Teacher-Librarians as Leaders: Connecting with Other Educators

I recently interviewed for a teacher-librarian position in my district next year (and yes! I got the job!), and for a significant portion of the hour I spent with the interview team we discussed the roles and responsibilities of the teacher-librarian, including what it takes to be a leader, how decisions would be made in regards to resources, and how a teacher-librarian should work with the teaching staff in a school. These are all significant parts of the job that require serious consideration. 

image by DarkMoon_Art from Pixabay

When I was asked about how I would make decisions in regards to resource collection, I explained that it would be important to me to be informed about the general curriculum of each grade and subject at the school I teach. Now that is absolutely a tall order, but I believe that the true potential of a resource could not be properly evaluated if the acquirer was uninformed about the usefulness of that resource. By understanding the curriculum taught at their school, a teacher-librarian is poised to offer the best help possible to their staff. 

Of course, it’s not just about having the resources and the knowledge for how resources will be useful. A teacher-librarian also needs to communicate effectively with their staff so that the usefulness of each resource can be accessed to its full potential. Unfortunately, the ease of which we are able to communicate with each other generally (via email, Teams messages, remind texts, etc.) means that nearly everyone who works in a school setting is inundated on the daily with emails. To communicate effectively that means that the teacher-librarian will need to carefully consider what information they communicate, who they communicate with, and when they choose to communicate. 

In my current role as a classroom teacher I know that I can get overwhelmed by the volume of emails I receive, and when I receive curriculum related communication containing new ideas, or strategies (whether it’s from my teacher-librarian or a district-level official) it often feels easier just to continue with what I already have planned, even if the ideas presented would be exciting for myself and my students. To that end, in my new role as a teacher-librarian, I would like to use my new knowledge of my school’s curriculum to create specific ideas or strategies that I can promote to specific grade-level teachers. This would be aided by using Stacia Wagers’s (a teacher-librarian from Missouri) tactic of “five minutes of harassment” where she connects with various teachers at her school for a few minutes at the start of the week to touch base on where they are at with their curriculum that week (Miller & Bass, ch. 1). By having a foundational knowledge of curriculum, and knowing exactly what my teachers are currently working on (or will be working on in the near future) I can tailor my suggestions to their needs. For example, if I were to learn that one of my ELA teachers is finishing up a book club unit, and is wanting her students to complete a final project, I could reach out to her with specific suggestions, like recording a podcast analyzing the book, or using the green-screen technology available at my school to help students film their own book trailer. This would be much more effective than a blanket email to staff promoting the podcasting technology or the green-screen technology that we have available. 

photo by rob_walsh on Unsplash

Another key role of teacher-librarians is taking on a leadership role within the school, and even within the district. One of the ways that I believe TLs could do this would be to spearhead the literacy development role within their schools (if such a role exists). While the Library Learning Commons is absolutely more than just a palace of books, reading and literacy is still at its core, so it’s only fitting that the Teacher-Librarian should have an investment in the development of reading and literacy at her school. The promotion of strategies, or reading-specific activities that promote an enjoyment for reading would be an excellent way to lead from within the school. Taking these efforts to the district level, and presenting these strategies to other educators at district-wide professional development events would continue to demonstrate the “teacher-librarians as leaders” mentality.  

Envisioning my future role as a teacher-librarian brings me great excitement. While I love my current curriculum of grade 8 English Language Arts, the opportunity to expand the breadth of my curriculum knowledge and collaborate with my colleagues is an opportunity that cannot be passed up. I anticipate a steep learning curve, but I hope to become an excellent resource and wealth of knowledge that my co-workers will learn to trust and rely on to provide creative and envelope-pushing opportunities that will not only help their students, but will also impact their own teaching practice.

Works Cited

Miller, Shannon McClintock, and William Bass. Leading from the Library: Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age. 1st ed., Kobo ed., Portland, Oregon, International Society for Technology in Education, 2019.