LIBE 467 Theme 2: The Complicated Role of the Teacher-Librarian

Being a Teacher-Librarian is a complicated task, one far more complex that it appears at first glance. Our job is not only to maintain resources and to promote a love of reading, but also to support the curriculum, offer students a gathering place, and support technology education in schools. Strong libraries with dedicated teacher-librarians are linked with higher student-achievement, but budgets to school libraries and teacher-librarian hours are being reduced across Canada. The timing for these cuts couldn't be worse with an explosive increase in technology in education and in the role of the school library. Considering these conflicting facts, the role of the teacher-librarian is becoming increasingly more difficult.

When I was a student in the public school system, libraries were simple compared to today. Any school research or reading for pleasure was done using the books in the library, and once you knew how to use the card catalog and the encyclopedias, you were good to go. These days, however,  school libraries are increasingly used as makerspaces, collaboration zones and technology hubs. Teacher-librarians aren't just expected to select and weed the collection of books, but also decide if a book is even the best choice. With limited resources (budget and teacher-librarian hours), this often results in prioritizing on the part of the library - prioritization of materials and also of programs.

"What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it thinks about education."

Harold Howe - former U.S. Commissioner of Education.

Adding to the difficulty in selecting the type of reference materials purchased for the school library is the fact that different students will be more drawn to different media. Part of the job of the teacher-librarian is to make sure students have adequate access to the materials. This includes physical, digital and intellectual access (BC Ministry of Education, 2002, pp. 87-89). We, as teacher-librarians, can improve access through improving the physical layout of the library to better access materials and provide a wider range of materials for better intellectual and digital access. However, module 7 of the LIBE 467 course emphasises that we can also improve access to materials through changes in policies and practices.

Black History Month book display. Image care of the Learning Zone.

Part of the role of libraries is to promote materials - this includes new materials and those that are timely or relevant to the curriculum. The addition of multimedia elements to school libraries is increasing the amount of promotion and education necessary to those who want to use these spaces. A school can have the best resources available, but they are worthless if nobody knows they are there or how to use them.

Interactive display from the Hunt Library at NCSU. Image care of Neopanorama.

This all means that another huge part of the teacher-librarian's job is to be personable and approachable. The teachers at our schools are our link between teacher-librarian and the students. Some teacher-librarians will offer events such as lunch and learns, professional development workshops, or they will just stop by with a friendly hello to visit new teachers and discuss new opportunities for collaboration. All this, however, takes time that teacher-librarians don't necessarily have. This promotion seems to be one of the first things to be cut when teacher-librarian hours are reduced. Cutting this promotion, however, can come back to haunt the school library. If the resources in the library are underutilized, it may give the impression that the library is less important to the school, resulting in further cuts to budgets and hours.

As Riedling (2013) discusses in Chapter 9: The Reference Interview, teacher-librarians also need to have welcoming personable attitudes that don't intimidate the students who need assistance. When students first set foot in their school library, they may not know where to start searching for what they need. This is particularly true when students are used to using internet search engines to find everything they need. While I made an argument for the continued use of books in reference sections in an earlier post, we need to be sure students still know how to effectively use books for research. This once again comes down to promotion and education in the schools.

Librarians are the link between students and reference materials. Image care of Ebsco Post. 

Teacher-librarians these days have to juggle many tasks, and they are doing so on increasingly limited hours and budgets. Libraries, however, are central hubs of activity for all students at a given school. If this resource is managed well, ensuring appropriate materials, access, and promotion to students, a school library can greatly enrich the lives and the education of the students throughout the entire school. It is a challenging position, but one that can be immensely rewarding.

References:

British Columbia Ministry of Education (2002). Evaluating, Selecting and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide.

British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (2019). School Libraries. Retrieved from https://bctf.ca/IssuesInEducation.aspx?id=13266

Johnson, Gail (2015). Schools losing more than just book minders in librarian cuts across Canada. Retrieved from https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/students-continue-to-lose-librarians-in-school-budget-cuts-across-canada-184326075.html

Little, Hannah Byrd (2017). A Peek Into the Future School Library. Retrieved from https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/peek-future-school-library/

Riedling, Ann, Shake, Loretta & Houston, Cynthia (2013). Reference Skills for the School Librarian (Third Edition). Linworth.