Two years ago I didn’t have the role of Teacher Librarian on my radar. I was teaching Year 5, we were still in and out of lockdown in Singapore and I was about to have my first child. There was a lot going on! Fast forward six months and, as yet another teacher left the librarian role (six librarians in five years), it was offered to me and, as an opportunity of change and new experiences, I said yes.

 

Last academic year was a steep, steep learning curve. I was catering for Years 3-13, essentially on my own. It became abundantly clear that previous teachers who had taken on the role had had no training in librarianship and had not checked predecessors’ cataloguing or shelving strategies. The year was spent essentially ‘undoing’ mistakes, which is still ongoing, weeding 90% of the collection due to mould and then attempting to restock where possible. A huge achievement has been the refurbishment of the space with purpose-built shelving and furniture – thank you, Raeco!

 

I have learned that a Teacher Librarian has many hats: a teacher, a catalogue for others, a cover teacher, an expert on Excel, a website designer, a mediator between platforms, and so on. Building collections and reading books is the dream but far from reality.

 

I hope that this course provides me with more knowledge on how to grow my love of encouraging reading for pleasure, how to use the library for a multitude of skills and, possibly most importantly, ensure that the library is seen as completely invaluable in school.