Who organises information?

I believe the teacher librarian is responsible for organising information. However, this should be done in collaborative consultation with the school community to ensure the collection and metadata meet user needs. As a new teacher librarian working in an international primary school using the Australian Curriculum and IB Primary Years Programme, I am still coming to terms with the range of tasks required of me. I think creates some unique opportunities and challenges for how the collection is organised. However, my ‘librarian green-ness” does have its advantages, as I do not have any attachment to particular ways of doing things, nor do I have to un-learn bad habits, my experience as a classroom practitioner is highly valuable in this regard.

I recently undertook a staff survey using Google Forms and had much of the teaching and leadership team provide feedback about the library collection. I am now able to use that information to inform strategic decision-making about how the library collection is organised and the metadata to be used. In relation to resources used to support PYP units of inquiry, staff indicated a preference for Australian Curriculum subject and strand in combination with PYP related concepts. Therefore, as the teacher librarian, my responsibility is to “value add” to the metadata to ensure library staff and users can quickly and easily find what resources they need.

For example, in addition to the meta-data available through SCIS, the resource I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas could have the following information added to the notes:

• Health and Physical Education/Personal, Social and Community Health

• Gender

• Identify

• Relationships

• Diversity

• LGBTI