“Tara Moss is on Sunrise talking about how wonderful it was to see people queuing for Harry Potter, and that there are enough good books out to cause that sort of buzz every month. She is concerned that young people are not reading, and suggested ways to find other good reads. Book clubs, talking to friends, blah blah blah, no mention of libraries or librarians, let alone TL’s and school libraries.
“Kochie and Tara, Teacher Librarians have dual qualifications and their role is complex, demanding, multi-skilled and expert in the fields of information literacy and literature for all ages.
It is with alarm that I have learned that the role of teacher/librarians is under “review” in state schools. I have been working as a trained high school teacher/librarian for 5 years and prior to this position I had 25 years experience as a classroom teacher in the HSIE faculty. I have brought this experince as a classroom teacher to my role and I certainly think that it has enhanced my ability to help staff and students select appropriate resources. Beside the many functions or roles a T/L has I am intrigued about how a High School Principal would provide supervision in the library if we were to be replaced by non-teaching staff. I am on duty as soon as I enter the library. Who is going to supervise students: throughout the day, before school starts, recess, lunch and in homework centre time? What about the students who are sent in class time to complete assignments, the senior strudents who are using the computers when they are not being used by a class, senior classes who have not been covered but are sent to the library to work, students who are sent to the library as a “safe’ haven from the classroom ? Of course there are many, many other specialised jobs that a T/L performs. Who is going to perform these roles? What about the library budget and allocation and selection of resources? More work for the already overowrked classroom teachers and executive ? What about the teaching and the promotion of PRC and other programs to promote reading?