“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.

I’m exceptionally lucky to be a supportive HS that sees the value of the library and the teacher librarian. This being said, the opportunities for integrated information literacy instruction have been limited. In my time at the school (currently 2 terms), I’ve taught maybe 3-4 lessons on the research process. I’m typically given ONE lesson to cover everything, and sometimes not even this, as teachers want students to have the opportunity to immediately put their skills into practice. This is not the teacher’s fault though — the curriculum is already so packed, and while taking 1 lesson out to address information seeking and/or referencing is fine, taking 3 or four out is not.

It’s also not realistic for me to integrate myself into the instruction of multiple KLAs. Firstly, I do not have expert knowledge of every KLA and their curriculum. Secondly, I do not want to repeat similar or the same lessons to identical students multiple times. So instead, I’m going to start looking at how I can embed IL — and myself by extension — into the HSIE faculty. I’m History-trained, so this seems like an obvious choice. Additionally, IL skills and processes seem natural to the historical inquiry process, and overlap significantly with the ‘historical’ skills being taught in History classes, i.e. evaluating sources for bias etc.

At this point in time, I’m confused as to what integrated information literacy instruction would look like across all KLAs. I mean, as obvious as it is for me in History, it is not at all obvious for me in regards to Science, or English.

One way a TL might help the school move toward integrated information literacy instruction is to workshop it with staff at staff/faculty meetings. This has the added bonus of developing collegial and professional relationships with staff members, which obviously help to build teaching partnerships between the TL and teachers in the long-run. My current HT is actually the Instructional Leader, so maybe I should bring it up with them at an appropriate time?

There are obvious challenges to integrated information literacy instruction, beyond the unique challenges that my personal circumstances present. Namely, it’s very easy for ‘Information Literacy’ to be seen by teachers as a fad. Even though IL skills/processes have been around for decades and since its ‘birth’, a concern for Education systems around the world, it’s been growing in recognition and popularity in recent years. And like other fads, without being constantly pushed by staff, it may eventually die out. We only have to look at the General Capabilities. A few years ago, this was a big push by the Department to work skills and processes — LIKE INFORMATION LITERACY — into all curriculums. However, as a relatively recent Education graduate (2017), I sheepishly admit that I had never even really heard of the general capabilities. I certainly did not explicitly work them into programs or lessons I was teaching beyond anything that wasn’t tokenist.

Another challenge might be reflective of my own perceptions — how is IL relevant for ALL subject areas? It obviously is, and for some subjects more than others simply by the nature of the innate processes involved.

I think it’s important to note that Fitzgerald (2019) and Fitzgerald & Garrison (2017) acknowledge that the processes involved Guided Inquiry (an IL model) do eventually become transferable for students, but only with repetition. This means to be truly valuable, IL skills and processes must be constantly practiced and reinforced in teaching, particularly across KLAs and different teachers. To avoid dying out, a TL must be knowledgeable in at least one IL model and be working with teachers across the school to integrate the skills and processes involved into their teaching. But in saying this, I circle back to one of my first observations expressed in this post: the curriculum is already packed. And must I do this alone?

Bibliography

Fitzgerald, L. (2019). ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship – Module 5.1 – Information literacy models in practice [Course notes]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899468_1

Fitzgerald, L. & Garrison, K. (2017) ‘It Trains Your Brain’: Student Reflections on Using the Guided Inquiry Design Process. Synergy, 15(2).

I did my first assessment for ETL401 on Information Literacy, so this is kind of an area that I semi-understand — can anyone really ever know what ‘information literacy’ is when there are no agreed-upon definitions of it? The way I like to understand is that information literacy is and are the processes by which a learner finds, understands, evaluates, and applies information for specific purposes (Abilock, 2004).

I’ve definitely noted that in schools I’ve been at, ‘literacy’ is often just a term thrown around by people to refer to traditional literacy, that is, reading, writing, viewing, speaking, listening and understanding. As far as I’m aware, it’s very rarely used to refer to any other sort of literacy — whether that’s information literacy, literacy with ICT, etc. I fully believe, however, that for students to be considered ‘literate’ in the 21st Century, they must be able to do more than read and write, but also locate and critically evaluate information — from all sorts of texts — to gain their own understanding and meaning about a particular concept or piece of information. Assessing understanding, particularly in younger students, is quite difficult to do though.

I went out with some colleagues after work last night, and at one point, they began bemoaning the fact that in their assignments, they were encountering so many students who clearly do not know how to locate information, and when they do, reference it correctly. This is obviously something that I can attempt to address in (at this point in time) one-off lessons, but staff haven’t been reaching out despite my previous offerings. I am reluctant to force my services upon them. I’m also curious as to why they are seemingly not addressing these things in advance of handing out assignments. Surely when they go through an assignment with students, they include notes on how they want it presented, referenced etc.? Especially given that so many of our assignments at school seem to be independently-research focussed.

There’s more work to be done here, and as the current TL, I have to be — and will be — on the ground floor.

Reference List 

Abilock, D. (2004). Information Literacy: From Prehistory to K-20: A New Definition. Knowledge Quest, 32(4), 9-11

‘Guided-Inquiry’ has been this buzz-phrase that I’ve been hearing since I began my TL journey earlier this semester, and I’m really interested to explore it in more depth. I get the premise and ideas behind it — allowing curriculum and student interest to intersect, and allowing learning to be student-driven, etc. but I want to know more about how the teacher and TL can actively support and scaffold this. I’m particularly interested in how I might work towards implementing this in my current school, as I’m concerned about students’ being able to direct their own learning while being on-task.

I definitely think I’ll be looking at GID as part of Assessment 3, because I think GID is becoming the favoured model for student-driven learning in HS curriculum and schools. I’ve unwittingly been using the NSW IL model for information seeking and use, but I’m concerned about how much students take away from this model.

The roles and duties that a TL performs are never stock-standard, as each works in a unique environment with unique needs. It is simply not possible for the TL to do, and be everything — particularly not all at once (Herring, 2007, p. 31). And for the most part, or has been my experience, this is not typically demanded of TLs.

Although I found Herring (2007), Purcell (2010) and Lamb’s (2011) comments about school libraries and teacher librarians exceptionally helpful, particularly in explicitly labeling the obvious roles that a TL performs, these roles are often obscure. We’re told to be leaders, but how do we lead? We’re told to be teachers, but what do we teach? We’re told to support the curriculum, but what does this support look like? What does a TL actually do? Sometimes these questions are answered, as they were in these articles, but sometimes they leave the reader more confused than when they began.  I came across this infographic (MacMeekin, 2013) about 6-months ago, and printed it off to sit above my desk. I think this is an excellent example of all the things TLs do that they don’t necessarily receive credit for.

On the whole, however, I do believe that TLs must work with those in the school community — including parents and senior executive — to determine what the current needs of the students, staff and wider school community actually are and therefore define their explicit roles (Purcell, 2010). In order to remain relevant and do away with the misconception that ‘librarians’ read all day, the TL must be willing to transform themselves and their role to suit these needs. This is a theme that seems to be echoing itself throughout my blog posts, but is supported by Lamb’s (2011) view that TLs must be future-focused and develop their technology-related skills, especially if this is where the future of TL-related work lay.

There is a perception held by many TLs that they must constantly demonstrate their worth to principals, teachers, and school community in order to receive support. I agree with Lamb’s suggestion that advertising the programs and services of the library needs to be a top priority, and that TLs should be involved in blogging, writing, newsletters etc. The good stories need to be told.

Bibliography

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

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. Techtrends: Linking research & practice to improve learning, 55(4), 27-36. 

MacMeekin, M. (2013). 27 things your teacher librarian does [Infographic]. Retrieved from https://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/27-things-your-teacher-librarian-does/

Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books right? A look at the roles of the school library media specialist. Library media connection 29(3), 30-33. 

von Scherler Mayer, D. (Director). (1995). Party Girl [Motion Picture]. United States: First Look Pictures.

Reading through various discussion forums and blog posts, I’ve come to realise that my journey to becoming a Teacher Librarian has been somewhat different than the journey embarked upon by others.

I finished my Bachelors of Secondary Education in 2017, and — at the time — was unsure of whether my future career would involve teaching. I knew I loved reading and books, which is why I had majored in English, but I didn’t know if I wanted to teach English. So instead, I enrolled full-time in a Graduate Diploma of Information and Library Studies at Curtin University. My thought at the time — and had been for over half of my undergraduate — was that I would work in public libraries, or perhaps even an academic, higher-education library. I even completed a placement at Fisher Library at USYD to this end. Halfway through the diploma though, I realised I missed interacting with teenagers, so becoming a TL became my career dream. Given that being a TL had not been my initial goal when enrolling in the diploma, I never bothered to check that it was recognised by the NSW Department of Education. I was a qualified teacher, and by the end of my studies, I would also be a qualified librarian; surely that translated to being a Teacher Librarian. It did not.

I struggled to find TL work — probably because I didn’t have any experience, the right qualifications, or any connections. I knew I had to enroll in my Masters to be formally recognised as a TL, but when no one was willing to employ me in this position, I decided not to rush it. I had been a full-time university student for 6 years by this point — I wanted to take a break from studying. So instead, I taught English. For approximately 8-weeks.

In my first term of official teaching, a school nearby posted an Expression of Interest for a Teacher Librarian. I applied, interviewed and got it. All in the span of 3-days. It was fate.

I’ve only been in the TL role for a term-and-a-half now, but I know how lucky I am to have gotten this position. So, so incredibly lucky. The TL in the role before me wore a lot of different hats, but never really the teacher or librarian one. The role has been whatever I’ve wanted it to be, which has been amazing for me as a beginner teacher AND a new teacher librarian.

“TLS have twin qualifications, as teachers and as librarians” (Fitzgerald, 2019). I personally struggle with this statement, probably because of my lack of experience as both a teacher and a librarian. As a beginning teacher though, I’ve been working toward my accreditation and have been using the Australian professional standards for teachers (AITSL, 2017) extensively. As I was only a regular classroom teacher for 8-weeks — and that a majority of my teaching career has been with me in a non-regular teaching TL role — I’ve also been using AITSL’s Standards for teacher librarian practice (2014) as an additional means of support. This document has been particularly beneficial in guiding me as it provides examples of what type of evidence can be collected to satisfy the required standards. It’s often hard to devise ways in which you would typically meet all the standards, particularly when you’re not timetabled to specific classes and you’re in the TL role. Luckily, I was always mindful that I should get my accreditation done as soon as possible, simply because I was on a smaller contract and couldn’t guarantee I would be getting regular casual work, let alone being put on a scheduled class where I was responsible for programming, lesson sequences, etc.

Bibliography

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership(AITSL) (2017). Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards.

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Schools Section (2014). AITLS Standards for teacher librarian practice. Retrieved from https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/AITSL%20Standards%20for%20teacher%20librarian%20practice%202014.pdf

Fitzgerald, L. (2019). ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship – Module 3.2 The role of the Teacher Librarian [lecture notes]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899459_1

I actually love the term ‘Information Society’ — I think it neatly summarises what can potentially be a complex — and deep rabbit hole — concept. Although I understand Rouse’s (2005) definition of Information Society as a society in which the creation, distribution, and application of information has become a significant cultural and economic activity, I tend to favour the more expansive definition used by WebFinance (2016).

For me, Information Society can be defined as a society and/or world in which information is freely created, distributed and applied by individuals for specific purposes in their daily personal, social and business activities. Information is a commodity by which we determine meaning (semantic definition), as well as intangible data retained in a line of nonsensical code (classic definition) (Fitzgerald, 2019). Unlike other commodities which are physical, information cannot be consumed — instead, it accumulates. Although many can consistently access this accumulated information, it still does have a shelf-life — perhaps a shorter shelf-life than other, more physical commodities. Combined with the evolving technologies of the 21st Century, this information can be understood and used in different contexts and manners, which in turn, can change how it is understood. New information will replace old information, although the user is responsible for determining the value of the information.

It is important that the Teacher Librarian understands their role within the Information Landscape — and particularly that their role, just like the Landscape — will and has to evolve. Fifty, twenty years ago, the librarian was responsible for curating and mediating the exchange of information between those that produced it — typically trained and specialised professionals — and the general public. Now, with Web 2.0 and increasing access to technology, people from opposite sides of the globe can easily transmit information without mediation. The librarian — particularly the reference librarian — has seemingly become obsolete.  In today’s world of search engines and an overabundance of information, some have questioned the future of libraries and librarians — particularly in schools.

“Who needs librarians when you have Google?”

I recently met up with some TLs at a conference, and one of them told me that their principal didn’t see the value of a TL in High School and was consequently looking to get rid of them. This made me incredibly sad for a variety of reasons, but was also heartbreaking because if a principal — the leader of a school — can’t see the value of a TL, then what did that mean for the future of TLs in schools across the state, nation and world? Are we all wasting our time trying to gain a qualification that in ten years time will be useless?

Obviously I don’t believe this. The LIS profession will always remain challenged by the misconception about librarians and TLs role in teaching and learning. If people ask, “Who needs librarians when you have Google?” your response should be: “Why do we need Math teachers when we have calculators? Why do we need doctors when we have WebMD? Why do we need to make decisions when there may be a ‘higher power’ controlling our actions?” My independent research into the assumption that post-Millennials are inherently information literate because they’re part of the ‘digital native’ generation has revealed that in many cases, this assumption is far from being correct. In fact, just yesterday, I had a student come up to me and not only ask me how to save a file from Google Docs onto a USB, but also where the USB was meant to be plugged in. This seems to echo Dr. Combes’ (2019) view that while teachers think students are capable of using computers and applications safely, efficiently, and ethically, this is, in reality, a learned skill that many students are lacking. If they can’t complete a task as relatively simple as saving a file onto a USB, how can we expect them to be able to critically evaluate online sources, understand ethical usage, and participate as digital citizens? For the time being, it would seem one of the primary roles of a TL is to teach students how to first use the technology, and then how to navigate the information landscape using it and their developing IL skills.

Bibliography

Combes, B. (Producer). (2019). Information, change and issues [Webinar]. Retrieved from https://connect.csu.edu.au/p46nev0a746/

Fitzgerald, L. (2019). ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship. Module 2 – The information environment [Course notes]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899453_1.

Web Finance Inc. (2016). Information Society. Retrieved from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Information-Society

The Role of the Teacher Librarian

A few years ago, I had reason to go down to the school library to pick up some faculty books that had mistakenly been returned there. I walked into the empty library, and upon not seeing the books already sitting on the circulation desk, set off in search of the librarian. I found her in her office, reading a book that she leisurely put down when she saw me standing in the doorway. I distinctly remember thinking to myself; “She gets paid to read books all day? That is the best job ever!”

I formed this opinion based on the fact that I never saw the librarian outside of the library. My sole transactions with her took place across the circulation desk, or rather in the doorway of her office. As far as I was aware, she existed in her own separate world, and we – the teachers and students – existed in another.

Over the years, I have reflected on this image of the siloed librarian, and since I took up a temporary full-time teacher librarian position in a high school in April, it is an image that I have been actively attempting to challenge in my own work. So what then, is my understanding of the role of the TL in schools?

First and foremost, the primary role of the teacher librarian is to teach. Revolutionary, I know. Although each TL has a recognised teaching background, the teaching of information literacy often falls to their care, perhaps because their work within the library seems to simultaneously occupy both a physical and digital space. ‘Information literacy’ encompasses the skills required and involved in inquiring, locating, evaluating and applying information appropriately (ALIA, 2006; ANZIIL, 2004). With the emerging technologies of Web 2.0 and the proliferation of information freely available online, equipping students with these necessary skills has become key to creating lifelong learners who are capable of being critical and active citizens of local, national and global communities (MCEETYA, 2008).

The second responsibility of the teacher librarian – although no less important than the first – is to foster a love of reading, both for learning and for pleasure. Although it is a controversial area of discussion, research suggests that as children reach adolescence their interest in reading for both information and leisure declines (Nippold, Duthie, & Larson, 2005; Purcell et al., 2012). It is important that in order to combat this decline, teacher librarians work alongside classroom teachers to ensure that they provide access to a wide range of reading materials, opportunities for students to select their own reading material, and provide experiences that engage students in social interactions about what they are reading (Gambrell, 2015).

The third and final job of the TL is the administrative management of the school library. This involves duties such as budgeting, ordering, purchasing, accessioning, and circulation. Although these tasks may be perceived as the ‘boring’ part of the job, they actually underpin the successful running of the library and ensure the TL can continue to fulfil the other functions involved in their role.

It is said that at the heart of a successful school is the school library. Well, if this is true, it could also be said that at the centre of the school library is a skilled and sought after teacher librarian.

Reference List

Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy [ANZIIL]. (2004). Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework. Adelaide: Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy. Retrieved June 18, 2018 from http://archive.caul.edu.au/info-literacy/InfoLiteracyFramework.pdf

Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA]. (2006). Statement on information literacy for all Australians. Retrieved June 16, 2018, from https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/statement-information-literacy-all-australians

Gambrell, L. B. (2015). Getting students hooked on the reading habit. The Reading Teacher, 69(3), 259–263.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Retrieved July 16, 2019 from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Nippold, M. A., Duthie, J. K., & Larsen, J. (2005). Literacy as a Leisure Activity: Free time Preferences of Older Children and Young Adolescents. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 36(2), 93-102.

Purcell, K., Rainie, L., Heaps, A., Buchanan, J., Friedrich, L., Jacklin, A., Chen, C. & Zickuhr, K. (2012). How Teens Do Research in the Digital World. Retrieved June 17, 2018 from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media/Files/Reports/2012/PIP_TeacherSurveyReportWithMethodology110112.pdf