The many roles of a Teacher Librarian

School libraries are awesome! There I said it. I honestly loved every visit as a primary aged student and I still marvel at all the creativity and organisation that goes into a school library. However the school library wouldn’t be near as impressive without the Teacher Librarian (TL) who has many roles within not only the library but the entire school. The Australian School Library Association (ASLA) states that the key roles of a TL are “learning and teaching, management, leadership as well as collaboration and community engagement.” (ASLA, 2016)

Learning and Teaching

The central part of a school library is the promotion of literature and reading. I continually promote reading whenever I’m teaching as I think it’s the best pastime and so if a teacher believes it to be true then students will have a model leader to base off. Classroom teachers and TL have access to several types of online programs that encourage reading stories but display this information as well as providing expression and emphasis on each sentence makes it all the more exciting for the students.

Management

Current school libraries are providing the opportunity for more Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to be integrated into literacy lessons. The TL is now able to incorporate ICT into more engaging lessons which encourages the student to become even more creative in their way of thinking. However I still think that physical copies of textbooks or novels are a fantastic way to enjoy literature even though we can now instantly access information using ICT programs. I also believe that every TL has a set system that they follow so that the library runs smoothly. I have observed different ways that the TL manages their library (including the assistance by wonderful student library monitors) but each method provides more opportunities to visually engage with literature.

Leadership

My first experience of true leadership in a school library was on my rural teaching placement at Mudgee Public School. I was absolutely astounded by the way the TL would deliver the content that was required during a staff development afternoon session. She provided each stage group with a series of resources that corresponded with a new unit of work that would be covered later in the term, listing off required and recommended texts that the teachers could look into. From this first experience I have gained a better understanding of the communication that takes place between classroom teachers, executive members of staff and the TL.

Community engagement

My absolute favourite time of the school year that gets the entire school community involved is Book Week. I love seeing the creative decorations from both the library and each classroom as well as all the costumes the students and parents come up with. I also think it’s fantastic when parents and caregivers are encouraging their child to read outside of school. Once you have that strong reading ability it’s yours for life and I appreciate the TL that I had at school as they encouraged every student to read.

 

Reference:

ASLA; Australian School Library Association. (July 2016). Statement on Teacher Librarians in Australia. Sydney, NSW. Retrieved 11/03/19 from: https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/policy_tls_in_australia.pdf

1 Comment

  • Judy O'Connell

    April 1, 2019 at 12:02 am Reply

    Ah Simon – you are inspirational and clearly a keen driver of school library as place and space for engaging young minds in learning, reading, thinking, playing and….well just loving life. I like that you have an open and curious mind and are keen to experience change and be part of the change around you. Well structured reflection and nice use of the ASLA statement to add authenticity to your writing. Make sure to write regularly and often to capture the value of your knowledge and emergent experiences.

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