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