Traditionally, the library has been seen by others in the community as a ‘nice quiet place’ where we keep books, and the role of the Teacher Librarian is that of a ‘keeper of books’. This is just one aspect of the librarianship in general. In today’s school libraries, the teacher librarian is a technology guru, a curriculum expert, a research assistant and a collaborator.

This is not done in isolation; the teacher librarian now promotes the value of the school library as the school hub and advocates the importance of such a space. When I begin to work in a school library, I aim to advertise the multi-faceted nature of the library and those who work within it. I want the teachers, students and the school’s leadership to see that we are integral to student learning. In doing this, I hope to influence or persuade others that student learning objectives can be achieved through the library as we are skilled professionals and, regardless of our formal positions, can support the vision and values of the school (Gardner, 2013). This resonates with my learning about transformational leadership, whereby working with other teachers leads to greater collaboration and promoting a culture of innovation (Moir, Hattie & Jansen, 2014). Collaboration is at the heart of the TL’s role, so harnessing the power of this approach is critical to leading from my position.

References

Gardner, J. W. (2013). The nature of leadership. In M Grogan (Ed.). The Jossey-Bass Reader on educational leadership (3rd ed., pp. 17-27). John Wiley & Sons.

Moir, S., Hattie, J. & Jansen, C.  (2014). Teacher perspectives of ‘effective’ leadership in schools. Australian Educational Leader, 36(4), 36-40.