Before deciding to embark on a Masters of Education (Teacher Librarianship) qualification, I did some research into whether the teacher-librarian was a ‘valued’ role. I asked teachers, library-technicians, (including those in other cities), and set up ‘teacher librarian’ job search alerts. After all this, I was satisfied it was not an endangered species and indeed a valued role in schools.
Some schools across Australia have given up their qualified teacher-librarian (TL) in place of library technicians or school officers scheduled into the library. Other schools find the qualified TL is needed as ‘proof’ that the school strives for academic excellence. “Parents want a librarian in our school,” said one principal. What I also discovered in my investigation was that almost no-one fully understands the vast duties and tasks that the TL actually does, despite a general consensus that the role is important.
While there is this agreement, which is largely due to teachers and parents wanting to foster a love of reading, there is also a lack of depth of understanding of the potential of the role of the TL. What I most take away from this, is that teachers and leadership teams, must take time to learn what is involved in the TLs duties, and understand their expertise and potential of this unique teacher in the centre of their school. But, of course, these busy people aren’t going to initiate this understanding. They already have limited time to spare. TLs must revolutionise this space, working in new and different ways to ensure there is a depth of understanding around their role and what they can do to help improve learning outcomes in their schools.
