When I began this subject for the first time in February
2011, I was fresh out of my undergrad teaching degree with a total of 6 months
relief teaching under my belt. I knew
that I had a passion for literature and sharing books with children and adults
alike. It felt like it was a natural progression from working in a bookshop and wanting to teach to teaching in
a school library setting.
My knowledge of the work of a teacher librarian was limited
to my own school experiences and a few glimpses of the workings of some
small school libraries on my relief teaching days. I knew that the job was much more than
accessioning, shelving, recommending books, managing the circulation desk and
reading stories to classes of children, but I did not know how much more.
Reading Purcell (2010) made me more aware that the
administrative “librarian” roles that I believed to be a major part of the role
of the teacher librarian are really the ones that make the least impact on the
lives and learning of our students. The
importance of information literacy and supporting the development of multiple
literacies are much more desirable focus points in the work of the teacher
librarian.
By exploring the plethora of hats that the teacher
librarian wears on a daily basis, I now understand what the job of the school
library is really about. A great school
library and an amazing teacher librarian can inspire students and prepare them
for life in the 21st century.
It has become clear to me that school libraries are changing
rapidly in light of new technological advances and the way that students and
teachers use information today.
Technologies such as e-books, tablets, laptops, audio books,
web pages, wikis and pathfinders are flying into both primary and secondary
school libraries and the challenge that technology presents to teacher
librarians excites me. I now understand
the importance of information literacy in shaping tomorrow’s leaders and know that
information and communication technologies are going to play a large role in
the world of the future. I am ready to
embrace the challenge that they present.
So much of the literature I have read throughout the course
of this subject talks of how under-appreciated and even “invisible” the work of
the teacher librarian is (Cooper & Bray, 2011). There is talk of how important the role ofadvocating for the profession is to pull the teacher librarian out of the
shadows and into to view of the whole school (Herring, 2007; Purcell, 2010).
I have seen this through personal
experience over the past 18 months and constantly find myself having to defend
my choice to move into what I continue to hear being called a “dying profession.”
Amazingly, many of the people who
question my move from the classroom to the library are primary school teachers
which really highlights to me the need for teacher librarians to make their
voices heard by their school executives and start to change the way their
school views them. I know that this
subject has really helped me to convince people that the school library and the
teacher librarian are alive and kicking and getting stronger every minute.
The day before I enrolled in this degree, I was talking to a
colleague about the school library. She
described this vibrant energised place which was, when the teacher librarian
was there, the “heart of the school.” The
concept of the school library as a “vital part of the school” and “a centre of
learning first and a centre of resources second” (Herring, 2007) is one that has really
inspired me and motivated me on my journey to becoming a qualified teacher
librarian.
When I started out in this subject, I always expected for my
views and understandings to grow, change and be challenged, and I am every so
pleased that they have. 18 months on I
have learned so much more about the role I am going to undertake and proudly
advocate for my profession both in the school setting and in the public
domain. I truly believe that a good
teacher librarian can change the lives of the students and the teachers
in their school.
Cooper, O., & Bray,
M. (2011). School Library Media Specialist-Teacher Collaboration:
Characteristics, Challenges, Opportunities. TechTrends,
55(4), 48-55. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11528-011-0511-y
Purcell, M. (2010). All
Librarians Do Is Check Out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School
Library Media Specialist. Library Media
Connection, 29(3), 30-33. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=55822153&site=ehost-live
