755049

Stower, H., & Waring, P. (2018, July 16). Read like a girl: Establishing a vibrant community of passionate readers. Alliance of Girls Schools Australia. Retrieved from https://www.agsa.org.au/news/read-like-a-girl-establishing-a-vibrant-community-of-passionate-readers/

Templeton, T. (2020, May 7) Literacy learning. [Blog post]. Retrieved https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/trish/2020/05/07/literary-learning/

29
Mar
2020

Connecting with stories and copyright implications during COVID-19

categories: ETL402 Literature Across the Curriculum

All over the world people are being affected and challenged by the measures put in place by COVID-19 and this has been an interesting time for me as a parent, teacher and teacher librarian. Many students are learning from home and some parents are struggling with the balance of working from home and managing this whilst trying to manage the wellbeing of everyone in their family. The stakes are different depending on the age of the children and  I truly believe that for primary aged children it will not matter if they do not complete any of the tasks set by the school if that causes stress for the family. However, of course, I am going to say that it does matter if they are not reading regularly! To me, this is a time that educators seize the opportunity of promoting reading for pleasure in different ways. This also comes with implications. For some without digital access, this is more challenging and for those with digital access there is a plethora of choices and it is hard to choose where to go. There are also the copyright implications of sharing other people’s work without permission and this seems to be an area that many people are unaware of.

I could talk for hours about the importance of regular reading and finding texts that children enjoy so that it is reading for pleasure, not just purpose. If you want to know more about that, have a look on my blog here at Why Reading is Important. Instead, I will share a selection of resources that could be useful for students reading at home. There are some very good online resources which give access to audio and eBooks. Many are offering free access whilst so many schools around the world are closed. My colleague Fiona Shea helped me to compose a list that we shared at work and we found Common Sense Media and Kate Messner’s information very useful if you want to look for even more great resources. I think the greatest challenge for many parents and educators at the moment is that there is so much available online that it is challenging to choose what resources to use! One role of a teacher librarian is to curate resources and help eliminate this problem of information overload so here is some of what I have curated.

My top 5 for free audiobooks and eBooks

EPIC!

https://www.getepic.com/

 EPIC! Is always free for teachers to create an educator account. They are offering a 90 day free trial for parents. Sign up at https://getepic.com/promo. Choose families and you will be asked for the promo code (3monthsfree) during the signup process.
Amazon Audible

https://stories.audible.com

 For as long as schools are closed, Audible are letting children everywhere instantly stream an incredible collection of stories with titles in six different languages.
World Stories

https://worldstories.org.uk/

 World Stories is a free online interactive resource which hosts a library of over 150children’s stories. All of the stories feature in English as well as over 30 additional languages.
International Children’s Digital Library

http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

 This library promotes tolerance and respect for diverse cultures by providing access to the best of children’s literature from around the world.
Gutenberg project

http://www.gutenberg.org

 Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. You will find the world’s great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired.

 

As well as finding eBooks and audiobooks there are so many authors who are streaming virtual storytimes. It was hard to narrow it down but here are a few of my favourites for primary school students:

My top virtual storytimes

Information for educators about recording stories and the copyright implications

There are copyright implications of sharing other people/s work without permission and this seems to be an area that many people are unaware of. It is an important connection for children to listen to their own teachers reading at this time and many educators are making recordings or virtually streaming storytime. In normal times, this would be breaching copyright law, although some argue that there is the element of fair use involved. Here is a link to all of the publishers who are giving permission rights for teachers to record themselves reading their stories. In most instances, the publishers ask the teacher to credit the publisher, author and illustrator and email them to inform them. In addition, it should be shared within a schools intranet and it should be taken down by the 30th June 2020 (when hopefully most schools around the world will be open again).

Some authors have given educators direct permission to record themselves reading their stories at this time without contacting the publisher. It is still good practice to acknowledge them and their publishers, as this is demonstrating respect for intellectual property and acknowledging their generosity. They are in essence potentially sacrificing income to do this. Here is a list my colleague, Fiona Shea, and I made of books in our primary libraries.  

YOUNGER READERS (including some lovely picture books for older readers)
Author  Books in our Libraries 
Mo Willems  Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus, Elephant and Piggie series 
Todd Parr  Be who you are/ The Peace book/ The feel good book, It’s okay to make mistakes/ The goodbye book 
Peter Reynolds  The Dot, Going Places, I am Peace, I am Yoga, I am Human 
Peter Brown  Mr Tiger goes Wild, My teacher is a monster (no, I am not) 
Karma Wilson  Bear Snores On 
David Litchfield  The Bear and the Piano 
Neil Gaiman  All of his books including Chu’s Day, Cinnamon, Crazy Hair Day 
James Mayhew  All of Katie series, Boy, Bubble and Squeak and all other titles 
Teresa Heapy  Very Little Red Riding Hood 
OLDER READERS 
J.K. Rowling  All of her books 
Neil Gaiman  All of his books including Coraline and The Graveyard Book, Fortunately the Milk 
Peter Brown  The Wild Robot series 
Kwame Alexander  Booked, The Crossover, Rebound, Solo 
Saviour Pirotta  Classics Collection including Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels, Robin Hood 

 

Kay Oddone, who is the Head of Libraries at The Australian Internation School (AIS) in Singapore created this useful infographic for her staff. She shared it with our teacher librarian network and I will finish this post by sharing it with her permission here.

Copyright principles

References

Messner, K. (n.d.). Read, wonder, and learn! Favorite authors & illustrators share resources for learning anywhere – spring 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020, from https://www.katemessner.com/read-wonder-and-learn-favorite-authors-illustrators-share-resources-for-learning-anywhere-spring-2020/?fbclid=IwAR3H2lgvfdp1wyTwG-exbXthrpt_XmubD_XerM38OgAetYMFqkx8-V1Am4Y

Oddone, K. (2020, March). Copyright principles [Infographic].

Ucciferri, F. (2020, March 27). Free online events and activities for kids at home. Retrieved March 29, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/free-online-events-activities-kids-at-home-coronavirus?j=7711684&sfmc_sub=171944700&l=2048712_HTML&u=143747070&mid=6409703&jb=1986&utm_source=covid19_freeactivities_20200323&utm_medium=email

05
Jun
2019

ETL504 Reflection: Teacher Librarian as Leader

categories: ETL504 Teacher Librarian as Leader

Studying by distance can be an isolating experience. However, ETL504 has provided opportunities to build teamwork and collaboration skills through group case studies. Admittedly, when I realised that some of the work would be done as groups I felt frustrated and resonated with the reading by Aguilar (2012) because I believed that I could get the work done faster on my own. However, like she suggests, strong teams can build ideas from shared knowledge and challenge and inspire each other. This happened in group one as we built our understandings in each task. This is an important aspect of distributed leadership which moves authority away from one individual and relies on strategic groups (Harris, 2014).  

The AITSL standards for teacher library practice include “to engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities” (Australian School Library Association, 2014). Since becoming a teacher librarian (TL), I have benefitted from networking opportunities within library groups and this subject has added an extra layer to this experience. Making connections with the people in group one has also resulted in us forming a Facebook group to continue to communicate, expanding the network of TLs that I can communicate with.   

The case study content provided opportunities to think about some realistic problems TLs can experience and I could identify with some of these issues. In the past, I have felt some of these problems were insurmountable, such as having to manage a very busy diary and library and dealing with conflict and communication problems. I reflected on this in my blog post Courageous conversations. The nature of the case studies forced us to come up with solutions and supported us to think deeper about leadership and when aspects of servant and instructional leadership could be used. 

Future learning in school libraries discusses how a TL needs to be an instructional leader (Australian School Library Association Inc, 2013) and this was reflected here and here in the case studies. The importance of leading the library into the future by planning and thinking strategically and using advocacy and marketing were also discussed.  In my first post in this subject, Leaders Who Lead, I reflected on my leadership journey and my thoughts on how I had moved out of school leadership when I decided to become a TL. This subject provided me with tools to advocate in a more strategic way than I had before and I posted about this in Advocacy Using Mind Mapping where I explained how I had created another mind map which summed up all of the work I was doing as a TL. I shared this with the leadership team at school when I proposed the idea of having a head of libraries. I had raised this idea previously with no success, but this time using my tools on advocacy, being more strategic in my approach and using data from my annual report I have experienced success. This new role is being created and my leadership journey continues… 

  References 

Aguilar, E. (2012, November 28). Effective teams: the key to transforming schools? [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-teams-transform-schools-elena-aguilar 

Australian School Library Association. (2014). AITSL Standards for teacher librarian practice. Retrieved from http://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/AITSL%20Standards%20for%20teacher%20librarian%20practice%202014.pdf 

Australian School Library Association Inc. (2013, April). Future Learning and school libraries. Retrieved from https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Resources/2013-ASLA-futures-paper.pdf 

 Harris, A. (2014, September 29). Distributed leadership. Teacher Magazine, ACER. Retrieved from https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/distributed-leadership 

24
Mar
2019

The Library as an Information Service, not just an Information Source

categories: ETL504 Teacher Librarian as Leader

The first few weeks of ETL504 have provided me with more food for thought on how the libraries are viewed in our school and in other schools I have worked in or observed. One aspect that I really want to reflect on is the importance of a library being an information service and not just an information source. Many schools have barriers to ensuring that this happens. These barriers include budgets and lack of trained staff, including not having a teacher librarian (TL) working in the library.

An information source includes a collection of data including books, ebooks and weblinks, all of which should be, and usually are, housed in a library. This can certainly be useful to some patrons, however, if service is added to these resources, then there are huge benefits to patrons. 21st century libraries should provide information services that add value by creating access, packaging and interpreting information sources and provide twenty-four hour access to all of their services (“Organisation Theory,” 2019).

There is a danger in all libraries that the library staff are so focused on doing the day to day work of cataloguing new books and managing the circulation of resources but they are not adding service. As soon as a patron has a request that should be the number one priority, regardless of how many other tasks need to be done. Excellent libraries also have staff that manage and maintain information, not just the information on the shelves but also the electronic information they are providing with Ebooks and links to websites and databases. This includes preserving and ensuring the accuracy and currency of all resources and educating patrons on how to find information and use it effectively. It would usually include creating and maintaining libguides, blogs and/or pathfinders so that patrons can access information 24/7.  Library services also need to be innovative and responsive to new developments in IT and curriculum. TLs need to model, lead and support 21st century teaching and learning (“Organisation Theory,” 2019). After discussing this article with my colleague she shared with me a great blog, Library Grits, by Dianne McKenzie, who I know after attending a workshop she ran a few years ago. In her post, Airlines V’s 5 Star hotels (in Asia) she uses an analogy of comparing service in a library to the service provided in a hotel or by an airline.

In my library, I have also discovered the importance of advocacy. If there is not a TL leading training for staff on how to use the resources then they will not be effectively used in a school. In my school, many of our subscriptions, like our online Encyclopaedias or subscription to Press Reader, as a news source, are forgotten by teachers and students unless I highlight them and plan lessons involving them. A TL should also be very involved in teaching and planning lessons that involve 21st century and information literacy skills. In schools parent sessions by the library staff are hugely beneficial and in my experience a great tool for sharing knowledge with parents. Communication with all patrons is also a service that needs to occur regularly, including newsletters to highlight library services are important.

This subject is looking at the teacher librarian (TL) as a leader and it also made me reflect, if a TL is not working as a leader in a school then there is the danger that the library will be treated as just a resource and that service is not being provided. It also made me consider schools that do not have libraries, like some I worked at in London, and also those schools who have libraries but no TLs. In Australia, when budgets are tight libraries are often the first to lose staff or money for resources (“Organisation Theory,” 2019). With regards to my local context here in Singapore, the government has excellent public libraries and all schools have libraries on premises. However, different use of funding allocated by the Ministry of Education in Singapore means that libraries are designed and managed differently in each school. School libraries are not staffed by teacher librarians and only some school libraries are well designed, well-resourced and well used (Loh, 2019). In most cases, they are just operating as a resource, merely because there is not enough money put towards staffing. A teacher who usually has a very full workload is put in charge of overseeing the library but they are too time stretched to be able to do this effectively. Alternatively, a library assistant is the only person who works in the library and they just manage circulations, without having the time or expertise to provide added services. Colvin (2000) argues that many employees in organisations are treated like robots by management and they are unmotivated or lack opportunities to become knowledge workers who can use infotech effectively and have the capability to organise and deliver projects. When schools don’t employ library staff with the time to dedicate to the library and the required knowledge and skills then the library is unable to become an information source.

In comparison, many of the international schools in Singapore have multiple libraries that are well resourced and are almost always staffed by a qualified TL. However, Singapore seems to be at a tipping point when looking at its education system and there has been a recent study (Loh, 2019) and conversations are starting about the importance of school libraries with TLs. In a culture and education system that is very academically focused, people are interested to hear that students who read for pleasure get better grades in school.  There is starting to be an understanding that there is a correlation between high academic results and schools that have a well-staffed and well-resourced library. Part of Loh’s study created the following framework for a 21st century library.

(Loh, 2019, p. 4)

This figure resonates well with me and I think it is a good summary of some of the multitude of roles a library has if it is to be an information source and not just a service.

References

Colvin, G. (2000). Managing in the info era. Fortune, 141(5). Retrieved from http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/03/06/275231/index.htm?iid=sr-link1.

Loh, C. E. (2019). Envisioning the school library of the future: A 21st century framework. National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.32524.36489

McKenzie, D. (2019, February 13). Airlines vs 5 star hotels (in Asia) [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://librarygrits.blogspot.com/2019/02/airlines-vs-5-star-hotels-in-asia.html

Organisation theory. (2019). In Teacher librarian as leader [ETL504 module]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42384_1&content_id=_2733066_1

01
Aug
2016

The Role of the Teacher Librarian in Schools: many hats to be worn.

categories: ETL401 Introduction To Teacher Librarianship

The teacher librarian role (TL) has changed dramatically in the 21st century and to be effective they must be a curriculum leader and an information expert. To reflect on my understanding of the TL role I have compared a variety of publications as well as the practice I have observed in numerous schools.  My teaching and school management experience has been in Australia, the UK and in International Schools in Singapore and therefore it is relevant for me to understand the different expectations in the role of a TL in an international context. I have particularly focussed on the UK and Australia, because my current school is a British International School and I intend to return to Australia in the future.

The Australian School Library Association (ASLA), American Association of School Librarians (AASL), International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and the School Libraries Association (SLA) in the UK all have standards and guidelines for TLs to follow. They have a variety of differences and similarities but all stress the importance of a TL being an information specialist, the importance of collaboration within the school and community, having library management skills and supporting teachers to deliver the curriculum. In the UK a School Librarian does not have to have a teaching qualification and the focus is more on information literacy, IT skills and awareness and knowledge of children’s literature and the curriculum, rather than the teaching role. (ASLA, AASL, IFLA and SLA)

Many people, including myself, are attracted to the role of a TL because of their own love of reading and the TL role is viewed by many as someone who is a reading advocate and library collection manager. Herring (2007, p.3) argues “Given that reading for pleasure is a small (but important) part of the school curriculum, it can be argued that this aspect is given unnecessary prominence in some school library mission statements.” Literature promotion is one of the key responsibilities of a teacher-librarian and the ASSL guidelines highlights that teacher-librarians must stay up-to-date with children’s literature to foster a love of reading. My school is an International School and the role expected is more aligned with the statements produced by ASLA, IASL and AASL but the job description also has a big focus on managing the library resources and space and promoting the library within the school and community by organising reading-related events. My focus moving forward will be to demonstrate many of the other skills a TL can bring to a school.

So what else should a TL be? They are teachers, leaders, advocates for reading, inquiry, and learning, instructional partners, tech-savy information specialists, programme administrators, curriculum consultants, community collaborators and digital detectives.  (Lamb, Purcell and Valenza)

Not only does a TL need to wear all of these hats but they must be a life-long learner who stays abreast of constant changes or there are implications for the school and the students. Ojala (3013, p.3) states “how libraries evolve to remain relevant in the new information landscape is perhaps the most urgent question facing the profession today.”

ASLA has a motto within their statements:’ inform, innovate and inspire’, and I think those three words encapsulate what a TL should be achieving in their school. At the same time, they must ensure the library is at the heart of a school and try to wear their numerous hats and keep up with the global information environment.

References

American Association of School Librarians (2007). Standards for the 21st Century Learner. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/teacher-librarian-qualifications.aspx

Australian School Library Association’s (2014). Statement on teacher librarian qualifications. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/teacher-librarian-qualifications.aspx

Australian School Library Association’s (2014). What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.aspx

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty first century: charting new directions in information (pp. 27-42). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)/UNESCO School Library Manifesto (1999; 2006) Retrieved from http://www.ifla.org/VII/s11/pubs/manifest.htm

Lamb, A. (2010). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning. 55 (4), 27-36.

Ojala, M. (2013). Riding the Waves or Caught in the Tide, Insights from the IFLA Trend Report. Information Today, 30(9), 1.

Purcell, M. (2010). All Librarians Do Is Check out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School Library Media Specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3-), 30-33.

School Library Association (SLA)(2014). SLA standards for Secondary School Libraries. Retrieved from http://www.sla.org.uk/standards.php website:

Valenza, J. (2010, December 3). A revised manifesto Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2010/12/03/a-revised-manifesto/.

22
Jul
2016

My first blog

categories: ETL401 Introduction To Teacher Librarianship

Welcome to my brand new blog at Charles Sturt University Thinkspace.  After all of these years why have I finally jumped into the Blogging World?  Well, the simple answer is that it is my homework as part of a Masters Degree in Teacher Librarianship, but the good news is, that unlike homework that I had to do when I completed my first education degree, I am actually excited about this homework.  So let’s go back a step, Masters Degree, teacher librarianship?  What? Where? When? How? Why??????

My name is Sarah Mounsey and I am a mum, a primary school teacher and a children’s author. I have only just gone back to full time teaching a year ago after being a stay at home Mum for the past eight years.  It was a wonderful eight years of spending precious time with my three boys and I also managed to do some part time teaching and published three children’s picture books in the Paw Prints series, which had been a dream of mine for as long as I could remember. My publishing journey led me to visit lots of schools for author talks in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. During this time I met some truly wonderful teacher librarians, who I loved discussing favourite books and authors with, and they also opened my eyes to show we what a contemporary library should be, and how the role of a teacher librarian has changed.  I have also closely followed the blog of Megan Daley, an amazing Teacher Librarian from Brisbane. It made me think that it was something I would like to explore at some point and I am delighted that I will become the Junior School Teacher Librarian (TL) at my current school in August. I believe this will be the beginning of an exciting new chapter for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed being back in the classroom again, but I am excited that as the TL I will be involved in teaching 30 classes every week. I think the management and curriculum roles that I had in my previous school in UK will also help.

I have had lots of amusing reactions when I have told people that I will become the TL at my school and especially when I have told them that I will be starting my Masters of Education in Teacher Librarianship to commence this role. I think many people are still stuck with the stereotype of what they think a librarian should look and behave like.  Picture someone VERY old, with hair pulled back into a tight bun, specs on the end of their nose and being very busy stamping due dates in books and saying ‘shhhh’, as regularly and loudly as possible!  Why would you need to go to University to learn this role?

The great news is that school libraries are not meant to be quiet places anymore.  They should be busy places, at the heart and soul of the school where people should be researching, evaluating, collaborating, inquiring, using various forms of technology, playing chess and other games and reading typing or writing.  The TL should be working with all of the teachers and children in the school to inspire and enhance their learning experiences, whether it be to help develop research skills, or sharing useful online information, or developing the reading collection to reflect the changing curriculum. AND of course it should still be a place where students and teachers like to come TO READ FOR PLEASURE and to be introduced to fabulous new authors and new books that will stay with them for life.

Can you tell that I am a little bit excited by this?  Well I sure am!  I LOVE teaching, I LOVE children’s literature and I LOVE writing for children. I am also a little nervous as I know there is so much I have to learn.  Technology is constantly changing and children need to be taught how to use it effectively to develop their ideas and knowledge.  I also will be learning a lot about how to do this because learning on-line through distance education  is new to me.  Will I write children’s books again? Absolutely!  I could not stop if I tried!  I have so many ideas swimming around in my head and drafts in notebooks and on my computer.  It is just the simple matter of T-I-M-E.  Three gorgeous little boys, a full time TL job and completing my Masters Degree means that I do not think there will be a great deal of free time for such fun.  So for now I will be reading, reading and reading, which for those of you who know me well, know that it will be no hardship.  I will be reading hundreds of children’s books (YIPPEE!), that I will be able to recommend to all of the children at school and I will be reading dozens of journal articles for this degree so that I can become a teacher librarian who does not sit at the circulation desk and just check out books but instead flies around the school and library sharing all that I learn about research skills, information literacy and, of course, reading for pleasure.  Most of these blog posts will be reflecting on articles that I read and with more of an academic focus, but I have certainly enjoyed writing this one. I will finish this first blog on my post with one of my favourite quotes from a legend in the world of children’s literature.

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