Video Transcript
When I started
this course many people asked why I was studying to be a librarian, isn’t the
librarian a dying breed one even joked? In some respects that person was right,
along with those who were nice enough to only think it. Librarians in the
traditional sense are being seen less now days. Gone are the stern librarians who
sat at their lofty desks scolding shhh! The idea of the traditional librarian
was even immortalised by Lego as a minifigure complete with glasses, demure
clothes and grumpy outlook (Lego, 2013) . Another friend
asked for my opinion after hearing I was studying a librarianship. “What do you
think of our local library, isn’t it a pretty pointless place now that we have
the internet?” After some thought he concluded that there was still a need for
academic libraries, but much less of a need for public libraries. But the role
of the librarian and the concept of what a library is and what it can do for
its learning community is changing.
I started this course
with a video introduction and I felt it would be a suitable way to finish. In
this video survey of my learning we will look at the development of my
understanding of the role of the teacher librarian in three major areas;
collection development & management, information literacy, and leadership.
This will then
be followed with a consideration of the future of libraries and my place in them.
What I have learnt about librarianship over the last two years tells me it is
not a dead profession. So what have I been talking about over the past two
years to make me feel this way? I made a word cloud from my blog to find out.
An important
role of the teacher librarian, which I have come to know more about, is the
development and maintenance of the collection. Learning in this area addresses
Standard 1.4 knowledge of library and information management and Standard 2.3
library and information services management in the Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians (Australian Library and Information
Association (ALIA) & Australian School Library Association (ASLA), 2004) . Collection
development covers three areas; access, accountability and the variety of resource
offered.
Access
The initial
shaping of my understanding in the area of collection development and
maintenance came from ETL503 Resourcing the Curriculum. This looked at
collecting and managing e-books and resources and the issues of access and
licensing. Having not worked in a library my initial understanding was limited.
The first assignment considered the selection and accession process that goes
into resourcing the curriculum for a particular subject.
This subject
introduced the need for selection criteria specific to e-resources and this
idea was further developed in the website evaluation report task and supported by
the production of the pathfinder in ETL501. A pathfinder is a digital ‘map’ of
alternative information resources, offering a variety of media formats and
sources (Thibault, 2006) . It helps provide
access to resources that have been specifically selected based on evaluation
criteria. The pathfinder developed for
this subject addressed a learning need in grade 6 science; it was a practical
item that I was able to use with my own class. Having a dynamic resource I could show school
leaders was also positive. It helped to promote what a teacher librarian can do
to support the curriculum. Providing organised access to a wide yet relevant
array of information resources is a vital role libraries play today, especially
considering the masses of unfiltered information students come across on the
internet. Even if I just continue on as a teacher, rather than a teacher
librarian, I would want to implement pathfinders into my lessons.
In ETL505 Bibliographic
Standards in Education we considered information organisation and descriptive
cataloguing. This demonstrated our ability to organise and classify information
in the assignments by identifying subject headings, Dewey classifications, and
RDA descriptions. My understanding of the use of metadata was developed the
most during my placement. During this time I was heavily involved in
cataloguing using MARC21 protocols, RDA descriptions and Medical subject
headings (MeSH). This is an area where I have learnt the most in the course and
that I see as needing the most study in the future. There is quite a lot I do
not know about using the MARC protocol. To be an information service leader by
providing effective access to the collection I will need to continue my
education and development in this area.
Ethical issues
relating to censorship and intellectual freedom need to be considered when
providing access to the collection. As information service leaders and teacher
librarians we have a responsibility to act within the code of ethics relating
to access and censorship (International Federation of
Library Associations, 2012) . Our actions are
made transparent by written policy and procedure documents.
Accountability
The major task
in ETL503 was to write a collection development policy, I had never written a
policy document before undertaking this subject so this was a large learning
curve. The collection development policy acts as a justification for the collection
and decisions made in selection or de-selection of materials. Standard 2.3
states that an excellent teacher librarian ensures that the library’s policy
and procedures implement the school’s mission (ALIA & ASLA, 2004) . The school I was writing the policy
document for did not have a librarian or policy documents to refer to. As such an
interview with the principal and examination of the schools mission statements
were necessary to align the library priorities with the school’s unique
mission. My understanding of what needs
to be included in a collection development came from the guidelines set out in A Manual for developing policies and
procedures in Australian school library resource centres (ALIA & Schools and Victorian Catholic Teacher Librarians,
2007) , Learning for the future (ASLA & ALIA, 2002) , Resourcing for curriculum innovation (Wall & Ryan, 2010) & Providing more with less: Collection
management for school libraries (Dillion, Henri, & McGregor, 2001) . These were great tools for someone who did
not know where to start. During the placement I was able to see the direct
links between the library’s collection policy and what existed on the shelf.
During this time I was also able to suggest changes that could be made to the
policy document to update it for the e-resources the library had recently
started collecting. This helped to consolidate what I had learnt. By having a
collection development policy there is a supporting document to refer to when
material is disputed and complaints made to the library. It also helps with evaluation
of the collection and related allocation of the libraries budget.
Fiction in the collection
A component of
collection development and maintenance that has seen the greatest change in my
opinion is the role of fiction in the collection. I was not formally trained as
an English teacher, so have done very little with fictional literature in my
lessons. Early in the course I was swayed to the opinion that school libraries focus
too heavily on their fiction collection (Herring,
2007) .
This was my mindset coming into ETL503 when I was producing a collection
development policy. It was not until the second assignment of ETL402 that I
accepted the greater role fiction can play in the curriculum. This helped me
explore the wider use of fiction, exploring novels and manga that could be used
in secondary science lessons. This has made an impact on how I teach different
aspects of the curriculum and how in the future, as a teacher librarian, I might
promote the collection and collaboratively plan lessons with other teachers.
The teacher
librarian has a role in the future of information management and it is their
role to collect, catalogue, and manage a variety of resources in a manner that
allows for effective access to information.
As a science
teacher information literacy was something I had not concentrated on in my
teaching. Aside from considering the readability of the texts I chose or giving
brief digital literacy lessons to be used within the class. The term
information literacy was not even on my radar.
This course had
as some of its initial guiding objectives that we demonstrate an understanding
of key concepts such as inquiry based learning, information literacy and
digital literacy and the application of information process models (Charles Sturt University, 2013, p. 25) . With this
understanding it is expected that we be able to link these to the development
of information literacy practices in schools (Charles Sturt University, 2013,
p. 27) . Blog task 3 in ETL401 focused on trying to define
information literacy and see that it is more that a set of skills. When I was
grappling with this, like most other times I created a mind map of my thoughts
and references. From this picture my understanding of information literacy is
the ability to find, understand, evaluate and filter information to be used in
the creation of new information (Bundy, 2004; Eisenberg, 2008).
When we were
discussing information literacy inevitably at some point we also discussed
constructivist learning, inquiring learning and information process skills
which go along with this. In this context constructivist learning means that students
construct their own meaning through posing questions, conducting research,
discussing, and reflecting on ideas with others.
The push for inquiry
learning in education has partnered well with the science curriculum I was
teaching. It was also an area that helped me to identify weaknesses in the
library at the K-12 school I was teaching at. The library was not managed well
or equipped to cater for the secondary school curriculum and most secondary
classes did not use the facilities. If we acknowledge the importance of inquiry learning and
information literacy in student learning then we should prioritise the
development of the library collection to meet this need. This is something I
have been able to voice since starting this course. Whenever possible I have
also pushed the pivotal role of the teacher librarian in collaboratively
planning and teaching information literacy and inquiry learning practices in
our school.
Information
process models such as the PLUS model (Herring,
1996) ,
Information Search Process (Kuhlthau, 2013) , and Big 6 (Eisenberg,
2008)
were identified during this time and then critically compared and
recommendations made for implementation in assignment 2 of ETL401. The
pathfinder created in ETL501 promotes and guides reading of different types of
media and access to information resources and services. The built in tutorials
help ICT and research skill development. The Big 6 information process was included in
the pathfinder for my grade 6 class. These series of assignments have helped me
expand my knowledge of information search processes and has also allowed for me
to feel the feelings expressed by Kuhlthau (2013) for myself. It began
in ETL401 with the frustration of not knowing which of the numerous databases
to search for information on.
I felt uncertainty, confusion and anxiety… I found understanding some of the terms quite difficult. I felt a sense of hopelessness and frustration as I approached the task and questioned why I was even doing it. I felt the dip Kuhlthau described and it was not until I was well into the research [of the] assignment that I felt I was making headway (Obst, 2013).
What tells me
that libraries have a place in the future is their role in educating information
literate students. Students today are faced with vast amounts of information
when they explore the internet. The information landscape has seen
technological change in information format and delivery modes, technology is
faster, smaller and more social (O'Connell, 2012, p. 215) . The enormity of unfiltered information
inhibits students’ effective search for information. The library has a place in
educating students about the information search process, linking resources with
effective metadata, and enabling students to create their own information with
new programs and technologies. Teacher librarians have a role in information
literacy education. They should be spearheading the teaching staff as they are
in a unique position to look at the curriculum holistically. They are vital in bringing the school a
consistent learning experience.
Leadership is an area I initially felt was not necessary to cover in a
teacher librarianship course. However the more I have studied, witnessed
librarians in action and looked at job advertisements it became clear this is
an important part of being a librarian. Employers want someone who is able to
manage people, the volunteers and technicians, as well as someone who can
manage a collection. Leadership as a role of the teacher librarian is written
into the standards of professional excellence, instructing us to engage in
school leadership, participate in key committees and build collaborative teams
(standard 3.3).
Leadership within the profession of teacher librarianship involves
advocacy for the library and its role in supporting student learning and
achievement. To support this advocacy documentation of statistical evidence
needs to be produced by the library. The standards also call for us to measure
library resources, programs and services against current benchmarks and to be
able to provide evidence of their outcomes (Standard 2.4). I noted in ETL401 module 2 that a
way for the teacher librarian to make the library’s priorities clear is to
prepare annual reports and budget proposals. This reflects the transparency
needed for open leadership (Tapscott, 2012) . The library can
also consider trends in pedagogy and curriculum changes, such as those made
with the introduction of the Australian Curriculum, to produce future proofing
reports. We were able to practice this documentation in ETL504.
To bring about change within the school and library settings calls for
effective change management. The type of leadership used can greatly affect
people’s willingness to change. My understanding of leadership and management
styles has grown from knowledge of business management to leadership styles
used in schools. When the leadership is distributed within the school the
teacher librarian has the ability to take on additional roles on curriculum and
learning committees.
In ETL504 assignment 1 I ended with a few concluding thoughts about
leadership. The teacher librarian;
·
shows leadership through providing training
alongside technical and social support to enhance the learning of those they
work with (O'Donoghue & Clarke, 2009) ,
·
has the emotional intelligence to understand
individual’s needs and an understanding of what motivates followers (Cameron &
Green, 2009) (Orridge,
2009) ,
and
·
builds teams to help navigate change (Belbin, 2012) .
I think it is this last point that I have reflected on the most since writing that assignment. By the end of assignment 2 I had undergone the placement and identified the real need for supportive teams. The librarian can be consumed with managerial or operational tasks and the day to day running of the library could not occur without support staff.
The study tour
was the place where I was most excited and made most nervous about the future
of libraries. There was exciting innovation in libraries which were reinventing
themselves to respond to 21st century needs. Then there were other
libraries which were suffering from budget and staffing cuts and other stories
of specialist libraries closing.
For libraries to
have a future place in our information rich environment the library and the
teacher librarian must be responsive to 21st century learning needs. One of the
most recent libraries to open is the Library at the Dock which demonstrates
what a library of the future can look like. Alongside a traditional library
collection it offers an interactive learning environment and digital
collection, multi-purpose community spaces and a performance venue. One of the
multi-purpose spaces is the music studio which offers a space for the public to
record their own media. This is what being a 21st century library is
about, providing opportunity for people to learn and create their own
information. This may come in the form of recording studios, game development
labs, 3Dprinters, or any life-logging technologies. The exciting part is being
able to provide equitable access to technologies and resources which might
normally be out of reach for the public or our school students.
The future of
libraries is tied to electronic resources, some people may be hesitant with new
technologies, but I was encouraged early on with a quote taken from Plato’s
Phaedrus in which he suggests the invention of writing would lead to
forgetfulness for learners as they move away from memory and recital learning
(Plato, 2009). Similarly we stress about students losing traditional modes of
literacy. It is easy to fall back on old ways of thinking; it is what we are
comfortable with. However new technologies bring growth and new ways of
learning. The teacher librarian can redefine their role to be a coach for
online content navigation and creation and teaching good digital citizenship.
The library will
still have a place in the future if it has as its core values intellectual
freedom, providing a safe place and fostering critical thinkers (American
Association of School Librarians, 2012). If we provide a place where students
can feel safe exploring the information they seek, just as we have in the past,
then regardless of the future format we will still have a place in schools.
My place in the
library
This is
something that I have been grappling with over the last few months as I wrote
this concluding piece and it is something I do not know definitively even now.
What I know is that I love researching and I love helping people research. I
enjoy academic life and want to work in a place that facilitates lifelong
learning. I am hoping to work in a specialist library or a university library.
I think my place in any library or information service will be in supporting
the move to digital content management and creation. This course has given me a background in current
educational theory, information organisation and organisational leadership
which I can now take with me to whatever future field I work in.
References
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