Assessment 1 – TLs of the past, present and future

I had little insight into the true nature of teacher librarianship when I first started teaching, even though I did have some exposure to a few TLs along my journey.

The first was the TL at my daughter’s school. I volunteered as a parent helper during her library sessions a I saw her teach ICT and help children with their borrowing and returns. I saw her set up such a welcoming interactive environment where students could just go and enjoy the library. They even had a knitting circle. She would display pictures of the children enjoying the library, on the school website so that parents and carers can see and share the experience.

The next was the TL at a school where I was a classroom teacher. She would support our teaching and learning, provide books for the classrooms, ran RFF classes, inform about new resources, coordinate book fairs and Premier’s Reading Challenges, arrange author visits and many other things that a TL would do. I must admit all this was taken for granted and I was even a bit intimidated by her.

Times have changed. Fast forward a few years, and I am now a TL at a primary school. I also job shared with some wonderful TLs who supported me so much on my journey. Having been in the role for three years, I understand and have so much more insight into what the role entails.

A teacher librarian’s role is a diverse one. They are responsible for developing the library collection according to the school library policy. TLs ascertain that the policy is up to date and is reflective of the needs of the school community. They maintain the collection and support the circulation needs of the students and staff. TLs are responsible for the set-up of procedures, rules and expectations of behaviour in the library, and engender connectedness between classroom and library. They create, deliver, access and report on library units of work across all stages. TLs attend profession development related to the role, such as copyright issues and advise their colleagues on related matters. They market and coordinate whole school events such as book fairs, Book Week, and Premier’s Reading Challenge. TLs run library at lunchtime activities such as Coding Club to promote the library as an inclusive place for diversity of learners. They train, mentor and supervise library monitors to provide leadership roles to Year 6 students. TLs are the point of contact and deal with all parental enquiries regarding all library related matters. They apply for budgets and resources that they think would be beneficial for the collection. It’s an extensive list. In honour of all the teacher librarians past, present and future, I am certain it’s not complete.

I reflect and assess my growing list of duties each year and try to improve the experience of the library for my whole school community.

I am there, early in the morning to set up, anticipating the needs of my school. I am there, late in the day, walking through the shelves. Tidying, preparing, thinking, accessing, growing and still learning. Every single day.