Part A

Statement of personal philosophy

21^st century education is about creativity, cultural awareness, problem solving, innovation, civic management, communication, productivity, collaboration, exploration, initiative, leadership, making classrooms dynamic. An effective teacher Librarian’s will continue to foster a recreational reading culture by building a passion for print, eBooks, graphic novels and audio books in all readers from struggling to gifted. 21^st century library is building learning through literacy and technology. Educators are constantly developing newer and better ways to teach. Yet they’re stuck in obsolete spaces that prevent them from giving students the best. Designing each space for a different type of experience – rather than a subject or teacher – will allow schools to curate far more powerful experiences by virtue of having environments that are more supportive and far more compelling to be in.

Part B

Theme 1: Genrefication

Teacher librarians need to set up their collection in a manner that is accessible to students as the availability and accessibility of collection in a library encourages students to read. The question then arises, how this can be achieved? The answer is Genrefication. I was introduced to this term in ETL 505 (Describing and Analysing Resources).

According to Wall (2019), Genrefication just means organising books, either fiction or nonfiction, by category in a scheme other than DDC or general alphabetical order. Some librarians believe that the tried and true system of shelving alphabetically by author surname is the best way to shelve fiction; others believe that by genre shelving they can encourage students to read more. A third group prefer a middle ground, where author arrangement and genre stickers combine to promote exposure to different titles as well as independent access.  When the collection is classified by genre into a catalogue, a teacher librarian can identify the most popular genre as well as each genre’s most popular books.  It makes it far easier, for example, to find the most popular horror books. It will enable in making the right decision making for purchasing new books.

The inspiration for genrefication project came from ETL 505. I got really interested in this topic and decided to put this into my practice. I started with arranging the fiction from the middle ground and so I approached my principal. I was fortunate to get a positive reply. School Catalogue Information Service (SCIS), National Library of Australia and Department of Education SCAN articles were really helpful in this process.

SCIS pre-determined Genre Headings were used to identify the genre of the book. Genre stickers were then placed on the spine label will be beneficial. Students were educated regarding the genres in the library through explanation, power point presentation and displaying genre posters. It has also encouraged students to read more as they enjoy what they are reading and at the same time find variety of similar titles in their favourite category. The purpose of genrefication is to enhance students’ ability to browse a library collection without staff or technological assistance. The teaching program for each school library should always include awareness and developing skills on how to use a library catalogue or to locate information.

On the other side, it was noticed that students were limiting themselves to one kind of genre and were not experiencing different genres. National Library of New Zealand (2020) suggests that students might be encouraged to keep track of their reading life with a log, which records what they read and from which genre and teachers could encourage students to try a different genre, and possibly even require at least a few titles from each genre over the course of a year. Following this advice, a genre wheel was introduced, where students can read five books from one genre and then they had to move to a different genre.

Generifying fiction was the best thing I ever did as my borrowing rates have jumped and what’s more, I believe some of the kids are actually reading wider. Students will be self-selecting books with greater ease and the resources will be more engaging. To bring this change in school libraries, the role of teacher librarian has to make all the stakeholders aware of the changes and also to educate the students through posters, talks and other displays with genre information and title examples. This has assisted readers in finding the right book at right book, providing guidance in trying new authors, themes and genres and providing reading, literacy and library use. However, it is considering cultural and ethical understanding is necessary before generifying. Currently our nonfiction is based on Dewey Decimal classification. I have read about schools getting rid of non- fiction section, but I believe that completely getting rid of print non-fiction in primary school is not a good idea.

Theme 2: Teacher Librarian as a leader

The role of teacher librarian is often not noticed. In my first blog post in ETL 401, I really undermined the role of teacher librarian. However, over a period of time through this course, my opinion has completely changed. I have understood the different hats a teacher librarian wears.

ETL 504: Teacher librarian as a leader has inspired me to think one step further. Teacher librarian also wears a hat of a leader, and leads from the middle. AASL’s guidelines (2009, p. 45) states that the school library program is “built by professionals who model leadership and best practices for the community to ensure that learners are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the technological society of the 21st century”.  Teacher librarians works from the library but leads within and beyond the library. Taking on a leadership role in the school means making the library visible and an integral part of the teaching and learning in the school. To achieve this goal, a teacher librarian need to collaborate with staff. This type of leadership is often called as leading from the middle.

Teacher librarian uses instructional leadership by providing professional development and empowering and involving teachers to lead innovation and change. To embrace change positively, it should be introduced with understanding, direction, commitment, time and resources. I will always remember the 3 c’s I have learnt in ETL 504. They are collaboration, communication and connectedness. According to Colvin (2000), 21^st Century teachers and librarians will be valued for their ability to create, judge, imagine and build relationships. I have understood that it is extremely important for a teacher librarian to build a rapport with the students and the teachers to make the library and librarian visible.

Another way of achieving this is through advocacy. A teacher librarian mentors and fosters the school through student leadership body and also acts as a coordinator for National reading programs such as Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). At my current school, I am the coordinator of PRC program for K-9 students.  I contribute in the school newsletter and keep the school community informed about the library happenings. The school community should be familiarise with the campaign such as School libraries matter.

This subject also emphasised that the learning environment is also a key force that foster and facilitate active, authentic and relevant experiences that embrace critical thinking and problem solving. This can be done by providing exciting, dynamic learning space in the library such as flexible seating and maker space in the library. In my ETL 504 assessment 2, I have discussed the need for flexible seating and makerspace and how it enhance the use of library space. The learning space should be designed to accommodate flexible academic groupings, different levels of independence, and collaboration between mixed-age groups. I have implemented flexible seating in my library however due to limited space in library, makerspace is still on my list of agendas. Makerspace is about teaching students more than just how to use technology but how it can transform students’ learning and thinking.

ETL 504 also consisted of group work and case studies. The actual case study scenarios themselves have broadened my awareness of potential issues that will assist me in making informed future practice and leadership directions. I have developed my knowledge and understanding of teacher librarian as innovators, mentors, motivators, entrepreneurs, catalysts, and illuminators. We are reading specialists who provide leadership in emerging areas such as multi- function digital platform. We continue to foster a recreational reading culture by building a passion for print, eBooks, graphic novels and audio books in all readers.

Teacher librarians are rarely members of the top executive tier in a school. Despite carrying out all the responsibilities of a middle leader because of the stereotype, I still believe that it is a long way for all the stake holders to consider teacher librarian as leader. This type of stereotype is harmful, because the information landscape is now more complex than ever before and the teacher librarian’s role has extended beyond the physical collection and into the virtual world.

Theme 3: Digital Citizenship in Schools

Libraries struggle to justify themselves in the age of google. There are many who believe libraries are no longer necessary, I am of a strong opinion that libraries and teacher librarians are necessary than ever before as they are the experts who can teach children to be safe and productive in the digital world.

The Australian School Library Association (2013) identifies the significant contribution teacher librarians can make within their schools and networks by approaching the challenges of addressing a 21st century teaching and learning agenda. We live in an era of rapid change and innovation. Students in 21^st century should learn to think critically, check facts, interpret and evaluate all the information they receive. The school library enhances student learning outcomes by providing a range of programs, services and resources which support teaching and learning. This also include digital citizenship program. It would be totally incorrect to assume that students are digital natives. I will ensure that digital citizenship becomes a prominent part of my teaching programs. I have already taken Top of Form

the first steps toward joining Common sense network of innovative educators, schools, and districts who are making digital citizenship a part of their classroom and school cultures. Students will use digital technology and tools more meaningfully, make good choices and informed decisions.

My school has a very little concept of digital learning environments. Hence, the biggest step as a result of my study is, I have understood how vital it is to teach digital citizenship to students. As a result of ETL 523: Digital citizenship in schools, I have registered myself to attend the online training for teaching Digital Citizenship run by Common sense media for educators.

The library should offer print and electronic resources that are age appropriate and according to the ability of the students. With changing times, it is so important to give students exposure to variety of digital texts such as eBooks, enhanced eBooks and interactive books. One of the biggest questions facing school libraries at present is what impact digital content and changing publishing models will have on collection. Currently, the school I work at has no eBooks, but a proposal is already made to the management for eBooks and we have received trial for World Book Online till November. I am already feeling positive about it.

ETL 523 has strongly inspired me to promote and nurture a ‘whole school focus’ on information literacy policy and implementation (ALIA, 2004). Coteaching and working alongside with all key stakeholders can be key contributors in cocreating a vital system of bringing change, trust and support. This program will prepare young people not only to become informed and watchful citizens but also to promote their participation in civic life through internet-based volunteering, campaigning and lobbying (Greenhow, 2010). The whole school approach will help identify the potential opportunities, challenges and likely future development relevant to the school.

ETL 523 introduced me to digital tools such as Canvas, Powtoon, Padlet and Weebly. This is an example of infograph made using Canvas. Now I am confident using it. Weebly was done as a group. Our topic was evaluating information for reliability, accuracy, credibility, and perspective and media literacy. My part was to discuss credibility and media literacy. I will also use Canvas for my INF 533 assignment on digital story telling.

 

The group work was a positive experience and it is also mentioned in my ETL 523 blog 1. Here is the link to the website https://evaluatinginformation.weebly.com/

I will use my professional expertise that I have gained throughout the course to identify a range of print and digital curriculum that the students can use in information gathering, note taking, copyright and the impact of digital footprints.

The key takeaway from this subject was for digital learning environment management is shared by Lindsay & Davis (2012) is ‘Stop, Screenshot, Block, Tell, and Share.’ This strategy works within a single class setting or in an online global collaboration. I will focus on working with teachers in areas such as information literacy, information technologies, cooperative planning and teaching and curriculum development as well as developing and maintain collection that will meet the needs, interests and abilities of the school community. This will help me achieve my ultimate goal to develop independent learners who know how to expand their knowledge and expertise through skilled use of variety of information sources employed inside and outside school.

Part C (500 words)

When I started this course, I must admit that I had a very basic understanding of the role of teacher librarian. ETL 401 blog clearly shows how I underestimated the role of a teacher librarian. However, my understanding has drastically changed. I strongly believe that a teacher librarian is a resource to a school as an information agent who supports and implements the vision of their school communities through advocating and building effective library and information services and programs that contribute to the development of lifelong learners (Australian Library and Information Association, 2004).

This course has given me an exposure to different digital tools such draw.io, canva, Adobe Spark, Padlet, Powtoon and Weebly. I will be able to now explore these tools effectively and use them more frequently in my teaching. I will be also confident to try new digital tools to enhance my teaching and learning. I will be more proactive in consulting teachers and coordinators to ensure that the resources selected will align to the key skills and content of each learning area. I will also constantly review my own library programs.

I also learnt about cataloguing, subject headings and acquisition. This will enable to appreciate the importance of good cataloguing

I gained insight into the need of library policy and collection development policy.  This has helped me understand that professionally managed and resourced school libraries are crucial to the achievements of the school community (ALIA, 2004). I will now be able to use my professional expertise to identify a range of print and digital curriculum resources that the students and teachers can use. This will enable me to plan, implement and evaluate the learning needs of a range of children.

This course has given me an opportunity to develop my Professional Learning Network (PLN) nationally and globally. I am now part of teacher librarian groups on different social media platforms. Personal Learning Networks (PLN) through Twitter, Facebook and blogs is crucial because by doing so our teaching Practice will become more transparent as we begin to share and reflect with other educators. An extended PLN, is able to use educational technology for teaching and learning and understands the implications of being a connected, collaborator learner who creates and shares across the world.

In order to achieve the status of an excellent teacher librarian, I will participate in continuing professional development and promote library and information services to the school and the wider community. The major focus of EER 500 research study is to find out whether the promotion of school libraries on social media increase the use of parents and carers. The conclusion was that the benefits of social media in today’s digital world to promote a school library are obvious, starting with healthier parent-teacher relationships and all the way to permanently changing the way our children will learn. Not only teacher librarians but all members of school’s community can play a role in promoting the social media by following the school’s social media guidelines.

This reflective portfolio has allowed me t reflect on my own learning journey of a simple role of teacher librarian to multiple, positive and effective roles of a teacher librarian. My growth through this course has also given me the confidence to approach administrators in my school about the role of the teacher librarian. Teacher librarian should be versatile to build a dynamic school library.

References

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

Australian School Library Association. (2013). Future learning in school libraries. Retrieved from https://asla.org.au/future-Learning-paper

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2009). Empowering learners: Guidelines for school library media programs. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

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

Greenhow, C. (2010). New concept of citizenship for the digital age. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(6), 24-25.

Jennifer LaGarde, Library Girl(2011). Arranging library fiction by genre. Retrieved from National Library New Zealand https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/reading-engagement/libraries-supporting-readers/arranging-library-fiction-by-genre

Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. (2012). Flattening classrooms, engaging minds: Move to global collaboration one step at a time. Allyn and Bacon.

Wall, J. (2019). Genrefication in NSW public school libraries: A discussion paper. Retrieved 11 September 2020, from https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-38–2019/genrefication-in-nsw-public-school-libraries.

Section 1: About the placement organisation

I undertook my placement at Amity College High School Library. Amity College is a K- 12 Co-educational, independent school built in 1996 in South- west suburb of Sydney. The total number of enrolment is 1570 students. Amity College has 3 campuses in Sydney; Prestons, Illawarra and Auburn.

There are three libraries at Prestons campus; one for primary students, Boys High School library and Girls High School library. All the three campuses has a well-resourced library with a set budget for each library every year. This shows that school library plays an integral role at Amity College. The librarians are currently reviewing their library policy, working on libguides and are also under the process of designing a new library website. Subscription to SCIS, Click view and Destiny is managed by the teacher librarian. Weeding is an ongoing activity and is done by respective librarians in each library.

The school has a BYOD policy for High school students. The school provides Wi-Fi access to students in order to support BYOD learning environment. The library also has an AV room. The school has a separate IT Department and all the technological issues are dealt by them.

The library promotes lot of reading activities in both Primary and High School libraries through events such as Book tasting, Australian Reading Hour, Premier’s Reading Challenge, and competitions and by displaying new titles. The collection includes academic books as well as recreational reading books.

Teachers, Head teachers and teacher librarians’ work together to build the school library collection. Resource selection is also evidence-driven with a combination of shelf-ready publisher subscription packages, resource usage report analysis and patron-driven acquisitions. As a result, the collection is well-rounded and satisfies all users’ needs. There is also a suggestion box for students to recommend books. The library has an interactive library management system and a library kiosk, which is very popular among students. Students use kiosk to place holds, write reviews and recommendations and also to search up items in the catalogue.

The library has variety of formats such as print materials, DVD and graphic novels to cater to different learning needs. It is essential to provide students with variety of formats and resources because school libraries that provide an array of engaging high-quality materials enable students to choose books that appeal to their individual interests, reading preferences, and abilities. Non-fiction is not very popular among students in High School except some cooking books, Record Breakers book and magazines. Magazines are not allowed to borrow but can be used in the library. There is a separate section for Teachers Reference books. The school also runs Turkish and Arabic language classes and the library has language books. The collection meets the diverse needs of the staff and students.

The Fiction section of the library is generified. The genres are Fantasy, Adventure, Biography, Humour, Graphic Novels, Mystery, Science Fiction, Horror, Diary, Crime, Supernatural, School, Sports Fiction and Animal Stories. Humour and Graphic Novels are the most popular genres among students.

The library staff from all the campuses meet once a term to collaborate on projects, exchange ideas and update on library events, activities and also professional training. The meeting agenda is shared on Google Drive so staff can add any agenda items and discuss in the meeting. The minutes is recorded and shared with the Principals and other librarians. All the librarians work congenially and with passion to meet the goals.

Section 2: Theory into practice

During my placement, I could understand the difference in the way the high school library operates as compared to a primary school library. The range of collection, activities and the displays in the library caters the needs of the girls in the High school. I had the opportunity to experience and also get involve in a wide range of activities in the High School library.

The library is a busy place as it is in the midst of the school office, computer lab, IT help desk and study rooms. The library also provides service such as printing, photocopying, laminating and loaning laptops to students. I also assisted the librarian in performing number of desk duties such as check in/ check out of books, shelving, photo copying and assisting students in completing their Premier’s Reading Challenge log. The library provides a safe place in which students can interact with their peers and access the available library resources Amity College uses Destiny as their Library system. Students place holds for their items, write reviews and recommendations for the books and the librarian approve it before it is published. My knowledge of the system was beneficial as I was able to work independently with needing guidance from the librarian to keep the holds ready for the students and teachers. To encourage students’ reading and borrowing, the new resources were displayed in the library.

The library was refurbished recently with all modern furniture that suits the needs of a modern, flexible and accessible environment. Year 12 students are allocated a study period in the library under the librarian’s supervision.  During ETL 504, in my Discussion Paper on Future Ready School Library, I had emphasised the importance of flexible seating. I have seen how this library has transformed from traditional seating arrangement to future oriented hub of learning. This has created opportunities for all learners to collaborate and work together.

During ETL 505 I learnt about key concepts and principles of information resource description. During this subject, I gained the understanding of some cataloguing concepts such as metadata, Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), and Resource Description and Access (RDA). I had very limited experience on how to access resources using the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) and no experience on cataloguing the items that are not listed on SCIS. Through this placement, I was able to understand the rules, guidelines and standards require in describing, analysing and organising resources. I also had an opportunity to understand the cataloguing of DVD’s and Periodicals (Magazines).

However, the school does not have any e books for staff or students. This year’s Pandemic has proved that technology is of utmost importance in these times. During remote learning, students did not have any exposure to reading and therefore I believe that the school must invest in e books and familiarise students with the digital formats of books to provide equity of access to all resources. I had a personal enthusiasm for learning about cataloguing and I think that was my biggest achievement.

During the time of placement, there were few resources that were urgent requirements from some teachers. This has helped me understand how to set priorities. One of my professional goals was to observe and understand how the librarians prioritises meeting the expectations of its students and teachers.

The library has a large room where the teachers’ resources are stored. Over a period of time, with the access to digital resources, the borrowing for teacher’s resources have declined. To prepare for stock take of teachers’ resources, a lot of items were weeded on the basis of library’s weeding policy. The resources that were not located were marked missing. The planning is underway to use this space in more productive way rather than occupying it for the unused resources.

Next year, Amity College will open its campus in Leppington too. The Boys’ High School will be moving to Leppington Campus and Prestons campus will be expanded. This means the libraries will be expanded too. The Principal asked Mrs Bashir to come up with a plan for the future library. I was fortunate to be a part of the planning process and gave my input. I suggested that the library can have glass walls with a designated area to collaborate, communicate and share.

Finally, the school is going to organise Book tasting with social distancing in the first week of August. A lot of time and efforts go in the planning and preparation of the event. I assisted the librarian in making posters, bookmarks and the activity cards to promote the event. This reminds me of the research project I undertook for EER 500 where the research outlines the need to advocate the library and the activities as mentioned in Australian Schools Library association (2018), one of the roles of the librarian is to promote services in the library. The main purpose of this activity is to motivate the reluctant readers and also to expose all students to a variety of genres. As a teacher librarian I am very much interested in this topic of promoting the school libraries. Today’s libraries are about more than books- they are valuable centres for people to access information and learn new skills.

Section 3: Critical reflection

This placement has given me a diverse and varied experience. I was able to compare and contrast the way the Primary and High School library operates especially the students’ cohort. Whenever the office admin staff is away, my supervisor also fills up the role of the administrative staff. I highly value the organisation skills of my supervisor and her passion for library.

I have great emotional attachment to all the items in my library but now I have already started decluttering my desk and collection after understanding the weeding process and doing a lot of weeding during my placement. Some of the weeded items were put on sale for a gold coin donation. All the proceeds raised will go for purchasing library supplies. This experience will allow me to keep my bookshelves and materials neat and orderly.

My supervisor is responsible for ordering textbooks and study guides for Amity College’s Girls High School library as well as Boys High School library. I saw the excel sheets she uses for record keeping with all her notes written for her reference. This process gave me an insight into how the school libraries support the curriculum and the teachers in a High school.

During my placement review meeting with my supervisor, she stressed the importance of building a good connection with all the stakeholders and advocacy. The librarian has built a very good rapport with staff and students and hence the library is a welcoming place for all. In healthy and productive interpersonal relationships between teachers and students, students feel close to their teacher and they trust and value him or her.

One of my tasks also involved going through the series books and ordering the missing copies from Booktopia. I realised how important it is to regularly do this to keep the collection updated.

Research has proved that school library has a positive impact on students’ achievement.  It was a pleasure to see that the staff and students value the library as heart of the school that makes a difference by building capacity for lifelong learners. It is evident that a librarian wears many hats in the smooth functioning of a library.

It is very motivating that during my placement meeting, my supervisor Mrs Bashir remarked positively about my work. I had first-hand experience in working collaboratively in a high school library and achieving my professional goals. I look forward to applying my new knowledge and skills in my professional life.

Topic: What role does technology play in the relationship information agencies develop with their users? (1200 words)

The current global pandemic has made it clear that the role of technology in 21^st century is highly significant. In these unprecedented times, technology has made it possible for students to learn from home and for professionals to work from home. The move to remote learning for schools during Covid 19 has seen students and educators rely heavily on digital technologies like never before. Students and teachers might find a bit overwhelming to manage change. However, technology can now be seen as a tool and a catalyst for change as it has made education more accessible and flexible.

In keeping up with 21^st century the role of all the information agencies have changed through the use of electronic technology from library curators to information and research facilities. Effective integration of technology into subject area gives opportunity to Technology-enabled learning and also allows learners to tap resources and expertise anywhere in the world. Technology will clearly have a massive impact on the library and information sector and will need to focus on the user experience, not only in terms of content, but also how the service looks and feels in the real world and online. (ALIA, 2014).

Almost all the information agencies had Online Public Access Catalogues (OPAC) and eBooks, audio books and databases that meets the needs of their users. This allows the users with round the clock access to information. Some of the agencies have a contact us form for the query that were answered in less than 48 hours. Lee (Softlink, 2018) states in her blog that libraries should have a message encouraging visitors to register, with clear instructions for contact and registration. Lee (2018) also emphasises that modern library management systems make it easy to create a visually appealing experience for the user, without having a graphics design qualification.

Technology can connect users without any geographical boundaries. Effective integration of technology into subject area gives opportunity to personalised learning or experiences that are more engaging and relevant. Technology can help classrooms move beyond the four walls and help students connect through tools such as Skype to learn and interacts with students from all over the world. Technology acts a bridge between tangible and abstract learning allowing easy access to resources.

For instance, Mount Alvernia College believes that we as teacher librarians should keep ourselves updated with technology so that we are able to provide support to our students in a safe environment. They also have a function on their library website called ‘Ask a Librarian’ tab that they think is very user friendly. It is a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) school where students have the option to buy computers through a company that has a tech on site as a tech support person. Students are taught every year how to search catalogue, how to use tags and there are also research guides to assist students. The school also has research guides and the teacher librarian believes that the research guide for each school might look different depending on how the students engage with the catalogue/library resources.

Another speaker, Anna Griffiths from Special Libraries at Albury Wodonga Health points out that most of the library users are multi modal, however, it is important to keep the demographics of users in mind. Digital transformation may be a tough thing for some users. Technology in a regional area can sometimes be a challenge due to connectivity issues.

Lake Tuggeranong College, Canberra has chrome books for students. There are also standalone desktops available to give equity of digital access to learning. The college website has a key resource called ‘Digital backpack’ that gives students’ access to lot of useful resources such as clickview, Oliver, Google Drive, different databases to gain quality information. The College also conducts various ‘Key to success’ webinars for students. Through the bibliographic statistics table that was shown, it is evident that the college has a wide collection of ebooks, audio books, kobe ebooks for textbooks. All of this is available through SORA overdrive app. Google forms are used to get students feedback. It was very interesting to know that the last question was an open ended question- ‘What else do you want us to know’? This allows students to give an opinion on the topic that was not listed in the question list. The speakers at Lake Tuggeranong College gave an understanding of how important it is to teach students’ research skills as it underpins the Australian Curriculum and General Capabilities. Technology can provide users to access resources at any time. Lori stated that students submit assignments at unearthly hours and therefore it is necessary to be able to make available great websites for students and also professional learning for teachers. We need to teach students how to evaluate which sources (books, blogs, tweets, websites, databases, etc.) are most appropriate for their research.

Another important topic for this study visit was advocacy. Since in many parts of the world, libraries and librarians are increasingly becoming an endangered species, it is very important, more than ever, that we start advocating our roles as teacher librarian. Australian school libraries’ staffing and resources have been in decline for many years now, particularly in primary schools (Tarica, 2010; Hay, 2013; Mitchell & Weldon, 2016; Softlink, 2015; Softlink, 2016; Softlink, 2017). Holly Godfree stresses the importance of advocating the role of a qualified teacher librarian. In the article on School Libraries Matter: The missing piece in the education puzzle ( 2018), Godfree and Neilson, clearly states without a teacher librarian, no information or digital literacy skills will be taught and no collaborative teaching and planning will happen. In this digital age, it is very essential to teach students right from Kindergarten the information skills such as note taking, plagiarism, referencing.

Virtual study visit also gave a positive insight on shelving fiction through genres that motivates user with a visible increase in circulation.

Lack of budget was a common problem for all the information agencies. Kari stated that, the IT infrastructure we have in place is a challenge in day to day operations. Technology is moving quickly and our systems aren’t agile enough to move at the same pace. Funding is always a challenge and COVID-19 may exacerbate this challenge but equally could present opportunities. However, all the speakers managed and purchased resources within the given budget. Library is used by whole organisation and therefore libraries need to be a priority in regards to computer technology infrastructure and hardware. This allows equitable access to resources and information.

Technology can also help people to stay connected with their Professional Learning Networks where learning happens in an informal manner through exchange of ideas and opinion e.g. Twitter. Through all this, we can see the connecting role of technology and the relationship between information agencies and their users.

Reflection

The virtual study visit was an alternative to actual study visit that was offered by the University. At first I thought it would not be same as the face to face experience, but I must admit that it was a quality experience. All the speakers were terrific in giving insights about their role and about the institution. Unlike every year, this year all our study visits for this session were online. It was an unusual experience to have virtual study visits but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. This was only possible because of technology and therefore it is clearly evident that technology is an integral part of all the information agencies. TL’s in order to continue to be resourceful to our students and teachers need to keep up with the trends and use of current technology. If not experts, but able to know the basics of Google suite, MS Office. Knowing how to use eBooks, podcasts, databases, online streaming resources, teach about digital literacy.

Before undertaking any new project, it is necessary to be mindful of Cultural differences. For example, in Generification. Communication via digital means really needs to be approached carefully, because our interactions might lack the face to face nuances that show we are trying to be respectful or that we are unsure if a question is appropriate.

Students need to be taught to be digital natives. It is incorrect to assume that they are digitally literate.

My main takeaway from this study visit is being versatile with can do attitude is an important skill in our profession that can build a positive work environment. Libraries are a flexible, dynamic learning space that provides access to physical and digital resources where users gain information and uses web tools to empower learning through creativity, discovery, inquiry, cooperation, and collaboration.

References

Alia.org.au. 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/documents/advocacy/ALIA-Future-of-the-Profession-ALL.pdf [Accessed 11 May 2020].

Godfree, H. and Neilson, O., 2020. [online] Studentsneedschoollibraries.org.au. Available at: https://studentsneedschoollibraries.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Holly-Godfree-and-Olivia-Neilson-ACCESS-March-2018-editors-note.pdf [Accessed 16 May 2020].

Lee, K., 2020. The Role of Technology in Library Outreach – The Library Homepage – Softlink – Library Software and Services. [Online] Softlink – Library Software and Services. Available at: https://ic.softlinkint.com/blog/the-role-of-technology-in-library-outreach-the-library-homepage [Accessed 17 May 2020].