As part of the Online Reflective Journal Assignment.
My first clear memory of school libraries involved myself carrying a small colourful tote bag over my shoulder, gazing in the somewhat dark room, with shelves filled with books as tall as trees. The librarian could be seen in the center back of the room, perched on her desk with her eagle eyes peering through her clear glasses at anyone, who would run amok in her library.
While this ‘idealised’ vision of a teacher librarian was more than 20 years ago, I believe there is still this stereotype of a teacher librarian (TL). Full of wisdom and sitting above everyone in their room.
As a provisional high school educator I have worked in collaboration with librarians for students learning and compulsory wide-reading lessons. Yet comparing my experiences as a student with that of a teacher, the role of a TL is so much more than that woman sitting at her desk shushing all that make too much noise in her domain.
The ALIA describes the various roles of a TL, including but not limited to “learning and teaching, management, leadership as well as collaboration and community engagement.” (ALIA, 2014). While an expansive list I do agree that a TL is not only limited to these roles. I believe that the role of a TL is more than what is expected. In order to expand the minds of the students they encounter, the teachers they collaborate with, and the schools in which they contribute to.
This ideal of a limitless librarian is reverberated in Oddone, K. (2016), highlighting the importance of TL’s in the school. With the impact and alterations in education, upgrades in technology and the need for information faster than ever, schools need a place where students can thrive under these fantastical changes.
Without an educator specifically trained in the field of a TL, the ability for both students and teachers to find quality information and resources becomes a near impossible task. Not only are TL’s an asset to a schools community, but vital to its survival. Lagarde, J., & Johnson, D. (2014) touches on this need to adapt to changing environments both digitally and physically. There is a constant need for TL’s to accommodate all kind of learners in order to provide the best information.
Finally, I believe that the role of a TL is not just a supporting role in education, but a leader. They are first and foremost an educator. They are a researcher. They dedicate themselves to further the curiosity of the academic. They act as an encourager of social interaction. More importantly, they devote their time to challenge the school community, teacher and student alike. (Herring, 2007, p 36) really encompasses my feelings about the role of TL’s in the school community, individuals striving to work alongside both students and staff members in order to encourage “intellectually and [to] widen their horizons”.
So now all that is left for me to ponder on now, is how I choose to move forward in my career as a TL. With so much opportunity to make a difference, I believe it’s time I made that first tentative step into the unknown.
References:
A.L.I.A. (2014, March 2). What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved from Australian School Library Association: http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.aspx
Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions in information (pp.27-42).
Lagarde, J., & Johnson, D. (2014). Why do I still need a library when I have one in my pocket? the teacher librarian’s role in 1: 1/BYOD learning environments. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 40.
Oddone, K. (2016). The importance of school libraries in the Google Age. SCIS. Connections, 98.
Siobhan,
“They dedicate themselves to further the curiosity of the academic.” I feel this is a wonderful sentiment and it is part of the reason I chose to respond to your blog. It encapsulates my feelings towards study and achievement in our field. First and foremost, I found your response to the question very succinct and I found myself nodding along to your opinions. I also find your blog quite aesthetically pleasing and it has inspired me to go back and look at my own.
Many of your ideas about this profession I agree with. “They are a researcher.” This line in your response also struck a cord in me. As I ventured into higher education and the world of teacher librarianship more specifically, this became increasingly evident. As educators, we are lifelong learners. TLs foster this in children from an early age and that is a unique position to be in. In regards to accommodating all types of learners, I wonder how this is best approached in the library setting?
Something that also makes our approach to this profession unique is the advancements in technology and what this means for us in the library. You touched upon the increasingly technological nature of schools and I believe that these changes need to be at the centre of our learning as future TLs. That’s why these blogs are such a relevant mode of assessment for us. It is clear that the University is aiming to create a learning environment that reflects the values of the current educational climate.
As you state, it is with tentative steps that we start to explore this profession and what it means for us as individuals but within a wider school and community setting. It is comforting to know that there are likeminded people with whom I can share my thoughts and concerns moving into this new, unchartered territory.
Enjoy the ride,
Megan
Sibohan to start I’d like to say how much I like the way you have set up your blog it grabbed my attention from the start (I’ve actually changed my theme about three times and am still not happy with it!). Your use of creative titles, photos, pictures and quotes piques the attention of your readers and makes them want to read your articles which are written with a story telling style – encouraging your followers to read more.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on ‘What makes a Teacher Librarian?’ Your writing style made the topic enjoyable and easy to read – relating very much to similar experiences we all probably had as children when first visiting our libraries in primary school. In some schools I feel this may still be the case and it is exciting to be entering the challenging role of teacher librarian as many changes are expected to take place to remove the ideas of the library being the ‘realm’ of the librarian. I feel libraries of the future will instead become a learning hub of the school where various forms of learning and extension takes place, not only for students but also teachers, as teacher librarians use their expertise to upskill others and encourage teachers to use new and exciting techniques in their day to day teaching.
I especially liked your quote that librarians ‘are first and foremost an educator….they dedicate themselves to further the curiosity of the academic.’ This is something I can take away and really consider in my role as teacher librarian – what strategies and changes can I develop and put into place to create an environment to ‘further the curiosity’?
You’ve created an attractive and easily navigable blog space that should support your learning throughout your studies. You’ve included an explanation of CC licensing. You have written on your experience of TLs in your life, and how the prospect for the modern day TL is very exciting because of changes in curriculum and technology. There is a sense that you’ve further to go to understand how exactly TLs will enact their roles. That’s fine, because it’s the beginning of the subject, and you will find out!
Your use of academic conventions is very good, you use sources correctly in-text and in the reference list. You’ve researched widely enough for this initial task. You do need to look at the agreement between a singular TL and verbs and pronouns that follow, e.g. “They are first and foremost an educator. They are a researcher. They act as an encourager of social interaction.” None of these sentence elements agree…should say “they are first and foremost educators..researchers.. encouragers..” This might seem nit picky, but in this course, it is always best to refer to TLs in the plural, then it all flows more easily!
Your peer review of Beth’s blog was thoughtful and supportive. You referred both to her content and the format of the blog. You were able to provide feedback which arose from a particular point she made and think about its implications for the role of the TL, which was really about the nature of the teaching relationship.
For the next task, continue with the research and expand it into the areas of academic research, TL practitioner articles, and public commentary (such as news, social media, education websites etc). In a literature review, the focus is primarily on academic research studies, so you must include some of these. Don’t forget that you are to find an issue that impacts on information access, and it might be good at the start at least to keep it broad. Examples might include: lack of information literacy skills impacting information access; the layout – physical and electronic – of the library, and its impact on information access; the preference of students to only use Google and the impact on their information access.
Anyway, come to the online meeting on Thursday night (3 August) to hear more about the next assignment.
Well done on a very good start!
Lee
ETL401 SC