Growing up with both my parents as teachers, a love of learning and reading was fostered in me from a young age, ultimately inspiring the decision to become a teacher myself. However, as a young person I was not inspired by the libraries or Teacher Librarians (TLs) that I was exposed to. Perhaps that contributed to my preconceived ideas of libraries as terribly boring places run by glaring, prowling old women who were purposefully unhelpful (sorry!). These notions were further fed by my love of the Harry Potter series, where Madame Pince the librarian ticked all of the above boxes. Flash forward to my secondary schooling and once again, these ideas were reinforced by the TLs, who seemed more interested in our eating, drinking and talking habits (strictly not permitted!) than our quest for knowledge in the realms of the bookshelves. I strongly believe that sadly, these formative experiences shaped my interactions with TLs early in my career as a teacher.

My first role was at a school in regional Victoria, teaching Health, PE, Maths and VCE Psychology. Unfortunately, the only time I interacted with the TL was purely selfish. I wanted to loan some books to read for the holidays. They weren’t curriculum related, either. This, after all, was the role of a TL. The gatekeeper of the books. At no other point in my four years at this school did I believe that the TL could help me, or my students, engage in the curriculum. In fact, I thought that they would make my classes decidedly uninteresting and lead to disengagement. I was unfairly projecting my own negative experiences on my students and the TL in this school, and I will never know what wonders could have been achieved with a more open mind.

Returning to Melbourne, I was offered a role as a VCE Psychology and Maths teacher, and a leadership role as Year 10 Coordinator at my old high school. And boy, had things changed in that old library. Year 10 students had to complete a Personal Project, and the TL at the school was the coordinator of said project. As Year 10 Coordinator, I worked closely with the TL to support the students to get the most out of this opportunity. Through her wonderful leadership and partnership with students, staff and parents, the projects that our students created were nothing short of phenomenal. Furthermore, the Learning Commons was a busy space, littered with colourful opportunities for learning and collaboration. Conversation was encouraged and you could drink water (still a hard no on the food). Our obligatory partnership inspired me to seek the TL’s expertise in developing curriculum, including assessments and resources for mine and my students’ learning. My eyes were opened to the potential of the TL, and a little spark was ignited in me.

ALIA (2004) propose that the value of the teacher librarian lies in the combination of their skills and knowledge in both curriculum and pedagogy, and that of library and information management. My understanding of the role of the TL has changed dramatically over a short period of time. I now appreciate the TL as a collaborator who is able to expertly develop and resource the curriculum, whilst supporting stakeholders to navigate the complex and ever-changing information environment.

REFERENCES

ALIA. (2004). Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians. Retrieved July 21, 2020 from https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians