The role of teacher librarians in schools

I worked as a classroom teacher for 12 years before becoming a teacher librarian; teaching in both the private and public sectors in three different schools in Australia and Canada. Therefore, my experiences with Teacher Librarians and their role within primary schools has been quite varied.

In my first teaching placement in an independent girls school, the Library and the Teacher Librarians were held in high regard. The Library had recently been relocated and beautifully purpose built as part of a larger renovation and it was staffed by two full-time Teacher Librarians. The Library and its staff where obviously valued by the School Board, Parents and Citizens Association and School Head as they supported a space, collection, learning program and collaborative culture that made the Library a central, dynamic space within the school (Lupton, M. 2016). The learning program was part of a release from face-to-face role for Pre-school, Kindergarten and Years One and Two, but was delivered in a team teaching capacity with the classroom teacher for Years Three to Six. The team teaching program for the older students was planned collaboratively between classroom teachers and the Teacher Librarian as per Australian School Librarian Association guidelines (ASLA. 2016) to focus on information and research linked with the current International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) inquiries (Mattson, K. 2016 and ALSA, 2016).

Each of the Librarians had distinctive strengths and it is worth noting that one was a qualified Teacher Librarian (ASLA. 2014) and the other was unqualified, but had worked in the role for many years. One read widely and would make interesting recommendations for class read aloud novels or for rich texts to use as part of our inquiries. She would ensure the collection included modern and more "left of centre" resources and was keen to integrate technology. The other had a real flair for creating displays and organising Book Week extravaganzas that where highly exciting and engaging for the students (Feeney, S. 2005). Together, they facilitated fantastic Library events, from author visits, to night time pajama reading events, to the aforementioned Book Week Extravaganzas. In this well supported and dynamic capacity the Teacher Librarians worked to ensure the Library functioned as the exciting, fun and interesting place to be for students and staff in the school.

Teaching in a public school in inner-west Toronto, the Library was much smaller, but it was vibrant, well resourced and reflected the multicultural nature of the school community. The Teacher Librarian role was also full time, but was a release role and the learning program was stand-alone. These two factors meant that there was less opportunity for collaboration between classroom teaching staff and the Teacher Librarian. The Teacher Librarian had the support of the Principal to develop her teaching program with some freedom and it therefore used rich texts as a springboard to investigate social issues and would often link with current events such as Black History Month or International Women's Day, which the students found highly engaging and worthwhile.

In the five years at my current ACT primary school under previous leadership, the Teacher Librarian position has been a "fill in" kind of role. The library has functioned; the students borrow books, there are resources for the teachers to use, but it has not been a dynamic resource centre and the Teacher Librarian has not been qualified. There has been limited opportunity for collaboration between classroom teachers and the Teacher Librarian and the learning program holds little status within the curriculum. This is linked to a broader, more political agenda of school autonomy in ACT schools. Principals have been given more authority to decide how money is spent in schools and therefore an individual Principals perspective on the value of Teacher Librarians compared with budgeting has impacted the staffing, operation and ultimately the value of school libraries in the ACT.

"Both the union (AEU) and council (ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations) have lobbied vigorously against the financial autonomy model, which forms part of broader school autonomy moves across the ACT and other states.

They warn that a consequence of the budget autonomy could be mounting pressure on principals to hire cheaper, less-experienced teachers and cut back on specialist positions such as teacher librarians or English as second language specialists" (E. Macdonald. 2013).

A change in leadership has brought a different perspective to my primary school and I have my Principals full support in my studies and my on-going work as a Teacher Librarian. I know this support will have positive and powerful implications (Lupton, M. 2016) for my development as a curriculum leader and information specialist (ASLA. 2014) and to bring our school library into the 21st century.

Resources:

AEU ACT. (2011). School Autonomy AEU ACT Position Paper. Retrieved from AEU ACT website http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/aeuact/pages/24/attachments/original/1391217813/Position_Paper_on_School_Autonomy_July_2011.pdf?1391217813

Australian School Library Association. (2014). What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved from ASLA website 13 March 2017 via http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.aspx

Australian School Library Association. (2016). Joint statement on teacher librarians in Australia. Retrieved from ASLA website 13 March 2017 http://www.asla.org.au/policy/teacher-librarians-Australia.aspx

Feeney, S., & Moravcik, E. (2005). Children's literature. YC Young Children, 60(5), 20-24,26-28. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/197685484?accountid=10344

Lupton, M. (2016). Adding value: Principals' perceptions of the role of the teacher-librarian. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 49-61. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.14265.22.1.005

Macdonald, E. (2013 July 24). School Autonomy Trial Scaled Back. The Canberra Times. Retrieved from http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/schools-autonomy-trial-scaled-back-20130723-2qhpt.html

Mattson, K. ( 2016). Future Librarians as Instructional Partners. Retrieved March 2017 from https://futureready204librarians.wordpress.com/2016/12/11/future-ready-librarians-as-instructional-partners/