Points
of Importance for a Teacher-Librarian
ETL503
Teacher –Librarian role is one that requires flexibility in every aspect of the
role. No 2 days or weeks are ever going to be the same but then is that
not true of life in general? Working and collaborating with others all
need to accept that the library collection is constantly developing and is
never going to be ‘just right’. I understand and relate to the
terminology differences in Kennedy (2006, p. 4) of collection and
acquisition. You acquire then manage.
As
a specialization, collection management- and writing a policy document- demands
not only professional knowledge of the processes of selecting and acquiring,
but diplomatic skills in weeding, budgeting, evaluating and dealing with
challenges to the collection. (Wall & Ryan, 2010, p. 12) suggest that
a TL is so many including learners, resource guides as well as agents of change.
They need to have knowledge of educational theory and practice and be in tune
with their community of users as well as having a good knowledge about the
curriculum.
Accountability
as in all aspects of life is paramount and accountability in this role is further
discussed in (Kennedy, 2006, p. 11) and relates to all aspects regarding
the collection in their library. In making those decisions they are
required to show professionalism (Kennedy, p. 17) in terms of their
understanding of the needs of their teaching and learning community
(Hughes-Hassall & Mancall, 2008, p. 33; Wall & Ryan, 2010, p. 9, to
have knowledge of the curriculum, be willing to collaborate with other staff
members, setting clear goals regarding the library collection and the purposes
and aims it will achieve.