LIBE 467: Theme Two: Exploring the Roles and Responsibilities of a Teacher-Librarian

     

Figure 1. No TL. (SMOTLRC, 2010).

    In Theme Two we discussed many of the roles and responsibilities of teacher-librarians in providing reference services. The responsibilities of a teacher-librarian can be categorized into the areas of program and instruction, learning resource management, and leadership in resource-based learning (UBC, Module 6, 2020).  As I continue to learn about my role(s) as a teacher-librarian, there are several aspects of these roles and responsibilities that I've found to be of particular interest to me. Collaborative partnerships through Collaborative Program Planning and Teaching, assessing the information and reference service needs of students and staff, and evaluating the reference collection and reference services are a few of the areas that were most notable to me over the past few weeks. As an aspiring teacher-librarian, one of my aims for my future library program is to focus on being a collaborative partner who meets the information needs of my students and colleagues through a well-developed reference collection and service program. 

Figure 2. 5 Roles of the Library Media Specialist. (Diffley, n.d.).

    In Module 5 we explored collaborative partnerships and Collaborative Program Planning and Teaching (CPPT). As identified in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (1998), being an instructional partner is one of the primary roles of the teacher-librarian, as they "join with teachers and others to identify links across student information needs, curricular content, learning outcomes, and a wide variety of print, nonprint, and electronic information resources (para. 2). Collaboration between teachers and teacher-librarians is essential to ensuring that student information needs are met, that students have best access to resources and that students develop the necessary skills to locate, analyze, evaluate and use information to meet their needs. As suggested in Module 5, "if we prioritize the process involved in doing a research assignment and the inherent skills in the process and not the end product it holds that cooperative planning on the part of the classroom teacher and the teacher-librarian is essential" (UBC, Module 5, 2020). Furthermore, "research clearly indicates that the development of student competence in information literacy skills is most effective when integrated with classroom instruction through collaborative program planning and teaching by the teacher-librarian and the classroom teacher" (Asselin et al., 2006, p. 21). However, the beneficiaries of cooperative planning are not limited to the students, but also include the whole team involved in the process, teachers, teacher-librarians and administrators. As Haycock (2007) describes in Collaboration: Critical success factors for student learning, "collaboration ignited creativity among teachers, and the "creative fire" spread to learners.... Modelling collaboration also influenced students, teachers, and parents to learn to share ideas.... Students became more involved in their learning.... Administrators also believed that they benefited professionally" (para. 3). To support teachers and teacher-librarians in engaging in collaboration, Haycock identifies six stages to guide the collaborative planning process:

1. Objectives
2. Content
3. Sequence
4. Methodology
5. Activities
6. Evaluation
   
                      (UBC, Module 5, 2020). 

However, in order for teachers, teacher-librarians, administrators and students to benefit from collaborative planning initiatives, it is imperative that teacher-librarians take a proactive stance to ensure that adequate pre-planning occurs. According to the infographic entitled What Can Collaboration With A Teacher-Librarian Look Like? from the Surrey Teacher Librarians Association (STLA), there are three parts to collaboration: collaboration in preparation, in action and in reflection (2019). An effective teacher-librarian should take the lead initiating collaboration through the process of preparation. Preparation  involves initiating conversations with teachers about upcoming units of study and assignments for which the teacher-librarian can research and prepare materials by using "their specialized knowledge of texts and library collections and familiarity with OPAC searches to provide the resources most suitable to the task and learners involved" (STLA, 2019, para. 4). By taking the lead on the preparation stage of collaboration, teacher-librarians can ensure they are actively working towards a collaborative plan with their colleagues which will enable them to provide the best reference services possible. 

Figure 3. What Can Collaboration With A Teacher-Librarian Look Like? (STLA, 2019).

    Another primary responsibility of the teacher-librarian is management of the reference collection. As we learned in Module 6, managing and organizing the reference collection relates to all three areas encompassed in the role description of a teacher-librarian: program and instruction, learning resource management, and leadership in resource-based learning (UBC, Module 6, 2020). One aspect of management of the reference collection that was of particular interest to me, was one of the ten stages in collection development, identification of needs. As I continued to reflect on ways in which I might engage in collaborative planning with my colleagues, I realized the importance of identifying the needs of both my colleagues and my students. In Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada, it is suggested that the school library collection "is to reflect the unique needs of the specific school population" (Asselin, et. al, 2006, p. 24). In order to ensure that the reference collection serves the needs of the school community, and supports curricular objectives and learning outcomes, it is important that teacher-librarians conduct a needs assessment. As suggested in Evaluating, Selecting, and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide, "learning resource selection should be viewed as an ongoing process that requires determination of needs and long-term planning to reach the goals that are set" (BC Ministry of Education, 2002, p. 72). A needs assessment in relation to reference resources can either be formal or informal and should support the teacher-librarian in making decisions for the selection and acquisition of materials. One way of conducting a needs assessment could involve meeting and consulting with each of the schools grade teams, which is especially important, as teachers are the experts in curriculum. Teacher-librarians can discuss with teachers which units of study require supporting resources from the library, and what type of resources teachers and students are looking for. The teacher-librarians “role will be to identify the existing resources that complement the units” or to find new resources (Toor & Weisburg, 2015, p. 98). Conducting a needs assessment not only supports teacher-librarians in making decisions regarding the reference collection, but it also supports them in making decisions about how they provide reference services. For example, if it is discovered through the assessment that students are having difficulty locating and accessing information on current science topics, the teacher-librarian might then develop "a short tutorial on using the electronic databases to search for science topics" (Johnson & Lamb, 2007, "why conduct a needs assessment", para. 3). Additionally, by conducting needs assessments with input from both students and staff, teacher-librarians can further their collaborative partnerships with their colleagues, while also working towards establishing well-developed reference collections and services. 

The following video explores how one teacher-librarian began reaching out to her colleagues to initiate collaborative partnerships and to identify the needs of the school community to improve her library program.

Effective School Library Programs. (Region 10 ESC, 2017).

    In addition to managing the reference collection and being an instructional partner, another responsibility of the teacher-librarian is to evaluate the libraries reference services. Conducting an evaluation of the libraries reference services "is important to ensure that the teacher-librarian is fully aware of how much and how well references and reference services are used by students and teachers" (UBC, Module 7, 2020). There are many variables to be considered in the evaluation process, however a thorough evaluation of the libraries reference services can provide teacher-librarians with important information to guide their practice, such as statistics on frequency use of reference services, the level of satisfaction of users, how the services compare to standards outlining best practice and how the teacher-librarian is performing when providing these services. As we learned in Module 7, there are three areas of focus which have been identified as integral to the evaluation process: 

1. Policies, practices and school library facilities in terms of ensuring that these provide best access to resources;
2. Attitudes and biases about the various media formats in school libraries
3. School library collections to determine whether they are meeting the informational needs of students, teachers and the curriculum
   (UBC, Module 7, 2020). 

In Theme One (Module 4) we explored various perspectives and opinions in regards to print vs. non-print materials and various media formats in school libraries, and the role of format in the evaluation process. In Theme Two (Module 7) we discussed how policies, practices and school library facilities affect resource accessibility, as well as how teacher-librarians must consider intellectual, physical and digital access when evaluating the library reference collection and services. Although we have not yet discussed "school library collections to determine whether they are meeting the informational needs of students, teachers and the curriculum," I am looking forward to exploring this topic in Theme Three, as I continue to learn about how to evaluate and improve my reference collection and services to best meet the information needs of my students and colleagues.

References:

ALA | Information Power. webarchive.org. (1998). Retrieved 20 October 2020, from https://web.archive.org/web/20061119113128/http://www.ala.org/PrinterTemplate.cfm?Section=informationpower&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=19930.

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D. (2006). Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada [Ebook]. Canadian Association for School Libraries. Retrieved 21 October 2020, from: http://accessola2.com/SLIC-Site/slic/ail110217.pdf. 

British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2002). Evaluating, Selecting, and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide. British Columbia: Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data.

Diffley, A. 5 Roles of the Library Media Specialist [Image]. Retrieved 22 October 2020, from https://libraryann.weebly.com/five-roles-of-a-media-specialist.html

Haycock, K. (2007). Collaboration: Critical Success Factors for Student Learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 25-35. Retrieved 22 October 2020 from UBC Canvas.

Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2007). The School Library Media Specialist: Library Media Program: Introduction. Eduscapes.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020, from https://www.eduscapes.com/sms/program/needs.html.

Latham, D., Gross, M., & Witte, S. (2013). Preparing Teachers and Librarians to Collaborate to Teach 21st Century Skills: Views of LIS and Education Faculty. School Library Research, 16. Retrieved 22 October 2020, from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol16/SLR_PreparingTeachersLibrarianstoCollaborate_V16.pdf

Russell, S. (2020). Teachers and Librarians: Collaborative Relationships. ERIC Digest.. Ericdigests.org. Retrieved 20 October 2020, from https://www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/librarians.html.

SMOTLRC. (2010). No TL [Image]. Retrieved 22 October 2020, from https://smotlrcblog.edublogs.org/2010/03/30/we-need-school-libraries/.

Surrey Teacher Libarian's Association (BCTLA). (2019). What Can Collaboration With A Teacher-Librarian Look Like? [Image]. Retrieved 22 October 2020, from https://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/teacher-librarian-infographic-final.pdf.

Surrey Teacher Librarian's Association (BCTLA). (2019). "What can 

collaboration with a teacher-librarian look like?" British Columbia Teacher Librarian's Association.  Retrieved from: https://surreychapterofthebctla.com/2018/12/17/what-can-collaboration-with-a-teacher-librarian-look-like/

Toor, R. & Weisburg, H.K. (2015). New on the Job: a School Librarians Guide to 

Success, Second Edition. Chicago: ALA Editions.

UBC. (2020). Module 5: The Reference Interview: Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching for Personalized Inquiry [Canvas]. Retrieved from UBC LIBE 467 Canvas site.

UBC. (2020). Module 6: Managing the Reference Collection [Canvas]. Retrieved from UBC LIBE 467

Canvas site.

UBC. (2020). Module 7: Evaluating Reference Services [Canvas]. Retrieved from UBC LIBE 467 Canvas site.