After watching Karen Bonanno’s 2011 speech at ASLA and reading her 2015 article on the same topic – A profession at the tipping point – I have to answer the above question with a resounding no. If we were truly heading towards a time when Teacher Librarians (TL) were no longer needed, why is the NSW department of Education paying scholarships for people to train as TL’s? I think in some schools, TL’s might be viewed as irrelevant but I feel this may be a result of their or the past TL’s own making. As a TL, I need to sell my services and make sure I am useful. If I hide away in the library and ‘just’ read stories, borrow and return books then I can understand why some people see no need for a specialist as ‘anyone can do that’. However, if I make sure my knowledge of pedagogies, curriculum, trends, etc. is current then, and only then, can I be an effective gateway to information for students and staff and truly fulfil my role as a TL.
I do not think that running around and blowing my ‘librarians are important’ trumpet is going to sway anyone of the opinion that a TL’s days are numbered. I am only going to be able to convince them through my actions and the results of my actions. Karen challenged the listeners at the end of her speech, ‘Do you want to be outstanding?’
Yes, I do.
Australian School Library Association. (2011). Karen Bonanno, Keynote speaker: A profession at the tipping point: Time to change the game plan. [Video]. vimeo. https :// vimeo .com/31003940
Bonanno , K. (2015). A profession at the tipping point (revisited). Access, 29(1), 14-21. http://kb.com.au/content/uploads/2015/03/profession-at-tipping-point2.pdf