“Who needs librarians when you have Google?”

There is a harsh reality that is facing the teacher librarian profession. Both personal, social and academic evidence indicates that Australian teacher librarians have been branded a “dying breed” in “survival mode”, with employment numbers hitting a “critical low” across the country (Carmody, 2019; Softlink, 2016; Merga, 2019; Milliken 2019b). Those who do remain in their position do not feel secure or valued in their roles. It is a hard and sobering reality, albeit hardly a new one (Watts, 1999).

The Information Society in which we live is in a constant state of evolution and change (FitzGerald, 2019a). By its very nature though, change brings with it new opportunities. Resistance to these opportunities could prove futile for reluctant teacher librarians (TL). Our survival depends solely upon our ability to evolve in response to these changes, to meet the perceived needs of our students and school community. And despite the question proceeding this post, the need for TLs is very real, even and perhaps in large, because of Google (Cadzow, 2019; Ziffer, 2019). Equipping students with the skills and processes needed to navigate the Information Landscape is essential if we are to create students who are literate, and capable of being active and informed citizens, as described in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals (MCEETYA, 2008).

In today’s complex information landscape, the word ‘literacy’ is often used as a descriptor, encompassing multiple literacies from the more traditional, i.e. reading, writing, etc., to the more diverse, i.e. music, media, etc. One type of literacy that is encompassed by this descriptor is known as ‘information literacy’. Information literacy (IL) is, in itself, a complex concept, with no one definition encompassing all its aspects (FitzGerald, 2019b). In an earlier blog post (Milliken, 2019c), I defined IL for the specific contexts and purposes I used the term in, but upon reflecting, most revise this definition. Information literacy can be understood as a set of skills and/or processes that a learner needs to find, understand, evaluate, apply and transfer information and knowledge to different forms for personal, social, and professional purposes (Abilock, 2007; Herring & Tarter, 2007). The transferability of IL cannot be underestimated or neglected, as this is evidence of true understanding of not only the processes themselves but why we do them.

In Australia, IL has been omitted from the Australian Curriculum. This does not, as the work of Lupton (2012) illustrates, mean that IL is not implicitly present in the Curriculum, simply that ‘strands’ of it exist, particularly in the inquiry skills elements and General Capabilities. Lupton concludes her work by saying that it is ultimately the responsibility — and opportunity for — of the TL to link these elements. One way in which she suggests TLs do this is through the implementation of inquiry-learning frameworks that explicitly integrate IL. Inquiry is an approach to learning whereby students have the opportunity to investigate, explore, evaluate, and apply information.

To help TLs implement IL into the syllabus, several IL models have been developed over the years, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Viewed out of context, or implemented by an untrained professional, these models can reinforce the view that IL is a set of skills or steps to be followed (Llyod, 2010). I have fallen prey to this assumption myself (Milliken, 2019d). Since entering a TL role in a High School in April, I taught four lessons on the research process using the NSW Information Search Process as my model (NSW DET, 2007). Though, due to a packed syllabus, in each of these instances, I’ve only had one lesson to cover the entire process and have never had the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of students’ use of the model. For the third assessment, however, I developed an integrated IL unit that used Guided Inquiry as the framework, and I found this model much more inherently natural to the entire inquiry process. So infatuated with the Guided Inquiry model, that next year, I will be putting my unit to use as part of Stage 4 History.

I firmly believe that in order to remain relevant in the 21st century, TLs must acknowledge that our role is to create students who are information literate. We must make our area of expertise the integration of IL skills into our school syllabuses, and become invaluable once more to the information seeking and application process. We cannot be replaced by Google. As members of our school’s instructional teams, we must be involved in all phases of designing instruction, from setting goals and objectives, to designing activities, to establishing means for assessing learning (Kulthau et al., 2007). This role will not be without challenges faced from all corners of our profession – the students we teach, the peers we work beside, the Curriculum and leadership we work under.  We will have to constantly fight to be viewed as valuable contributors to the education of young people. This is our new reality, and I for one, cannot wait.

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Reference List

Abilock, D. (2007). Information literacy. Building blocks of research: Overview of design process and outcomes. NoodleTools. Retrieved https://www.eduscapes.com/instruction/inquiry/noodletools.htm. 

Carmody, R. (2019, September 15). School libraries hit by the loss of a dying breed as teacher librarians enter ‘survival mode’. ABC News. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-15/research-reveals-alarming-loss-in-teacher-librarians-in-schools/11494022?pfmredir=sm&fbclid=IwAR1vqGw788HmqJqoRbau6PvbbD8n0gO27q3mL6gA1eAI3m5UYvLvhcaDye0

Cadzow, J. (2019, September 28). One for the books: the unlikely renaissance of libraries in the digital age. The Age. Retrieved from https://www.theage.com.au/culture/books/one-for-the-books-the-unlikely-renaissance-of-libraries-in-the-digital-age-20190923-p52u0j.html?fbclid=IwAR1jysxVIPp57CFtGdzqm54hNCq9jzWtn1hdilE79syt52ykbt5vm8LbqkI

FitzGerald, L. (2019a). ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship. Module 2.2 – The nature of information [Course notes]. Retrieved 10th September, 2019 from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899453_1 

FitzGerald, L. (2019b). ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship. Module 5: Information Literacy [Course notes]. Retrieved 1st October, 2019 from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899468_1

Herring, J. and Tarter, A. (2007). Progress in developing information literacy in a secondary school using the PLUS model. School Libraries in View 23, 23-27. 

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. London, UK: Libraries Unlimited. 

Lupton, M. (2012). Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum. Access, 26(2), 12-18. ISSN: 1030-0155. 

 Lloyd, A. (2010). Framing information literacy as an information practice: site ontology and practice theory. Journal of Documentation 66(2), 245–258.

Merga, M. K. (2019). Do Librarians Feel that Their Profession is Valued in Contemporary Schools? Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 68(1), 18-37.https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2018.1557979

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Milliken, K. (2019a, July 16). ETL401 – The Role of the Teacher Librarian [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/readminder/2019/07/16/etl401-assessment-1-part-b/ 

Milliken, K. (2019b, August 8). Module 2 – Teacher Librarian in the Information Landscape [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/readminder/2019/08/08/module-2-3-teacher-librarian-in-the-information-landscape/

Milliken, K. (2019c, September 10). Module 5.1 – Information Literacy [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/readminder/2019/09/10/module-5-1-information-literacy/ 

Milliken, K. (2019d), September 19). Module 5.4 – Integrated Information Literacy Instruction [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/readminder/2019/09/19/etl401-module-5-4-integrated-information-literacy-instruction/

New South Wales, Department of Education and Training. (2007). Information skills in the school. http://www.curriculumsupport. education.nsw.gov.au/schoollibraries/teachingideas/isp/index.htm 

Softlink. (2016). The 2016 softlink Australian and New Zealand school library survey report. Retrieved 1st October, 2019 from https://www.softlinkint.com/downloads/Australian_and_New_Zealand_School_library_survey_report.pdf. 

Watts, J. S. (1999). The teacher librarian past: a literature review. In J. Henri & K. Bonanno (Eds.), The information literate school community: best practice (pp. 29-54). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University. 

Ziffer, D. (2019, September 26). Communications technology and education push Australian down digital rankings. ABC News. Retrieved 1st October, 2019 from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-26/internet-digital-ranking-australia-and-the-world/11550614?fbclid=IwAR1vz8xZ4efiT6SDjNT-YNUUZXk0aPBktXRvb3eoVJh04wcJyC0UXojgmB4.