So, in an effort to "catch you up" with all my learning, I will attempt to post as many blogs as I possibly can this coming week to show you all how full my brain is and how much I have learned about this amazing field of Teacher Librarianship.
Just to start you off, I've included my reflections on ETL503 - Resourcing the Curriculum. Enjoy!
Assessment 2 - Part C - Reflection
Completing this assessment has opened my eyes to the highly professional role of the teacher librarian (TL) as leader within the school context (ASLA, 2009). There are many aspects of leadership within the development of a collection beginning with the production of a Collection Policy which forms part of the professional documents schools use to explain and justify decisions and actions. In developing a collection and adhering to policy, the TL demonstrates leadership through resource provision, accountability with finances, censorship issues and copyright.
Time and again I have been reminded that the teacher librarian is more than just a keeper of books, but must be proactive in seeking out resources in various formats (Latham & Poe, 2008), which meet the teaching and learning needs of the clientele served. This requires deep knowledge and understanding of curriculum, the teaching and learning styles represented within the school, as well as current resources and suppliers available to develop a collection which is highly relevant and user friendly. Creating a policy has emphasised the need to have a collection plan as well as criteria for every stage of the collection process, including selecting resources and suppliers, and weeding (Kennedy, 2006). Without these, resources are purchased on the basis of ‘want’ and ‘like’ instead of need, resulting in a censored (Jenkinson, 2002) and imbalanced collection irrelevant to the users and a far cry from the learner-centred collection advocated by Hughes-Hassell & Mancall (2005).
Accountability regarding funding of the collection and the necessity to evaluate the collection to identify needs or imbalances again highlighted the teacher librarian’s professional duties and reinforced my understanding of the responsibility of the TL to meet the information needs of users with the “most appropriate” resources possible (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005, p.43).
My understanding of copyright (National Copyright Unit, (n.d)) as being central to any resource decision has been extended to include the serious nature of copyright law and the responsibilities of the teacher librarian to not only ensure it is not breached within the confines of the collection, but also to educate staff and students.
Perhaps the most profound learning experience has been the acknowledgement of the importance of the TL in keeping up-to-date with and almost being at the forefront of technological change, specifically as it relates to the school library setting (Wall & Ryan, 2010). This somewhat daunting realisation brought about many questions and confirmed my belief that we are all learning, and what we really want for our students is to develop skills to be lifelong learners who embrace technology and mould it to suit their individual needs. Central to the idea of technology in education is that it is not confined to the physical library. Not only must I expose students and teachers to the wide range of formats available and equip them with the skills necessary to use them, I must also provide access in a variety of ways.
To say that the learning curve throughout this exercise has been steep is an understatement. While acknowledging the enormous task ahead, it is faced with a much deeper understanding of the dynamic role of the library collection and the professional leadership qualities of teacher librarians in meeting the diverse needs of the learning community of which I am privileged to be a part.
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