As this semester draws to a close, so too does my formal learning journey as a teacher librarian (TL). After nine long years of undergraduate and post-graduate study I am finally (this subject pending) a qualified TL in the eyes of the NSW Department. I am especially appreciative that ETL504 has been my final subject, as I feel the content covered therein, from leadership styles, leadership for change, 21st century learning, strategic planning, to at the centre of all of it, the TL as a leader, has given me knowledge and skills that I can apply to my current role.

In my initial blog post for this subject, I expressed doubt and trepidation about my leadership abilities (Milliken, 2021a). My response reflected a naive and simplified understanding of leadership as something reserved solely for those in formally recognised leadership positions, such as the principal or school executive members. As I’ve progressed through the learning modules and activities in this subject, however, my understanding of leadership has dramatically changed. I have come to recognise that leaders are not just those appointed to formal leadership roles but can emerge in informal leadership positions due to their own expertise and/or influence with peers (Leithwood et al., 2006). Effective leaders will empower and encourage innovation from those around them, all for the purpose of moving the organisation toward the achievement of a future-focused vision (Law et al., 2011; Smith, 2020).

Reflecting upon the course content has also revealed that the trepidation I felt about my own leadership abilities has been misplaced, as it has become clear that I have already begun to develop into an instructional leader role in my current school. As a TL and expert in information literacy (IL), I have previously embedded myself in some programs of learning at my school, providing research and IL support to students at their point-of-need and working alongside the classroom teacher to team teach this content. As an instructional leader, collaboration with teachers is crucially important as this is how the TL can deepen and enrich students’ learning, as well as support the development of classroom teachers’ capacity to successfully implement change in their classrooms (Schifter, 2008). Collaboration is also vital because it allows TLs to advocate for their role with their peers (Cox & Korodaj, 2019; ).

Despite this being the end of my degree, my learning journey as a TL is far from over. While the final assessment for this subject has driven my motivation to create change in my own school environment for the purpose of meeting the needs of today’s learners, I recognise that I must first develop my professional knowledge of guided inquiry before approaching my school’s formal leadership for approval. In the meantime, I will continue to cultivate influence amongst my peers by resourcing their curriculum and collaborating on research tasks. I will also be placing a great emphasis on communication, with the goal being to create transparency and advocate for my position. In other words, the journey is only just beginning.

Reference List

Cox, E., & Korodaj, L. (2019). Leading from the sweet spot: Embedding the library and the teacher librarian in your school community. Access, 33(4), 14–25.

Law, N., Yuen, A. & Fox, R. (2011). Educational Innovations Beyond Technology: Nurturing Leadership and Establishing Learning Organizations. Springer.

Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2006). Successful school leadership: What it is and how it influences pupil learning. DfES Publications.

Milliken, K. (2021a, March 3). ETL504 – Initial Thoughts. CSU Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/readminder/2021/03/15/etl504-initial-thoughts/.

Smith, D. (2020, February 26). What is Leadership? Knowledge Quest. https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/what-is-leadership/

Recreational borrowing is declining and students’ engagement with the fiction collection has decreased. The collection is currently shelved alphabetically. Genrefication of the fiction collection is being proposed as a strategy to address the issue.

The scenario described above is similar to one that I found myself in at the end of 2019, when I sat back to look at the haphazard way resources within the fiction collection had been clearly labelled with a genre sticker. It was inconsistent, which I found particularly annoying. I also noticed that students seemed to find it difficult to find books they wanted to read. I would ask students if they needed help, and they would note, “I’m looking for a romance”. I would point at the books that had been marked with a sticker, and would be asked if that’s all we had. “Of course not,” I would reply, “that’s just how some of them have been labelled.”

Genrefying the collection would be a challenge for me, I knew, but I had researched the benefits. I spoke with my HT, who also saw the merit of the move. I had collected data from students asking them how they picked books to read, and how easy they found it to find a book they wanted to read on our shelves. But I never asked them if that’s how they wanted the fiction collection to be arranged. Genrefication was about what I wanted, and the benefits I saw.

For change to be successful though — and for school libraries to thrive — the school community must feel ownership over it, and open to this change. Communicating change after the fact does not count, but rather, I should have invited the opportunity for community input in whether the collection was rearranged. Through open channels of communication, I could have advocated for my role within the school, and demonstrated what a large-scale job genrefication was. I could have gained the opportunity to find out if genrefication was what the community thought best (after all, they are the ones who know the students best), and if they decided for the idea, gotten buy-in.

A suitable leadership style for a principal looking to facilitate leadership in the teacher librarian would definitely be transformational leadership. Transformational leaders use trust and communication to encourage participation and goal alignment with individuals within the organisation. In such an environment where staff are empowered to be collaborative and work together, the teacher librarian would have the ability to emerge as an informal leader.

As for leadership styles that the teacher librarian could use in this transformational environment, they could use instructional leadership, as ideally that is where their ‘expertise’ lay: in teaching and learning, specifically as it relates to student engagement and achievement. Using the qualities of an instructional leader, the TL would be well-positioned to provide support to teachers in achieving their, and the school’s goals. It also helps in this case that the library is often the learning ‘hub’ of the school.

What does it mean to be a teacher librarian, and a leader?

I often find it difficult to reconcile these two ideas together, especially since I am a beginning teacher and therefore do not have what I believe is sufficient experience, to call myself a leader. I understand the importance of being a leader for the purpose of advocacy for my role and the role of teacher librarian in general, but I am constantly wondering what I have to offer teachers with 15+ experience.