As the role of the library continues to change and evolve, so do the services they provide. New technologies and social media platforms constantly require the library to update and provide new services to its users. This also requires learning the new technologies and being able to pass that knowledge within the school environment.
Libraries evolution from catering for only printed material has expanded over the decades to offering a variety of services. The 21st century has provided a new level of consideration as the digital environment is expanding. Today, we need less printed material as Teacher Librarians (TL), teachers and students use digital resources for information. Printed material quickly outdates so the advantage of online resources is currency and accuracy (Stephens, 2014).
As technologies evolve collection development continues to be a significant part of the TLs practice as new formats become imperative part of the library’s collection (Newsum, 2016). As collections are constantly changing, the context of the school needs to be incorporated when developing the collection. The library’s collection development policy (CDP) outlines the key inclusions of how the collection will select, acquire and de-select resources. A development policy keeps things consistent to ensure the library moves forward. The CDP is a strategic document which allows the library to be aligned with the schools’ strategic plan achieving the goals and the mission of the school in cohesion with the curriculum (Bailey, 2023).
Future proofing
COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes and the world was forced to adapt to a variety of changes. As technologies advance and new discoveries are made the TLs role is impacted by new changes (Tait, 2016). The TLs role, going into the 21st century is to support teaching and learning providing opportunities and adapting to challenges. In order to reflect ever-changing technological advances TLs need to develop the schools’ collection so as to become more of a Phoenix rather than a Dodo going forward (Wade, 2005). The collaborative efforts of the TL, teaching staff and administrative staff of the school all play an important role to sustain a technological changing environment and keeping the TLs role relevant. Additionally, working to together with the TL and those who specialise in their subject area will ensure the most updated and relevant resources are available and accessible to teachers and students providing a high level of learning environments for all.
Reference
Bailey, K. (2023). Chapel Hill State School Library policy and procedures.https://chapelhillss.eq.edu.au/SupportAndResources/FormsAndDocuments/Documents/Library/2023-chss-library-policy.pdf
Newsum, J. M. (2016). School collection development and resource management in digitally rich environments: An Initial Literature Review. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 97–109.
Stephens, W. (2016). Checking out tomorrow’s school library collections. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=0d116645-4e6c-40c9-ba2c-bf63d259e982%40redis
Tait, C. (2016). Library collection management policy. Windsor High School Library. https://windsor-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/w/windsor-h/localcontent/whs_library_collectionmanagementpolicy.pdf
Wade. C. (2005). The school library: Phoenix or dodo bird? Educational Horizons. 8(5), 12-14.