The role of the teacher Librarian

Are teacher Librarians Extinct?

After viewing 30 second thought Leadership regarding the TL as an endangered species, I found the videos to be quite thought provoking, they discussed the fact that the role of the TL may be endangered in some places, but not extinct yet! They spoke of the need for the TL to redefine their role, as did Lamb (2011), Valenza (2010), Herring (2007) and Purcell (2010). 

Purcell (2010) and Lamb (2010) speak of the leadership role of the Teacher Librarian and identifies the importance of being an “advocate” and promoting your role. I can see the importance of doing your job well and letting others “see” you at it! Purcell suggests collecting evidence of your role in action and taking it to staff and curriculum meetings and sharing it with others. In doing this, the TL is encouraging support and promoting the role of TL within whole school teaching and learning.  

Several of the speakers from 30 second thought Leadership identified the need for students to be "21st Century Citizens". Lamb (2011), Valenza (2010), Herring (2007) and Purcell (2010) all identify the TL role as a specialised teacher capable of teaching information literacy skills. Herring (2007 p. 29) cites The American Association of School Librarins (AASL) and explains that these American Library "standards focus mainly on the development of information literacy"

Valenza (2010) explains that the concept of  modern teacher librarians role is unclear. She agrees that the TL role needs to change, but how. She states we have no "textbook" to tell us how to do it. The standards give us guidlines for what we need to achieve but HOW? I liked Valenza's analogy of the family cook book as how text book on how to do it. This would be very helpful, pages of pictures with ingredients and methods and only those that have been tried and tested would make it to the printer, but maybe we shouldn't print it but share it electronically so that as the information and communication landscape changes, so will the recipes!

I had not considered the idea that Bush and Jones (cited in Lamb 2011 p. 33) raise when they talk about the TL being a "constant in the learning environment over time" yes, most classroom teachers only have a group of students for a year and the TL has the ability to impact on these students (in my case in a K -12 school) for up to 13 years, this gives great scope for the TL to develop 21st Century citizens!