Role of the Teacher
Librarian
“All librarians do is check out books,
right?” asks Purcell (2010), quoting an
often held misconception of the role of the teacher librarian (TL). Purcell’s article highlighted for me the many
aspects of the TL role and the value of a qualified professional in undertaking
this role for the wider school community.
The ability to collaborate with teachers in planning and implementation to
embed information literacy instruction into the curriculum, whilst ensuring the
library collection is well-stocked to support teaching and learning,
maintaining involvement in school leadership to assist driving innovative
pedagogy and promoting library services and attending to the everyday
technology and resource needs of students and teachers, is indeed an enormous
task.
 |
Image:
wordle created from the ASLAstandards
using http://www.wordle.net/create |
The Australian Library and
Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian School Library Association
(ASLA) standards for professional excellence introduced in ETL 401 remained a
valuable document for me throughout this course, providing benchmarks against
which to evaluate my performance as I continue to develop in this role. TLs are ideally placed to utilise the
pedagogical and curriculum experience they bring to this role to support
teaching and learning across subjects. It is a valuable reminder to strive to
continue developing my skills in teaching, librarianship and the curriculum to
ensure I remain current and deliver a valuable service to library users. The
importance of this was reinforced to me during ETL 503, when considering
collection development. In order to
build a collection that remains current and comprehensive and is able to
support teaching and learning in the school, a sound knowledge of curriculum
developments is critical. Further, as
library users are the reason for the collection, striving to know the school,
its students and community, are critical in selecting the most appropriate
resources.
However, even the most well
developed collection is not useful unless users are aware of its
existence. To this end, we have strived
to develop a website to assist students and teachers discover available
resources and enable 24/7 access to digital resources such as databases and to
search the catalogue whenever or wherever they wish. As promoting available resources to users is
an important role, I would like to continue to develop ways to advertise our
collection to our community using social media tools that are of most interest
to them.
As selection of resources from a
myriad of physical and digital choices is an important TL role the value of
selection aids to assist selecting useful resources and criteria to support and
defend selection if required was an important learning point discussed here.
ETL 503 also highlighted for me the need to maintain the collection through
weeding old, unused, incorrect or outdated materials, in order to ensure user
needs are catered for, as seen in this reflection
and this collection evaluation discussion on weeding.
Focus on users also serves to address Standards
1.4 and 2.1 (ASLA, 2004),
reinforcing the value of continued evaluation of performance against TL
standards.
The importance of maintaining the
collection has been illustrated recently for me through OZTLnet questions
regarding the removal of resources that include controversial or no longer
accurate information, such as biographies of Lance Armstrong or Rolf Harris. The
value of professional networks such as this, was also demonstrated when an
OZTLnet discussion of a challenged book prompted the examination of this text
in my school library. Applying selection criteria developed in ETL 503 assisted
in the decision to retain the text and provided support for its inclusion in
the collection should it be challenged. Another recent example of applying
selection criteria was the decision to remove a text which included topics
controversial for the school community in a manner that provided no literary
merit to support its retention. Thus, the development of a current Collection Policy, with clear selection criteria to support
such decisions is critical, to help ensure a balanced collection which includes
a range of resources, represents a variety of viewpoints and avoids censorship,
whilst meeting user needs and respecting the concerns of the community.
Inquiry Learning
So what do TL’s teach, is a fair
question, and one which Valenza and Jones address in the following poster:
 |
Image:
What Do TlsTeach? By Joyce Valenza and Gwyneth Jones
Attribution CC BY-SA 3.0 |
The range of inquiry and
information literacy skills that TLs teach are critical for developing 21
century learners, which was a key learning moment for me. However, it could be
argued that what TLs teach go beyond this.
Through collaborative teaching, TLs teach English, History, Geography,
PDHPE, Maths, Science, and so on. Although as TLs we must develop our expertise
in teaching information literacy skills, as good teachers we stress the
importance of teaching new skills in context.
As such, collaboratively teaching information literacy in the context of
the curriculum, through delivering subject content via inquiry learning
programs is critical for maximising student learning. I believe the value of the TL has become
increasingly important in this area, with the integration of inquiry learning
as a key element of the Australian curriculum.
For example, the focus on inquiry learning in the new Science curriculum
has created opportunities for collaboration that I have been exploring as a TL.
Guided Inquiry, first introduced to
me in ETL 401 forms a central part of my TL practice as the preferred inquiry
model used, however, PBL and other approaches are applied as required to ensure
the chosen approach best suits the subject and curriculum needs. As Hay and
Foley (2009) indicated, effective
inquiry programs enable students to connect new learning to prior knowledge,
develop the ability to formulate focus questions and critically analyse information
to develop deep understanding. To achieve
this, a clear understanding of what is inquiry is critical. Kuhlthau, Maniotes and Caspari (2007, p. 2) define inquiry
as an approach to learning where students’ interests are engaged as they find
and use a range of information sources to investigate and explore a topic, developing
deep understanding and a personal connection to their learning. The Guided Inquiry model is particularly
beneficial as a framework for inquiry programs, as it clearly indicates the stages
of the inquiry process, describing what the learner is doing at each stage, and
what the learner is feeling at each stage. In this video, GuidedInquiry Design Intro pt 2 Learning how to learn, I think Leslie
Maniotes presents a
useful summary of Guided Inquiry.
“Uncertainty is the beginning of
learning” argue Kuhlthau et al. (2007, p. 17), highlighting
the acknowledgement of the affective domain that I find a particularly valuable
aspect of this model. As undertaking inquiry
without guidance may prove overwhelming for some students, targeted
interventions by a team of teachers and TLs is built into the process, assisting
them to develop competent research and note making skills, master subject
knowledge, maintain motivation and develop 21 century skills such as cooperation
and critical thinking (Kuhlthau, et
al., p. 2). Research indicates that providing this
support at critical points during the process when it is most required is
valued by students (Hay &
Foley, 2009). Thus, collaboration
with classroom teachers is a critical element of effective inquiry programs. Teachers and TLs each bring their own specialist
knowledge and skills and the model clearly identifies the roles and
responsibilities of each member of the instructional team, which I feel can be beneficial
in achieving successful collaboration. We have often been reminded of the
importance of gathering evidence of the value of the TL in supporting and
improving student learning, I feel that the feedback from students and teachers
about how this process has assisted them is invaluable for this purpose. This feedback we gather through student
reflections and evaluations of units with staff. Sometimes the greatest evidence can come from
staff comments that they could not have achieved these results without the TLs,
or when they refer other staff to the library to investigate collaborative
teaching opportunities.
One source of great pride for me
throughout the course was the creation of a website for ETL 501.
 |
| Year 7 Coral Reefs Weebly |
Creating this Weebly
for a Year 7 Geography topic, entailed great levels of frustration, however,
through perseverance I learnt a new skills which I have since applied in my
work. I have collaborated to build a number of websites for our students to
support curriculum learning, as well as embedding learning scaffolds and links
to databases and ICT tools such as Evernote, to support students as they complete
their tasks. These websites have been
effective in providing students with support at the time it is required, and help
remind students to go beyond the use of Google for gathering information and
utilise databases provided by the Library. ASLA standards for professional
practice indicate that excellent TLs assist students to become independent
learners whilst providing access to professionally-selected resources and
teaching ICT use (2004). Creating online websites, tailored to
students, supports and personalises the learning whilst assisting students to
take control of their learning. Developing one such website to support Society
and Culture students at my school as they work through the process of
completing their Personal Interest Project also enabled me to share this with
TL colleagues at a conference, addressing professional standards for community
responsibilities (ASLA, 2004), which was a
proud moment which enhanced my professional development.
As online resources are open to the
public, building websites also provides important opportunities to model
ethical practice. The legal considerations for using material I discussed in
this blog post
which also includes useful links for copyright information and copyright free
resources. For example, developing a Libguide to support learning for a Science
unit, searching creative commons for images and applying correct attribution I
modelled ethical practice to our students.
The value of reading
Highly
effective TLs have a detailed knowledge of appropriate literature for young
adults and how to promote and encourage reading for enjoyment and to support learning
the curriculum (ASLA, 2004). ETL 402 provided valuable learning
experiences for me with respect to the value of children’s literature for
supporting the curriculum, explored in this blog post. Researching and writing Assessment 2 A case for literary learning for ETL 402, taught me to
remember to consider literature in the collection in its many print forms, such
as novels, picture books and non-fiction, as well as multi-media resources,
such as Youtube videos and websites.
Historical
fiction and multicultural literature enable students to engage with content
being taught in a different way and provide opportunities for TLs to
collaborate with teachers to promote learning. For students learning history who
struggle with seemingly uninteresting facts, introducing historical information
through narrative can stimulate emotional engagement, enhancing recall,
understanding and awakening interest they were unaware of (Dowswell,
2013). Incorporating literature into the curriculum
supports student learning of topics being studied, as well as enabling
opportunities for literary comprehension and analysis. For example, when reading historical fiction,
students need to analyse the texts they are reading in order to determine
historical fact from fiction. This is also
an important teaching moment for TLs to engage students in discussion about
what they are reading. The ability to
apply what they are learning in the classroom, supporting transference of
knowledge across subject disciplines, is also an important outcome of this.
The
assessment for ETL 402 also challenged me to consider teaching strategies to
extend students’ learning from literature.
Selecting the text Evan’s
Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood, for students to read then using the diary
format to journal their emotional response to the text (Lombardo,
2013), supported both
learning History through exploring the nature of warfare at Gallipoli and
English, through practicing writing first-person narratives. This integration of literature into subject
instruction is one area I wold like to continue to develop my professional
practice.
However,
this subject also reminded me of the value of reading for enjoyment. As students’ progress through school, there
is often a decline in reading as other time pressures increase, and we see that
opportunities for students to be read to also diminish. As secondary TLs, we
must remember to look for ways to engage students to read for enjoyment. In this blog post,
I reflected on this issue, considering ways to promote reading to students who
may begin to see reading as an academic requirement rather than enjoyable
pastime. Linking to book trailers and
books being released as movies can engage readers, again reinforcing the
importance of knowing your clients and their current interests.
 |
|
Attribution
CC BY-NC 2.0
|
A
sound understanding of our Middle School students and how they like to read has
informed our practice in promoting the borrowing of eBooks. As all students have iPads, we have tried to
utilise this technology to promote reading, through connecting to BorrowBox
enables them to borrow books to read at school or on holidays, even when
overseas. This innovative use of the technology they already possess has
assisted us to increase reading for enjoyment with these students.
Promoting the library
Principals Know: School Librarians are the Heart of the School
One recurrent theme throughout this course has been the importance of demonstrating the value of the library in contributing to student learning within the school. As the above video shows, having the support of the Principal is vital to the success of the TL role (DrMsChannel, 2014, April 4). Regular
contributions to school newsletters I have found to be valuable to showcase
the events and learning that is happening in the library to the school
community. In addition we endeavour to
contribute to school blogs and involve students who have participated in
library programs in writing articles, to ensure student voice. However, making the most of opportunities to
share with the wider community is also vital.
My presentation of the SAC PIP website at an AIS Conference, not only
furthered my professional development, but also promoted my library and school.
It
is important to remember that promoting the library’s value in improving
student learning outcomes can also come from gathering data. Collecting and analysing student reflections
using the SLIM Toolkit for Guided Inquiry units, provides valuable data to
inform the success of the unit, to assist determination of targeted teaching
interventions and to gather data to use as evidence of the value of the
role. Demonstrating value adding using
empirical support, showcases the TL as a highly-qualified practitioner and is
important when gathering Principal support for future activities.
The importance of research
Completing
EER 500 greatly assisted my understanding of the TL role. Although initially I struggled with the
relevance of this subject for my daily role, I came to find my professional
understanding greatly enriched through completing this course. The opportunity to investigate an area of interest
required careful consideration and reflection of challenges facing my
professional practice. The requirement
to go beyond an investigation of secondary research and focus on this issue
from the viewpoint of planning how primary research into this issue would be
conducted was a valuable learning experience. I developed a deeper
understanding of the terminology and concepts surrounding research which has enhanced
my discussions with colleagues. My
investigation into collaboration as a challenge highlighted how this is a
concern for many teachers and TLs, and one which we have been considering
examining in more depth, demonstrating the importance of this learning. The result I gained for this subject was also
an incredibly proud moment for me.
The
requirement to develop a research question was also a valuable learning
experience, as it reminded me of the challenges facing our students. Asking good questions is an incredibly
difficult and important skill and many revisions were necessary to refine the
question for my research. The ability to
ask the right questions is essential for students to be able to develop
effective critical thinking and problem solving skills, considered critical for
future education and employment success and seen in this 21 century skills diagram.
Understanding the role of other
information agencies and information professionals
TLs
aim to support access to the most useful resources to support learning the
curriculum. At times, budgetary or other
limitations mean that the school library cannot provide such resources, so it
is important for TLs to have an understanding of the services offered by other
information agencies. Completing my professional placement at the State Library was a key learning experience for me
that introduced me to the value of this institution for our students and
teachers. Gaining a deep understanding of the services and resources provided
and having time to consider how they best suit our community’s needs was
invaluable. Preparing our students to access this resource through signing up
for membership, linking the library website to our own and embedding
instruction in the range of databases and online resources offered, has become
a key part of our student instruction.
To be effective, it is important to
develop a working understanding of colleagues’ roles, such as that of Library
Technicians, particularly if the TL is responsible for the management of the
library. Thus learning about resource description and cataloguing is
useful. However, I found it surprising
during the library visits conducted as part of ETL 507, how much of this role
is being outsourced. As SCIS is a key
provider of bibliographic information for schools, and the uptake of RDA has appeared
to be limited in many areas, I feel that time spent on deepening my
understanding of inquiry pedagogies would have been more beneficial in
developing my professional practice.
The user is the key
As
has been evident throughout the course and the professional study visits, the
focus of a good library is not so much what we have but what we can do to
assist our clients. What do our users
need, when and how can we support them are important questions which we, as TLs
need to continually ask, and develop our services to best meet those
needs. We need to consider what the
interests our students have are and how does our collection support and extend
these interests. For example, are we promoting ourselves using the channels our
students use, such as social media? Do
we have books that reflect current areas of interest, or books being released
as films that will encourage reading?
Thus, evidencing the value of reflection and self-evaluation to
continually work to ensure our staff and our collection are current and
relevant and provide the most useful service to our users.
References
Australian School Library
Association. (2004). Standards of professional excellence for teacher
librarians. Retrieved 14 March 2014,
from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.aspx
Dowswell, P. (2013). History - A
novel approach to the past. The Times
Educational Supplement, (5031), 42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1326038311?accountid=10344
DrMsChannel (2014, April 4).
Principals know: School Librarians are the heart of the school. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bihGT7LoBP0
Hay, L., & Foley, C. (2009,
May). School libraries building capacity for student learning in 21C. Scan, 28(2). Retrieved from http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/schoollibraries/assets/pdf/Schoollibraries21C.pdf
Maniotes, L. K. (Producer). (2013,
April 8). Guided Inquiry Design intro pt 2 learning how to learn. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7SoZYKBh6g
Valenza, J., & Jones, G.
(n.d.). What do TLs teach? Retrieved from http://joycedownunder.wikispaces.com/What_TLs_Teach
