Reflecting on my journey through this unit, I have developed a range of leadership skills and styles that are essential for my future as a Teacher Librarian (TL). Initially, I believed that implementing a transformational leadership style would be straightforward—simply motivating and inspiring the school community by providing a clear vision. However, as I researched and delved deeper into this leadership approach, I realised that it involves much more than its name suggests (Lo et al., 2020).

In my previous blog post, I also discussed servant leadership, which emphasises a support role that involves listening to concerns and solving problems. I found this style challenging to maintain because it is also important for teachers to be empowered through taking on responsibilities and managing issues independently (Ho, 2025, March 15).

The TL role is complex, evolving in response to situations and environments. It requires support from the school community, emphasising teamwork and collaboration, rather than relying solely on the individual efforts of a TL, especially in a library setting. A TL should engage with the broader community proactively, demonstrating the benefits of the library to the school community rather than simply managing resources and planning lessons (Merga, 2020).

To be an effective TL, I need to be an influencer, attracting a significant number of followers and building trust-based relationships. Demonstrating integrity is crucial to serving as a role model. Additionally, I must effectively manage the changes and challenges that arise. This realisation and evaluation of my future practice comes from my previous readings, research and understanding of this topic (Gagen-Spriggs, 2023).

By completing this strategic proposal assessment, I understand that through developing an action plan with a clearly defined scope of work, we can advocate for the leadership role of the TL. This action plan must be based on the school’s needs, aligning with the Strategic Improvement Plan and supporting the school’s vision and mission. I find that change management theories are particularly relevant to this unit, and I recognise the value of learning to effectively manage change in a school setting. The holistic management of a project from start to end is essential for achieving success and minimising conflicts in any area of focus (Kachel & Lance, 2020).

In my future role as a TL in any setting, I will prioritise teamwork and collaboration. Engagement and motivation are crucial to achieving a successful transformation within the organisation. I believe that the TL role is dynamic and should not be confined to a single leadership style. Instead, flexibility is essential for TLs. As TLs, standing at the forefront of the information sphere, we must continually learn and improve to strive for excellence in our practice (Greenwood, 2023).

References

Gagen-Spriggs, K. (2023, April). Teacher librarians are influencers: Developing literacy through reading cultures. In ASLA Biennial Conference 2023. https://asla.org.au/event-4955987

Greenwood, A. (2023). Librarians as teachers: a reflection on practice, identity, and the TPACK framework to enhance professional practice. Journal of the Australian library and information association, 72(2), 178-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2023.2192893

Guignard, T. (2018, October 23). Libraries through teh Lens: The Library of the Hungarian Parliament. [Photograph]. https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/NewsLibrariesthroughalensHungarianParliament

Kachel, D. E., & Lance, K. C. (2020). The role of school library organizations in developing advocacy capacity. Teacher Librarian, 47(5), 16-63. https://www.proquest.com/magazines/role-school-library-organizations-developing/docview/2437909472/se-2

Lo, P., Allard, B., Anghelescu, H. G., Xin, Y., Chiu, D. K., & Stark, A. J. (2020). Transformational leadership practice in the world’s leading academic libraries. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(4), 972-999. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000619897991

Merga, M. K. (2020). School librarians as literacy educators within a complex role. Journal of Library Administration, 60(8), 889-908. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2020.1820278

The Australian curriculum includes various units that students must learn before graduating. Teachers and Teacher Librarians (TL) often feel overwhelmed by numerous professional learning activities, including stage meetings. To effectively manage my professional development strategy, I plan to explore online training courses and stay updated on the latest trends in technology through various channels. This includes following and subscribing to the Australian Council for Computers in Education (2025) and attending EduTech conferences in 2025.

Additionally, I aim to influence my colleagues by initiating casual conversations to better understand their needs and preferences regarding training delivery. Based on this feedback, I will tailor training programs to support them. I will then approach my principal to discuss the concerns and needs of teachers, ensuring that our plans align with the school’s goals, and seek approval to organise several short training sessions to support our staff.

References

Australian Council for Computers in Education (2025). https://acce.edu.au/

EduTECH (2025). https://iccsydney.com.au/events/edutech/

PearGurl. (2022). Raya Bidshahri at EduTech Asia [Photo]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EduTech_Asia_Raya_Bidshahri.jpg

The servant leadership style focuses on active listening, supporting and prioritising the needs of the team, and creating a positive teamwork environment. This approach in the library setting is highly effective in fostering care and empathy among the staff. This positive environment can reduce stress and foster high morale among staff. Hence, everyone will be willing to support the school’s goal and vision. Librarians can adopt a servant leadership style by proactively checking in with staff members on their well-being, asking about their challenges and how they are progressing with programs, and offering support.  The librarian can also host team-building events, providing an inclusive and fun environment to break down the barriers of staff.  Depending on the needs of the staff and students, librarians can create tailored training courses and programs that cater to the whole school community. This way, teachers will be upskilled, and students will be able to acquire new skills. Librarians can create a work culture that not only reduces stress but also fosters a harmonious environment that aligns with the school’s ethos. This will improve engagement and satisfaction within the staff team.

References

International Institute for Learning. (n.d.). Understanding The Basics and Benefits of Servant Leadership [Infographic]. https://blog.iil.com/understanding-the-basics-and-benefits-of-servant-leadership/

Mesagan, O. F. (2024). The role of leadership in shaping librarians’ job performance in academic settings. Journal of Education and Teaching (JET), 5(2), 228-247. https://doi.org/10.51454/jet.v5i2.406

The teacher-librarian (TL) utilises the servant leadership style approach to proactively facilitate and provide ongoing information and digital literacy training to support teachers in integrating the resources into their teaching practices. This could be collaboration on building online research lessons or providing workshops for teachers to learn how to integrate the digital tools (Coetzer et al., 2017).

Co-teaching is another opportunity for the teacher librarian to serve as a teaching partner and guide classroom teachers in real-life situations by modelling how to teach critical digital literacy skills so teachers could facilitate the lesson in future. TL can mentor teachers by providing them with knowledge and skills on using library databases, digital tools, and resources to improve their planning and strategies in teaching information literacy (Koh et al., 2022).

TL is a digitally literate educator who can guide teachers through the complexities of the 21st-century digital world. The school community will benefit from understanding and navigating the ever-changing digital platforms.

References

Coetzer, M. F., Bussin, M., & Geldenhuys, M. (2017). The functions of a servant leader. Administrative Sciences, 7(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci7010005

Koh, K., Ge, X., & Petrella, J. B. (2022). Librarian-Teacher Co-Teaching and the Role of School Librarians in Facilitating Inquiry and Maker Learning. School library research, 25. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1348949.pdf

PremiumVector. (n.d.). A group of children listening to a teacher giving a presentation on a chart [Stock image]. https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/group-children-listening-teacher-giving-presentation-chart_328826978.htm#from_element=detail_alsolike

When comparing Bush’s (2015) four key elements of organisation theory (leadership, structure, culture and context) with Robinson’s (2010) video presentation (structural, cultural, and societal), I believe the key drivers for change that a teacher librarian could respond to through school library programs are:

1. Leading the integration of digital tools and resources into classroom teachers’ learning programs in conjunction with facilitating extra-curricular activities at school, such as coding cubes or digital literacy programs.
2. Preparing virtual learning spaces to allow students to access information, collaborate, and create projects online with the assistance of classroom teachers.
3. Support classroom teachers with student self-directed research projects.

Such programs would require support from the organisation. Considering Bush’s (2015) organisation theory, the four key elements would need to complement each other for the key drivers to be successful. The leadership of the organisation would recognise TLs as a driver for change (guided inquiry by Kuhltha et al., 2015). Consequently, the structure and culture of the organisation would be amended to reflect this, and the context also needs to align with the direction of leadership. Conversely, Robin’s (2010) theory shows that to incorporate such library programs meeting the curriculum (evidence-based by Robinson & Aronica, 2015), the organisation’s structure needs to be changed, along with cultural and societal values.

By responding to and supporting the key drivers, teacher librarians offer resources and services to meet their schools’ information needs (Edet et al., 2024). Teacher librarians are uniquely positioned to be leaders in creating a flexible, collaborative learning environment with innovation that will meet the demands of the current fast-changing educational landscape, including the emerging AI environment.

References

Bush, T. (2015). Organisation theory in education: How does it inform school leadership? CORE. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/162657439.pdf

Edet, A. N., Adamu, A. A., & Jatto, E. (2024). Library Management: Current Trends, Challenges and Prospects. Library Management, 6(1).  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13168695

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2015). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.

Robinson, K. [RSA Animate]. (2010, October 14). Changing education paradigms [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Robinson, K., & Aronica, L. (2015). Creative schools: Revolutionizing education from the ground up. Penguin UK.

TeraVector. (n.d.). Business People Attending Professional Training with High Skilled Coach [Stock image]. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/business-people-attending-professional-training-high-1360373786