Part A: Statement of Personal Philosophy
An effective teacher librarian is always learning. They are curious by nature, seeking knowledge and understanding. They can harness their passion for reading and the quest for quality information and extend their know-how to their students and the wider school community.
A proficient teacher librarian strives to become an influencer, innovator and leader within their school community. They advocate for the value of the school library as more than a place filled with books; they aim to achieve a special place to ignite the love of learning and a haven to support well-being and connection.
Part B: Critical evaluation of my learning during the Teacher Librarianship course
As I reflect on my Master of Education journey, I never would have expected to learn so much about the diverse role of the Teacher Librarian. In my blog post, Little did I know…My understanding of the role of the Teacher Librarian (Gonye, 2022a, March 10). I had defined the role from the lens of an Early Childhood Teacher. I cringe slightly when I think back to the days before starting this degree and referring to them as ‘librarians’, completely disregarding the teaching qualification and experience that complements the skill set required to become a ‘Super’ teacher librarian.
‘Super Teacher Librarian’ retrieved from Beyond the Bookshelf.weebly.com. The image above has been shared throughout the course, describing some of the varied labels attributed to the teacher librarian.
The diverse role of the teacher librarian is a notion that I have revised constantly in every subject I completed. I had no clue of the vastness of the position. One of my first blog posts I had written, Baby Steps…Early Childhood Teacher to Teacher Librarian (Gonye, 2022b, March 10) I had expressed my desire to become a teacher librarian, listing what I thought would be an ideal job description for my future role. I was naïve to believe that I could articulate the duties and functions of a teacher librarian before I stepped foot into a school. As I progressed through my first subject, ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship, I realised the attributes I had described were only the foundation on which a career as a teacher librarian can be built.
According to the Australian School Library Association (ASLA), the teacher librarian takes on three primary roles:
- As a curriculum leader
- As an information specialist
- As an information service manager
As I read through my ETL 401 Assessment Three: Reflective Practice Blog (Gonye, 2022c, May 25) I realised just how much I have learned about the dynamic and extensive role of the teacher librarian. I hadn’t considered the primary functions as stated by ASLA.
Above, Holly Godfree (2021) challenges us to rethink our perceptions of the school library and of the qualified staff who work there, in her TED Global Idea pitch.
As I progressed through the course, many themes relating to teacher librarian practice became apparent. I focused my final reflections on the importance of information literacy, the foundations of collection development and collection management and using children’s literature across the curriculum.
The Importance of Information Literacy
Technology is part of our everyday lives; it is used constantly for educational purposes, business and personal use. Consequently, the information landscape itself has been steadily evolving, with information being available and accessible instantly through different sources, including devices in the palm of our hands. This technological influx has also changed how students seek and consume information.
Information literacy is now an essential skill for all twenty-first-century learners. My blog post titled Inquiry Learning vs Standardised Testing (Gonye, 2022e, May 9) discusses the skills needed to support students to be future-ready for higher learning and employment. Finding, evaluating, using and communicating information effectively is valuable and crucial for students to apply in their studies and future lives and work environments. Students can easily ‘Google’ and apply Artificial Intelligence software to find and generate answers, but it does not make them competent in using information literacy.
As described in my blog post titled, The Teacher Librarian and the Information Landscape (Gonye, 2022d, March 16), as the information landscape changes and evolves, the teacher librarian as an information specialist becomes a vital resource. Lupton (2014) states that teacher librarians are supplied with the fundamental knowledge and skills required to facilitate and guide students through their inquiry and research. They also support other teachers with their information literacy skills. The teacher librarian, therefore, becomes an information specialist for the whole school community.
The role of an information specialist is to facilitate and support all users, including students, teachers and the wider school community. This course has given me insight into how to define information literacy, teach critical and creative thinking skills, and provide the tools for optimising the successful searching, locating and differentiation of quality information through multiple methods and formats.
Not only do teacher librarians support others with their information literacy needs, but they also provide the physical resources required to engage in information literacy practices. The most important is the school library, which ideally should provide a space to allow the school community to connect to information, reflecting how information is created and shared outside the school community. To achieve this, the library must provide various resources in both print and digital formats, emphasising access to information suited to the specific context of the school community’s needs, wants, interests and curriculum outcomes.
As I step into my role as an information specialist, I am aware of the importance of supporting students to engage confidently in their research skills to become successful lifelong learners. CILIP (2018) states that the teacher librarian, and class teacher play a significant role in promoting and learning relevant information literacy skills to prepare students to become lifelong learners. I look forward to working collaboratively with class teachers to integrate information literacy skills for inquiry-based research projects and during library lessons to seek information for students’ interests.
The Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management
Collection development and management is an integral part of library operations. It is vital that resources, whether print or digital, can easily be accessed by its users. Therefore, the teacher librarian is an information specialist able to navigate the challenges of an ever-expanding information landscape. Jonhson (2014) describes the heightened accessibility to data via technology as a challenge that teacher librarians face regularly.
The primary function of the school library is to provide access to a wide range of books, magazines, eBooks, databases and other print and digital resources. Saponaro & Evans (2019) emphasise the library’s service is to aid its users in finding and accessing appropriate information in print or digital form. Conceptually, I thought this should be an easy task for teacher librarians. Before I had started the subject ETL 503: Resourcing the Curriculum, I never thought about the difficulties having access to a seemingly infinite amount of information might cause for a teacher librarian and its library patrons.
I suspected keeping any library’s physical and digital resources current and relevant was a mammoth task. It takes a qualified and experienced teacher librarian to support the information access and management of the school library. However, not just the expertise alone can keep the collection in check.
Teacher librarians are guided by their understanding of the unique school context, the needs of their students and the curriculum framework. With this knowledge, I began to understand that an infinite amount of information must be curated to suit the learning needs of the whole school community.
This is not done by selecting resources on a whim or the personal interests of the teacher librarian. According to Hughes-Hassell and Mancall (2005), to establish and maintain a collection that concentrates on the learner, the Teacher Librarian must interpret the school’s unique context, focusing on the learner’s needs, teaching styles, and strengths and deficiencies of the established collection (p.35).
They are guided by collection development and management policies closely related to other school or departmental policies reflecting the school’s philosophy. I had not considered the value of collection development and management concepts. (Gonye, 2022f, April 25) in defining a school resource collection.
Collection development and collection management are concepts I had heard before. Still, I was slightly confused about them as I noticed that these terms were often used interchangeably when reading practitioner articles or listening to teacher librarians describe their meanings. Reading Johnson’s (2018) definition of the collection development process with identifying, evaluating, selecting and acquiring appropriate resources helped me comprehend some aspects of collection development. As the collection grows, the new resources must be chosen thoughtfully and assessed for the needs of the learners within the school community.
On the other hand, collection management is how the resources, once added to the school collection, are utilised. Throughout the subject, ETL 503, the importance of an up-to-date collection development policy for the school library was emphasised. In my final blog post for ETL 503 titled, Assessment 2: Final Reflections (Gonye, 2022g, May 30), I expressed my surprise that many practising teacher librarians enrolled in the subject could not refer to a school library collection development or collection management policy. These vital documents were absent in some cases.
As I progressed through the subject, I developed confidence in how elements such as selection, deselection, accepting or declining donated resources and dealing with book challenges can be approached.
When I am appointed as a teacher librarian in my next school, I will make it one of my first tasks to locate these policies update or even write from scratch in alignment with the mission and philosophy of the school. These will serve as vital documents to support building and maintaining a balanced collection to meet the student’s learning needs, teaching requirements, governing curriculum and school philosophy.
Using Children’s Literature Across the Curriculum
A passion for children’s literature and reading to young children was one of the motivators in pursuing a career shift from Early Children teacher to teacher librarian. I connected with the idea that the teacher librarian develops a collection of resources that supports reading for pleasure and promotes positive student reading habits. (Dominguez, et al., 2016).
I chose the elective subject ETL 402: Literature Across the Curriculum to develop a broader use of children’s literature in all aspects of the curriculum. As I read through the first modules of the course, I began to define my vision for the future of children’s literature by exploring some of the current trends and how they will influence these in the future in the blog post, A Vision for the Future of Children’s Literature (Gonye, 2023a, March 2).
Engaging in literature for all aspects of student learning was a concept explored throughout the course. In subjects ETL 503 and ETL402, I compiled annotated bibliographies for assessments. I had to think differently about using various resources to resource the curriculum. I found the exercise in research and critiquing resources to support learning a valuable practice. I used my critical and creative thinking skills to bring together a collection of resources appropriate for use in the classroom. My First Annotated Resource List (Gonye, 2022h, April 26) explores the reasoning behind selecting the Cross Curriculum Priority of Sustainability as well as the types of resources I had chosen to support Stage One students investigating broad concepts of Systems, World Views and Futures. As I finished my second assessment for ETL 503, it became clear that the school library collection had to support the curriculum content. Oberg & Schultz–Jones (2015) stated that the collection must be matched to the curriculum and that the academic and recreational needs of the users are understood.
In the subject ETL 402, I was challenged with using fiction resources to reinforce concepts and ideas in other curriculum areas in a school setting. I was familiar with using picture books to enhance learning new concepts for young children, as this was a daily practice as an Early Childhood Teacher. A book read to a group of children was often used as a springboard to learning mathematical and scientific concepts or historical and cultural perspectives. (Gonye, 2022i, May 19), Yet I took time to apply this ability to using fiction books and resources to supplement scientific research for Stage 3 students.
The concept of literary learning was introduced during the subject. According to Spinner (2019), Literary learning describes using fictional or poetic texts to support a learning process separate from reading books to gain competence in literacy. This concept will become a powerful teaching tool for supporting classroom teachers with units of work in my future role as a teacher librarian.
Another consideration during ETL 402 was how children use technology and literature in the digital environment. In my blog post, Literature in the digital environment (Gonye, 2023b, March 28,) I stated that the amount of information students refer to digitally is increasing, and more and more reading is done directly from screens, which has changed how students read. Goodwin (2013, p.78) states modern media features such as hyperlinks and notifications interrupt the reading flow, which can potentially take away from the meaning of the text.
Transliteracy is a vital skill for students in today’s classroom. It sets the foundation to become confident and accomplished citizens of the future. With this in mind, as a future teacher librarian, I will prioritise teaching transliteracy skills to students so they can be successful learners in the classroom and into their adult lives.
Part C: Professional Development
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) & the Australian School Library Association (ASLA), produced a set of Standards of professional excellence for Teacher Librarians in 2004. The document consists of three categories: professional knowledge, professional practice, and professional commitment. These standards are written as goals for which teacher librarians can pursue and strive to implement quality instruction and continuing best practices. This document will form a guide for honing my skills, executing my theoretical understanding and a reference for planning future professional development.
Standard One: Professional Knowledge
As an Early Childhood teacher with decades of experience and practice reading to young children, I developed an appreciation of literature for young children and a passion for fostering a love of reading. This foundation had been built upon as I progressed through the course. The idea of embedding literature and various literacies into my daily practice of supporting student learning is one that I am keen to explore. I am looking beyond this degree and have already completed an ALIA course, Reader’s Advisory, hosted by TAFE online. This has supported my expertise in children’s literature by providing an individualised advisory for students in their reading options.
Standard Two: Professional Practice
I have recently begun working as a teacher librarian in an independent school for stage one students; being part of a larger library team, I have felt supported by more experienced teacher librarians and technicians. Applying the theoretical knowledge I have gained during this course helped to refine my practices. My professional placement has also opened my eyes to best practices. I worked alongside an experienced teacher librarian who leveraged her role to improve literacy and information-seeking skills in students across the school. Engaging with these professionals has inspired me to develop and enhance my practice. My next professional practice goal is networking with other teacher librarians and information specialists. I am a New South Wales School Library Association member and have worked with a mentor over the past year to refine my practical skills and understanding. I will continue participating in events and workshops and engaging in networking opportunities to strive for best practices as a teacher librarian.
Standard Three: Professional Commitment
I am looking forward to gaining a permanent position within a school library. I recently began my first position as a teacher librarian and have learned much from this ten-week placement. I am on the path to professional commitment as I take my first steps as a teacher librarian. My professional engagement will become more prominent as I work within a school community. As I inch closer to completing my course, I have learnt about the value of commitment and lifelong learning within education and information studies. My future learning will focus on applying theory to the daily practice.
I am sure I will not be a stranger to further formal training in the future. This is my mission and I choose to accept it!
The Daring Librarian Mission, is a graphic by Gwyneth Jones from the blog, The Daring Librarian.
References
Australian Library and Information Association & Australian School Library Association (ALIA & ASLA). (2004). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians
Australian School Library Association. (2014). What is a Teacher Librarian? https://www.asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian
CILIP The Library and Information Association. (2018). Definitions and models. Retrieved from https://infolit.org.uk/definitions-models/
Dominguez, N., Garcia, I., & Martino, J. (2016. The school librarian as motivational agent and strategist for reading appreciation. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 48 (3). https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/2016/11/09/10-unique-perspectives-on-what-makes-a-great-leader/#e9753b25dd19
Godfree, H. (2021, January 31). Holly Godfree – TED Global Idea Search [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5_ib2KjMJA
Gonye, S. (2022a, March 10). Little did I know…My understanding of the role of the Teacher Librarian [Blog Post] Assessment 1: Little did I know…. My understandings of the role of the Teacher Librarian – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022b, March 10). Baby Steps…Early Childhood Teacher to Teacher Librarian [Blog Post] Baby Steps… Early Childhood Teacher to Teacher Librarian – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022c, May 25). ETL 401 Assessment Three: Reflective Practice [Blog Post] Assessment 3: Reflective Practice – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022d, March 16). The Teacher Librarian and the Information Landscape [Blog Post] The Teacher Librarian and the Information landscape. – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022e, May 9). Inquiry Learning vs. Standardised Testing [Blog Post] Inquiry Learning vs. Standardised Testing – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022f, April 25). The beginnings of Collection Development and Collection Management. [Blog Post] The beginnings of Collection Development and Collection Management – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022g, May 30). Assessment 2: Part B: Final Reflections on Collections. [Blog Post] Assessment 2 Part B: Final Reflections on Collections – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022h, April 26). My First Annotated Resource List. [Blog Post] My First Annotated Resource List – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2022i, May, 19). Literature Across the Curriculum – A Final Reflection [Blog Post] Literature Across the Curriculum – A Final Reflection – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2023a, March 2). A Vision for the Future of Children’s Literature [Blog Post] A vision for the future of children’s literature. – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Gonye, S. (2023b, April 28). Literature in the Digital Environment [Blog Post] Literature in the digital environment – SUZANNE’S SCHOOL OF THOUGHT (csu.edu.au)
Goodwin, B. (2013). The Reading Skills Digital Brains Need. In Educational Leadership (Vol. 71, Issue 3, p. 78–). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The Reading Skills Digital Brains Need.: EBSCOhost (csu.edu.au)
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Mancall, J.C. (2005). Collection management for youth: Responding to the needs of learners. ALA Editions.
Johnson, P. (2014). Fundamentals of collection development and management (3rd edition). American Library Association.
Johnson, P. (2018). Fundamentals of collection development and management (4th edition). American Library Association.
Jones, G. (2018). The daring librarian mission. https://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/2018/01/how-to-be-teacher-librarian-rock-star.htmlThe Daring Librarian Mission
Loh, C. E. (2018). Envisioning the school library of the future: A 21st century framework. Office of Educational Research National Institute of Education. https://repository.nie.edu.sg/bitstream/10498/23449/1/OER-5-16-LCE-2.pdf
Lupton, M. (2014). Inquiry skills in the Australian curriculum v6 : A bird’s-eye view. Access (Caulfield East), 28(4), 8–29. Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum v6: A bird’s-eye view.: EBSCOhost (csu.edu.au)
Oberg, D., & Schultz-Jones, B. (eds). (2015). IFLA School Library Guidelines, (2nd ed). IFLA
Saponaro, M.Z., & Evans, G.E. (2019). Collection management basics (7th edition.). ABC CLIO.
Spinner, K.H. (2019) ‘Literary learning’. Film Education Journal, 2 (2): 159–74. DOI https://doi.org/10.18546/FEJ.02.2.06
