tity is not solidly aligned with the country of their legal citizenship - it is a ‘third’ culture which blends

cultural values from many context

 The
Becoming and Being:
Reflections on
Teacher-Librarianship
Volume 3

Edited by
Jennifer Branch-Mueller

Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning

Faculty of Education
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Canada
July 2018
Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning
℅ Dr. Jennifer Branch-Mueller
Department of Elementary Education
University of Alberta
551 Education Centre South
11210 87 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T6G 2G5
P: 780-492-0863
A special thank you, again, to Dr. Dianne Oberg, Professor Emerita, University of Alberta and the founder of
the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning Program, for her continued support of the program and for
making this book possible.

Thank you to our students, past and present, in the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning Program.
Our program is strong because of your commitment to becoming and being school leaders. Please continue
to stay connected with us and with the school library community as you take on leadership roles in your
schools and districts.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Becoming and Being a Teacher-Librarian 3
Chapter 1 4
THE POWER OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND TEACHER-LIBRARIANS
Chapter 2 19
THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
Chapter 3 29
TEACHER-LIBRARIANS IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
Chapter 4 39
THE COACHING LIBRARIAN: COMBINING THE ROLES OF INSTRUCTIONAL COACH AND
TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
Chapter 5 49
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN TEACHER-LIBRARIANSHIP: TAKING CONTROL OF OUR DESTI
Chapter 6 64
WHY SHOULD SCHOOL LEADERS CARE ABOUT THE LIBRARY AS SPACE AND PLACE?
Teacher-Librarians Becoming and Being Instructional Partners 73
Chapter 7 74
TEACHER-LIBRARIAN AND TEACHER COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
Chapter 8 82
INQUIRY: LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING
Chapter 9 93
Teacher-Librarians As Inquiry Catalysts
Teacher-Librarians Becoming and Being Advocates 104
Chapter 10 105
The Teacher-Librarian’s Role in Protecting Intellectual Freedom within Schools
Chapter 11 115
Student Leadership Development in the Elementary School Library Learning Commons
Chapter 12 129
A Journey Towards an Improved School Culture of Ethics
Chapter 13 139
Teacher-Librarians Take on Sexual Harassment in Schools
Teacher-Librarians Becoming and Being Literacy Leaders 147
Chapter 14 148
Picture Books: High School Opportunities
Chapter 15 162
Appreciating diversity: Teacher-librarians supporting English Language Learners
Chapter 16 173
Fanfiction in the Library
Chapter 17 183
Information Literacy: Teacher-Librarians take on Fake News
Introduction

Welcome to Volume 3 of Becoming and Being: Reflections of Teacher-Librarianship a collection of writings

that highlight the central importance of the work that teacher-librarians do in schools. The chapters are
written by sixteen teacher-librarians who completed courses in the Master of Education program in the
Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. Jennifer Branch-Mueller wrote the section description and
compiled, organized, and formatted the eBook with assistance from Dr. Kandise Salerno. Jennifer edited
eleven of the chapters and five were edited by by Dr. Dianne Oberg.

The first section explores the role of the teacher-librarian and the importance of school libraries to schools.
The next section digs into collaborative partnerships and the special expertise that teacher-librarians can bring
to inquiry-based learning. Section three demonstrates that teacher-librarians can bring their special passions
to their work. We learn about how teacher-librarians take the lead to make change in areas such as
censorship and intellectual freedom, student leadership, academic honesty, and sexual harassment prevention.
The last section examines the foundational role of teacher-librarians as literacy leaders in areas such as
picture books, English Language Learneing, Fanfiction, and Information Literacy.

Book Organization

Each author was asked to frame their chapters around four fundamental questions which are used in the
chapters as subheadings to guide the reader.

Why Should Leaders Care…?

This introductory section contextualizes and provides a general overview of the topic. Some authors included
their own story in this section and shared what brought them to this topic.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

This section serves as an introduction to the research and professional literature about the chosen topic. As
an expert in their topic, each author guides readers through the important literature and helps us understand
what we need to know about their topic.

1
What can School Leaders do about…?
The third section of each chapter helps readers see the connections between the “theory and the practice.”
Using examples and situations from their own experiences, as well as connections to the literature, this
section guides readers through the process of actually putting the idea or topic into action in schools and
school libraries.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

The final section of each chapter serves as a summary, a conclusion, and a place to look towards the future.

Enjoy…
Whether you are a school administrator, a classroom teacher, a teacher-in-the-library, or a qualified teacher-
librarian, we hope that Becoming and Being: Reflections on Teacher-Librarianship Volume 3 inspires you
and gives you ideas and information about the role of teacher-librarians and the power of school library
programs in schools.

2
Becoming and Being a Teacher-Librarian

The chapters in this section explore the role of the teacher-librarian and the power of the school library.
Heather Lyons begins by highlighting the power of teacher-librarians and school library programs and
summarizes the research that demonstrates how teacher-librarians enhance student learning. This piece
provides the foundation for advocacy work. In Chapter 2, Sheri Kinney explores the changing role of the
teacher-librarian and the possibilities for school libraries. The author presents how teacher-librarians should
embrace changes in learning and literacy, work inside and outside of the library, collaborate, and become a
flexible specialist.

Chapter 3 by Kelsi McGillivray introduces readers to the unique challenges and opportunities of being a
teacher-librarian in an International School. Barb Chuiko presents the idea of the coaching librarian in
Chapter 4. The author compares the role of the Instructional Coach and the Teacher-Librarian and sees
possibilities for creating a new school position. Chapter 5 by Janis Bridger presents an overview of evidence-
based practice for teacher-librarians and provides ideas and suggestions for collecting evidence of, for, and as
practice. The final chapter in this section by Amanda Chan reminds us all about the power of a school library
for children who find solace there. It highlights concepts of space and place and how to build a welcoming
space for all children in an elementary school.

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Chapter 1

THE POWER OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND TEACHER-LIBRARIANS

Heather Lyons

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

As a teacher-librarian in British Columbia, I have been very excited over the past few years about the new
Kindergarten to Grade 9 curriculum being designed, trialed, revised, and, finally, implemented this year. The
move towards a contemporary curriculum involving more collaboration, differentiation, inclusion, and
individualized instruction will help prepare learners to meet their needs today and in the future. One thing
that has not changed with the new curriculum is the importance of developing literate individuals. That has
always been and will always be something essential to being an educated citizen. Literacy is one of the
cornerstones of the new English Language Arts curriculum which is “designed to empower students by
providing them with strong communication skills, an understanding and appreciation of language and
literature, and the capacity to engage fully as literate and responsible citizens in a digital age” (British
Columbia Ministry of Education, 2016, para. 2). However, many schools are not thoroughly harnessing the
power of school libraries and teacher-librarians in order to efficiently and effectively work towards the goal
of developing literate individuals.

The First Challenge: The Staffing Budget

Despite the focus in the curriculum on developing well-rounded literacy skills and a literate mindset, it is
uncommon for an elementary school in Canada to have a full-time teacher-librarian on staff or a library that
is open for student use five days a week. Last school year, I found myself split between two elementary
schools to make up a full-time position. I often felt that I did not have sufficient time to frequently deliver
deep, meaningful literacy-based lessons to the students or to adequately support all of the classroom teachers
in terms of collaboration, team-teaching, and unit planning. At both schools, I focused on developing a love
of reading, promoting the habits of being a reader, and introducing students to a range of reading material to
get them hooked and keep them reading. While I feel that I was able to make a difference in terms of
increasing student engagement with and enjoyment of reading, I would have preferred to have been able to
take it to a deeper level in terms of enhancing students’ literacy skills through my own lessons and through
lessons developed and taught in conjunction with the classroom teachers.

In British Columbia., the number of teacher-librarians has decreased from the 2001-2002 school year to the
2014-2015 school year by 345 FTE, or a decrease of 37.4% (British Columbia Teachers’ Federation
Research, 2015, p. 1). Certainly, the importance of literacy has not decreased by 31.9% over the same time
period, so why has there been such a significant cut to a position which can have such a positive impact on

4
literacy? Why are the powers of school libraries and teacher-librarians not being maximized in order to help
achieve the goal of developing passionate, skilled, literate individuals?

The Second Challenge: The Resource Budget

In terms of my two positions last school year, limited contact hours with students and teachers at both schools
was only part of the challenge. One of the schools at which I worked last year had a very outdated and worn
collection. There were lots of books in the collection--about 13,000--but the average age was over 20 years
old and so many of them had pages falling out, mold inside, sticky covers, water damage, worn or broken
spines, outdated information, unappealing layouts and graphics, and storylines and characters the students
couldn’t relate to. There were some great books in the collection, but they were hidden between many
undesirable books. I knew the collection desperately needed to be weeded, reorganized, and revitalized in
order to help promote a love of reading and to increase ease of access to resources. The biggest challenge was
the revitalization aspect. Without an adequate budget to purchase new, relevant, exciting, engaging, useful
books and to replace the ones that get damaged and lost throughout the school year, it is difficult for a school
library to work towards achieving the goal of developing literate individuals who become life-long,
passionate readers.

At one of my schools last year, the budget for the library was $1,300, which worked out to approximately
$4.00 per student. With an outdated collection and limited funding with which to try to revitalize it, I was
unsure of how I was going to accomplish my goal of providing quality, current, and engaging reading
material for my students. Further escalating the budget issue is that the Nanaimo-Cowichan riding has the
highest rate of child poverty in the province with 28.2% of children living in poverty (Hyslop, 2015, para. 5).
Nanaimo also has more affluent neighbourhoods, but one of the schools I worked at was located in a low
socio-economic area, which meant that many of my students did not have access to quality reading material
at home. Knowing that, it became even more important for me to do all I could do within our limited budget
to ensure these children could get their hands on books they could read and wanted to read.

Being Resourceful
With our limited budget, I had to be creative in finding ways to rebuild our library collection. A retired
teacher-librarian gave me a tip about buying books at the thrift store Value Village, and I actually found it to
be a jackpot in terms of quality books in good condition at a great price. I remember happily walking up to
the register pleased with the treasures I had found, excited to show them to the students when I brought them
back to school but was struck by the shock on the cashier’s face when I told her that I was buying them for
our school library. She could not believe that we would have to resort to buying second hand books for our
students.

Another way I tried to extend our budget was by applying to our Parent Advisory Council (PAC) for some
funding. I was able to obtain $300 from our PAC because I told them how important it was to purchase some
current non-fiction books. I combined that $300 with $1,000 from my library budget and used that $1,300 to
purchase only high-quality, non-fiction material. Because these items are so expensive, this translated into
only 60 new books for the library collection. These 60 books arrived in one cardboard box and represented
the entire value of the library budget for the year.

A third avenue I tried was hosting a Scholastic book fair. I found it to be quite successful at our school
despite being in a lower socio-economic area. We sold enough books to hit the 60% commission mark which
meant that we were entitled to a Scholastic credit of about $1,500--more than our entire library budget for the
year.

Still looking for even more ways to create a better library collection for our staff and students, I turned to
applying for various grants. For five years in a row, I applied for the Indigo Love of Reading grant for my
lower socio-economic school. The teacher-librarian who held the position before me had also applied for the
same grant for three years in a row. The most amazing, game-changing thing happened in May 2016 when
our school was selected as one of 25 schools across Canada to receive an Indigo Love of Reading grant, and

5
we were awarded $60,000! My eyes still well up with tears when I think about the long-term impact that gift
will have on creating passionate readers who have access to fantastic books right at their fingertips. I know
not every school across the country can be awarded such a gift, but I would love to see more being done to
revitalize school libraries across the country in order to help promote the development of literate individuals
who love reading.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

“With the school library literally the heart of the educational program, the students of the school have their
best chance to become capable and enthusiastic readers, informed about the world around them, and alive to
the limitless possibilities of tomorrow.” (Mary Virginia Gaver, 1958, as cited in Todd, 2010, p. 3)

Although this quote from Mary Virginia Gaver is from over half a century ago, the statement still holds true
today. Gaver, who worked as a school librarian, as a professor at Rutgers University and served as president
of the American Library Association, knew the importance of the school library in terms of benefits for
students. She conducted research in the late 1950s and early 1960s to prove the connection. Since then,
numerous studies have been conducted which demonstrate this connection and the results support advocacy
efforts designed to promote teacher-librarians and school libraries.
Research indicates that the roles of the teacher-librarian and of library collections are critical in terms of
promoting a love of reading and advancing students’ literacy skills. However, many school libraries across
the country are not run by a qualified teacher-librarian, many are not open every school day, and many are
stocked with worn and dated resources. Teacher-librarians often find themselves facing shrinking budgets,
reduced hours, and even the threat of elimination. More needs to be done to sustain the positive impact of
teacher-librarians and school libraries on student learning.

Because educational budgets are tight, in “the current educational climate, the survival of the school library
requires ... evidence about the impact of the school library to support teaching and learning” (Klinger, Lee, &
Stephenson, 2010, p.122). Therefore, as one of the most important advocacy initiatives, teacher-librarians
need to know that evidence and have to work diligently to ensure that other school leaders know about the
research related to how teacher-librarians and school libraries directly advance student learning and help
equip students for our modern world.

School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians enhance Student Learning: The Research

School leaders need to know that school libraries and teacher-librarians have a positive impact on student
learning. There are over 50 years of research in this area which has been “conducted in different locations, at
different levels of schooling, in different socioeconomic areas, sponsored by different agencies and conducted
by different, credible researchers providing an abundance of evidence about the positive impact of qualified
teacher-librarians and school libraries” (Haycock, 2011, p. 48). This research demonstrates that:

Where school libraries are resourced effectively and managed by a qualified librarian with educational
expertise, all of the above [reading literacy, information literacy, technological literacy, skills for personal
knowledge building, oral literacy and numeracy] are fostered and student academic achievement on
standardised tests is higher than in schools where these conditions do not exist. (Barrett, 2010, p. 136)

It is crucial to keep the research findings at the fingertips of decision makers and influential staff members so
that the power of the teacher-librarian and the school library in relation to student learning is not forgotten or
taken for granted. Following is a table highlighting some of the research findings from the last 50 years:

Study Findings

Gaver, 1960-1963 Research “found higher average test score gains among students in
elementary schools with centralized school libraries staffed by certified

6
 school librarians than in the other groups” (American Association of School
Librarians, 2014, p. 6).

Lance, Library “Keith Curry Lance has conducted state evaluations for Colorado, Alaska,
Impact Studies, 1993- Iowa, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oregon, Massachusetts, and New Mexico
2003 schools. His findings consistently report that students in schools with well-
staffed, -stocked, and -funded libraries score from 10% to 25% higher on
standardized tests than students in schools with poorly resourced libraries”
(Queen’s University & People for Education, 2006, p. 7).

Baumbach, Florida, FCAT (Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test) scores are higher in
2003 elementary schools where there is a certified library media specialist, number
of staff and staffing hours are higher, circulation is higher, schools have
access to the library catalog through the school’s computer network, there are
more books and videos, there are more computers with internet access in the
library, and there are more non-print materials purchased from the school
budget (American Library Association, n.d., para. 1).

Todd & Kuhlthau, “Almost all the student participants (99.44%, or 13,050 students) indicated
Ohio, 2004 that the school library and its services had helped them in
some way with their learning in and out of school” (Todd & Kuhlthau, 2005,
p. 68)

and all “879 faculty members saw the school library as key to learning”
(Barrett, 2010, p. 137).

Todd, Delaware, 2005 “98.17% of the sample (5628 students) indicated that the school library, and
especially the school librarians, have helped them in some way in their
learning process” (Todd & Heinstrom, 2006, p. 2).

The study found that effective school libraries which contribute to student
learning outcomes have certified, full-time teacher librarians, employ other
library staff to take care of routine library tasks which allows the teacher-
librarian to focus on instructional and literacy initiatives, a flexible rather
than fixed schedule, and a budget sufficient to provide recommended levels
of resources including current titles and technology (Todd, 2005, p. 9).

Ontario Library “Grade 3 and 6 students in schools with teacher-librarians are more
Association, 2006 likely to report that they enjoy reading . . .

Schools with trained library staff are more likely to have a higher
proportion of grade 6 students who attained level 3 [meeting provincial
standard] or higher on reading tests . . .

Schools without trained library staff tend to have lower achievement

on the grades 3 and 6 reading tests (both in terms of average achievement and
attaining level 3 or higher)” (Queen’s University & People for Education,
2006, p. 5).

Smith, Wisconsin, “higher WKCE [Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination] reading
2006 and language arts performance across all grade/school levels in schools with
higher levels of library media program staffing. Performance was higher in
schools with certified library media specialists than in schools without

7
 certified library media specialists. It was higher in schools with full-time
library media specialists than in schools with less than full-time media library
specialists” (Smith, 2006, p. 8).

Achterman, “the level of library staffing, both certificated and clerical, is

California, 2008 directly related to the kinds and number of services such programs provide . .
. At all grade levels, the levels of services regularly provided by the library
program are significantly related to student achievement” (Achterman, 2008,
p. 190).

Small, Snyder & Link to student achievement:

Parker, New York,
2009 “a positive relationship between school libraries and student achievement,
regardless of educational need (school district, student poverty) and the
financial resources of the school district” (Small, Snyder, & Parker, 2009, p.
20).

and preference of a qualified teacher-librarian over non-certified staff:

“positive correlation of having this certification with student achievement,
and it confirms that certified SLMSs [School Library Media Specialists] are
more likely to have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform effectively
in New
York State public school libraries” (Small, Snyder, & Parker, 2009, p. 20).

Todd, Gordon & Lu, “school libraries and school librarians made key contributions to student
New Jersey, 2010 success including: Meeting core curriculum standards, mastering of
information literacy competencies, developing familiarity of the research
process, modeling ethical use of information, nurturing responsible use of
technology, promoting greater interest in reading, fostering reading for
learning” (Scholastic, 2016, p. 21-22).

Lance, Colorado, “Schools that either maintained or gained an endorsed librarian between 2005
2005-2011 and 2011 tended to have more students scoring
advanced in reading in 2011 and to have increased their
performance more than schools that either lost their librarians or never had
one . . . Conversely, schools that either lost a librarian during that period or
never had one . . . tended to have fewer students
scoring advanced in 2011 and to have seen lesser gains—or indeed,
losses—since 2005 than schools that maintained or gained a librarian”
(Lance & Hofschire, 2012, p. 3).

Haycock, 2011, “Easily accessed, well-funded, well-staffed, well-managed, well-stocked,

British Columbia integrated and heavily used school library correlated to higher student
achievement” (Haycock, 2011, p. 40).

Dow & McMahon- “We found that where schools maintained higher and more stable staffing
Lakin, Kansas, 2012 levels, the AYP [Annual Yearly Progress] data revealed that schools’
students had higher proficiency rates . . . In particular, it should also be noted
that across the years represented in this study, the greater reading proficiency
scores in schools with full-time LMS, compared to those schools with no
LMS, were in many cases enough of a difference to achieve the required
Reading AYP target” (Dow & McMahon-Lakin, 2012, p. 11).

8
 Lance & Schwarz, “test scores tend to be better (usually, more students score Advanced and
Pennsylvania, 2012 fewer score Below Basic in both Reading and Writing) where library
programs are . . . better staffed, better funded, better equipped, better stocked,
and more accessible” (Lance & Schwarz, 2012, p. 161).

Hughes et al., “At schools with a qualified teacher-librarian, school NAPLAN [National
Australia, 2012 Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy] scores tend to be higher than
national mean NAPLAN scores for reading and writing . . . At schools
without a qualified teacher-librarian, school NAPLAN scores are generally
lower than the median NAPLAN score for schools with a teacher-librarian”
(Hughes et al., 2012, “Findings: NAPLAN scores” section, para. 3).

Lance, Schwarz, & “All students . . . were more likely to show strengths and less likely to show
Rodney, South weaknesses on PASS [Palmetto Assessment of State Standards] Writing
Carolina, 2014 standards . . . if their school libraries were staffed by at least one full-time
librarian and at least one full- or part-time assistant than if their libraries were
staffed otherwise” (Lance, Schwarz, & Rodney, 2014, p. 4)

“For all students, female and male students, and students eligible for paid
meals, higher total library spending was associated with more students
showing strengths and fewer showing weaknesses on the PASS Writing
standards” (Lance, Schwarz, & Rodney, 2014, p. 8)

Coker, Washington, “Students who attend schools with certified teacher-librarians and quality
2015 library facilities perform better on standardized tests and are more likely to
graduate, even after controlling for school size and student income level . . .
The presence of a certified teacher-librarian on staff has a particularly high
relationship to a school’s five-year graduation rate” (Coker, 2015, p. 5).

The link between teacher-librarians, school libraries and student success is demonstrated clearly by these
studies. This is not a complete list of all the studies conducted over the last 50 years, but it highlights key
studies, is representative of the overall research, and gives a strong sense of the total findings. More
information on and links to additional studies in this area are provided in the Additional Resources section of
this chapter.

Powerful School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians

Through reviewing the research findings and literature related to the link between school libraries, teacher-
librarians and student success, an important theme emerged; it is not just any school library or any teacher-
librarian that will have the most significant impact on student learning. One study, conducted in Illinois in
2005 by Lance, Rodney, and Hamilton-Pennell, showed that:

The correlation of higher test scores at all grade levels in schools [is stronger] where school libraries are
staffed more fully, where access to school libraries is flexibly scheduled, where educational technology is
more widely available to augment the local collection and extend access to online resources into the
classroom, where larger collections are available, where school libraries are better funded. (Scholastic,
2008, p. 19)

Similarly, after researching student achievement levels and school library conditions in British Columbia,
Haycock (2011) found that:

Higher student standardized test scores were associated with a school library that is more accessible, better
funded, professionally staffed, managed, stocked, integrated and used. Findings moreover pointed to

9
 higher student achievement in those schools where greater resources, from the same limited allocation
were assigned to school libraries. (p. 37)

That is to say that schools with well supported libraries had higher achieving students and, of those same
schools, the ones that directed a higher percentage of their funding towards supporting their libraries had even
more of a positive impact on student achievement. Haycock’s study (2011) is not an anomaly, and he refers
to over 50 years of research and studies that:

All have concluded that schools with well-stocked, well-equipped school libraries, managed by qualified
and motivated professional teacher-librarians working with support staff produce a) capable and avid
readers; b) learners who are information literate, and c) teachers who are partnering with the teacher-
librarian to create high-quality learning experiences. (p. 48)

Maliszewski (2011) conveys a similar message to Haycock’s findings but stresses the importance of the
teacher-librarian as the determining factor in paving the road to student success. She states that:

Worldwide studies indicate that school libraries have the potential to support student achievement.
However, it cannot be merely the existence of school libraries that maximizes learning... it is the strength
of the individual in the school library, their underlying beliefs about learning and the quality of learning
experienced by the students that can overcome deficiencies in any of the other factors. (p. 5)

For example, Maliszewski (2011) states that the “beliefs of teacher-librarians with regards to learning,
change, and collaboration help determine the level of effectiveness of the school library program” (p. 3).
Klinger, Lee, and Stephenson (2010) elaborate this point by explaining that exemplary teacher-librarians:

Were characterized by their never-ending energy, enthusiasm and ingenuity ... took on a broader
educational role within the school, collaborating with teachers, and supporting all students through shared
teaching and cross-curricular support or integration of curriculum ... [and] is a master teacher and an
educational leader in the school who maximizes teaching and learning opportunities in the school library.
(p. 123)

However, Klinger et al. (2010) note that even the most exemplary teacher-librarians needed to continually
promote their role and the power of the library by engaging in “ongoing work to modify the school context
and demonstrate how the school library program could help support teaching and learning and address the
accountability issues” (p. 124). They caution that “without these continuous efforts, even the most exemplary
school library programs will remain at risk” (p. 124).

Current State of School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians

Despite over 50 years of research providing evidence of the power of teacher-librarians and school libraries,
cuts to staffing, budgets and programs are still common:

Even as the demand for accountability grows and mounting evidence continues to affirm that school
libraries staffed by certified school librarians make a measurable difference on student achievement,
library resources are too-often reduced or eliminated from budgets all together. (Scholastic, 2016, preface)

For example, in Ontario in 2016, only 54% of elementary schools had a teacher-librarian, which is down
from 80% in 1998 (Hamlin et al., 2016, p. 9). Of those 54% of elementary schools with a teacher-librarian,
90% of those teacher-librarian positions were part-time, meaning that the students had even less access to
another educator in the school and access to resources through the library (Hamlin et al., 2016, p. 9). Even
more alarming is the fact that in 2013, 33% of Ontario elementary schools employed library technicians only,
rather than a qualified teacher-librarian and 11% of elementary schools had no library staff at all (Gallagher-
Mackay, Kidder, Methot, Proulx, & Zafari, 2013, p. 5). The switch to using library technicians is on the rise
in Ontario which the Ontario Library Association believes is having a negative impact “on the quality of

10
school library programs, and on their capacity to achieve goals of reading engagement, information literacy,
and co-teaching and co-planning” (as cited in Hamlin et al., 2016, p. 10). The situation in British Columbia is
also far from ideal. A research report prepared by the British Columbia Teacher’s Federation shows that the
equivalent of 345 full-time teacher-librarians were lost in the province between the 2001-2002 and 2014-
2015 school years, which is a decrease of 37.4% (British Columbia Teacher’s Federation Research, 2015, p.
1).

There is no question that literacy remains important and is a central focus of education. However, “there has
been little commitment to preserving one potential literacy asset--school libraries and their library staff”
(Queen’s University & People for Education, 2006, p. 1). Even though more resources are becoming
available in digital formats, and many sources can be found online, “the creation of effective learning spaces
are needed now more than ever and yet fiscal cutbacks and other challenges threaten these positions and
learning spaces in many schools” (American Association of School Librarians, 2014, p. 4). In a time where
students need an informed guide more than ever to help them navigate the plethora of resources at their
fingertips, “worryingly but unsurprisingly, there is a general trend for school library budgets to be shrinking”
(Barrett, 2010, p. 137). There are calls for more digital and information literacy skills “yet resources and
support for the programs and people who are best-suited to teach and facilitate information literacy has
dwindled in too many schools and districts” (Scholastic, 2016, preface).
These cuts are not without their costs, and their impact has been recorded. For example, the public library
system in Edmonton “reported that the decline of school libraries and teacher-librarian posts was resulting in
a 30% increase in public library circulation, but that students were exhibiting a significant decline in research
skills” (Barrett, 2010, p. 138). Also, a study in Ontario “showed that over the period from 2001 to 2006 there
was a steady decline in reported reading enjoyment. This was mirrored by a decline in the number of teacher-
librarians during the same period due to cuts in funding” (Barrett, 2010, p. 137).

Further, research from Colorado found that “schools that either lost a librarian during that period or never had
one ... tended to have fewer students scoring advanced in 2011 and to have seen lesser gains—or indeed,
losses—since 2005 than schools that maintained or gained a librarian” (Lance & Hofschire, 2012, p. 3).
Clearly, there is ample evidence about the positive impact that school libraries and teacher-librarians have on
student achievement, and there is also evidence about the negative impacts that are felt when school library
services are reduced or eliminated. There is an obvious disconnect between the research and current practice,
so what can we do about the problem?

What can School Leaders do about…?

There is often a significant gap between what the research says should be happening in terms of staffing and
funding school libraries and what is happening in reality. Many of us are familiar with situations where the
school library is often closed, is not staffed by a qualified teacher-librarian, and/or is filled with inferior
resources because of tight or non-existent budgets. I see teacher-librarians working hard to try to meet the
needs of students and classroom teachers within their limited time allocation and limited resource budgets,
but we know there is only so far that limited professional time and inadequate resource budgets can be
stretched. I have known for a number of years that there is a problem in terms of budget and staffing and I
have been as creative as I can at trying to solve the problem within the budget and time I have been given, but
I have also realized that I need to do more in terms of advocating for school libraries and qualified teacher-
librarians. If I keep trying to make do with the status quo, nothing will change.

Knowing that many students across the country do not have access to the educational benefits offered by
schools having a qualified teacher-librarian and a well-stocked library does not sit well with me, and I know I
need to do something to improve the situation. One of the biggest questions on my mind this year has been,
“What can I do to convince key decision makers that library staffing and resource budgets need to be
increased in order to better support students?” There are actions that can be taken to help move schools and
districts in the right direction including informing decision makers at the school, district, and provincial levels
about the power of teacher-librarians and school libraries, and employing evidence-based practice within our
libraries to ensure our lessons and programs are having the most effective impact on students.

11
12
Getting the Word Out
Many of us have heard about the concept of loud libraries. Loud libraries are related to the idea that school
libraries are no longer thought of as areas where students always need to speak in a whisper or sit quietly and
work individually. Instead, noise, buzz, and hum are often expected and encouraged in school libraries as
students work together, collaboratively constructing knowledge as they wonder, inquire, test, apply, and
discover. The idea of loud libraries also applies to teacher-librarians and our practice. We need to promote the
school library as “a pedagogical center where instructional teams engage in innovative design and instruction
to access and use information and web tools to empower learning through creativity, discovery, inquiry,
cooperation, and collaboration” (Todd, Gordon, & Lu, 2010, p. 33).

We also need to spread this creative noise outside of our physical library spaces onto our library webspaces.
Todd suggests that our online presence “should highlight the collaborative instructional partnerships, identify
learning outcomes enabled in the school through the school library, and provide access to research guides,
learning techniques and knowledge-building strategies and tools, with guidance and online support for their
development” (Todd, 2012, p. 25-26). Our webspaces act as a tool and resource for students and teachers, but
they also work as a promotional venue for our school library and for our role as a teacher-librarian.

Connecting with Key Decision Makers

Additionally, we need to share evidence of the results and impact of our efforts in the library with key
decision makers at the school, district, and provincial levels so they are witness to the power of school
libraries and teacher-librarians. There are a number of ways we can do this and Todd suggests that

This pro-action may take several forms such as presentation of reports that highlight the school library‘s
contribution to learning, summaries of learning outcomes of collaboratively taught curriculum units,
requests to be on the agenda to raise important school library issues and initiatives, and presentations of
summaries of significant research findings in relation to information literacy and reading engagement.
(Todd, 2012, p. 25)

I’m reminded of the saying, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’; if we don’t inform key decision makers
about the link between school libraries, teacher-librarians, and increased achievement levels, how will they
know? If we don’t spread the word about all of the amazing things happening in our libraries, how will they
know? If we don’t make a fuss about our worn and dated collections, how will they know? If they don’t
know, how will the situation ever improve?

Getting the word out and making sure it reaches key decision makers is key to the advocacy action plan. The
American Association of School Librarians (2014) explains that:

Librarians at all levels and in all kinds of schools need a strong voice with policy and decision-makers,
amplified by proof that is both scientific and able to be generalized, to ensure adequate resources and
equitable access to school library programs that will help students achieve academic success. (p. 11)

It is through harnessing the power of this strong voice, phrasing the message constructively, and pointing it in
the direction of those key decision makers that will give us a chance at making change happen and improving
the situation for students in terms of access to a qualified teacher-librarian and a well-stocked school library
collection.

A key decision maker at the school level who is a great starting point in terms of advocacy is, of course, the
school principal. Teacher-librarians need to work diligently to form a solid connection with school principals
as what they believe and how they communicate it, both explicitly and implicitly, in their schools make a
very real difference to how successful a school library program can be on a day-to-day basis. We need a lot
more from administrators than mere dollars and FTEs - we need their hearts and minds! (Lance & Kachel,
2013, p. 13)

13
If we can capture the hearts and minds of our school administrators, we are more likely to capture the hearts
and minds of the rest of our school community and our programs and collections will have a better chance of
growing and having a more significant impact upon our students.

Evidence-based Practice
Possibly one of the best options for an advocacy strategy is to engage in evidence-based practice. As Richey
and Cahill (2014) explain, it is imperative

For individual school librarians to take action, to improve practice, and to make their contributions to
student learning clear. To reverse stakeholders’ regard of school libraries as flotsam, school librarians
must deliver evidence to justify the school library as the educational helm. (p. 2)

There are a few components involved in evidence-based practice and they are all important in our day to day
work as well as our long-term efforts. Evidence-based practice is a cycle and the following summarizes the
process:

A school librarian must identify needs of the school community, address the identified needs by applying
relevant evidence from the research through programs and services, collect and analyze local data to
evaluate these programs and services, and finally, communicate to all stakeholder groups the results of the
evaluations as evidence of the library program’s contributions to student learning and accomplishment of
school goals. (Richey & Cahill, 2014, p. 3)

The three main components of the framework include evidence “for practice in which actual practice is based
upon empirical research; evidence in practice, which encompasses the professional expertise that practitioners
call on day-to-day; and evidence of practice, which involves the measurement and evaluation of practice in
terms of outcomes” (Richey & Cahill, 2014, p. 2). When the three components come together, student
learning will be at its best and teacher-librarians will inherently be advocating for our profession and our
libraries.

Which elements of evidence-based practice are you already engaged in?

● Examples of evidence for practice include teacher-librarians engaging in professional development

sessions, reading scholarly journal articles, and taking courses towards obtaining a diploma or masters in
teacher-librarianship. Most of us engage in at least some of these practices, if not all of them, as we know the
importance of ongoing education to inform and strengthen our practice.

● Examples of evidence in practice include having a library mission statement aligned with school
goals, having formal goals for the library program, and engaging in long-term planning related to library
goals. Many of us have formal or informal goals for our library programs, but we need to ensure they are
aligned with overall school goals and we need to make sure we communicate our goals with the rest of the
school community.

● Examples of evidence of practice include collecting and sharing data related to how the teacher-
librarian’s programs and lessons directly impact student achievement. This component is where many of us
could benefit from further investigation, and then, application to our own libraries.

It is the evidence of practice that can make a substantial difference to our advocacy efforts. Evidence of
student learning is certainly not as easy to collect as information such as circulation data, but it may make the
difference in an administrator’s decision to either reduce or strengthen a teacher-librarian’s staffing level or
resource budget. Todd explains that:

In the current economic climate and time of substantive education cutbacks, the challenge of documenting
learning outcomes and impacts is more urgent now than ever before. It is critical that school librarians

14
 continue to develop their skills at identifying, documenting, and publicizing students‘ learning outcomes
enabled by the school library, particularly emphasizing curriculum outcomes and knowledge outcomes,
rather than library-based outcomes. (Todd, 2012, p. 25)

A study of school librarians in Texas (2014) found that a “mere 15 percent of participants indicated collecting
data related to student assessment and/or learning” (Richey & Cahill, p. 15). If we are referring decision
makers to research findings indicating links between school libraries, teacher-librarians, and student
achievement in hopes to advocate for our positions and our libraries, we should be able to demonstrate some
of the impact our own library programs are having upon student success. However, this process will be new
or unfamiliar to many of us and we may benefit from following Todd, Gordon and Lu’s (2010) advice that
“all school librarians [should] undertake further professional development in relation to evidence-based
practice to develop their skills at identifying, documenting, and disseminating student learning outcomes
enabled by the school library program, particularly emphasizing curriculum outcomes and knowledge
outcomes” (p. 34).

Where to Start?
Klinger, Lee, Stephenson, Deluca and Luu (2009) provide a succinct summary of the characteristics and
actions one should strive for in order to create conditions for optimal student learning, and to advocate for
school libraries and teacher-librarians; they explain that

[f]irst, exemplary school library programs are characterized by teacher-librarians who

maximize teaching time. Second, exemplary teacher-librarians continually strive to
enhance their library programs and modify the existing contexts. These teacher-
librarians are active agents of change, working to build connections with classroom
teachers, school administrators, and the broader community. They actively ‘advertise’
the benefits of the school library on student learning and school effectiveness. (p. 18-19)

There are many options to choose from as a starting point, but perhaps the most ideal option for a teacher-
librarian is to focus on increasing collaboration time with classroom teachers. Todd (2012) states that
“instructional collaborations should be the key feature of the role of the school librarian” (p. 25). Classroom
teachers and the teacher-librarian can work together to focus on improving student achievement of specific
learning outcomes. Once more classroom teachers and school administrators witness the power of the
teacher-librarian working in tandem with classroom teachers, they may see more tangible results of our
programs and spaces and may be more likely to increase library staffing and resource budgets.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

In my ideal world, every student has frequent access to a well-stocked school library and a qualified teacher-
librarian. In my ideal world, every student benefits from powerful literacy-based lessons taught directly by
the teacher-librarian and in conjunction with the teacher-librarian and the classroom teacher. In my ideal
world, every student has many opportunities in his or her school library to become digitally literate and a
responsible digital citizen. In my ideal world, every student, regardless of socio-economic background, has
easy access in his or her school library to lots of great books that they can read and want to read and
resources that advance their academic success. We know this ideal, or at least something close to it, is the
reality for some of our students across the country, but it certainly isn’t the case for most of them. I’ve seen a
disparity within my own district, and I know there is disparity across the country. As Klinger et al. (2009)
explain, “some students may be fortunate enough to encounter a board or principal who, through effective
policy, fosters the development of an exemplary library program, other students may never have that
opportunity. All students throughout all of their schooling deserve more” (p. 35). The challenge for us now is
to make this ideal a reality for as many of our students as possible.

There are concrete actions we can take to help make this ideal into a reality for more of our students. First, I
would suggest becoming more familiar with some of the research findings from the various library impact
studies. The discussion sections of these studies contain valuable information on how we can improve our

15
practice as teacher-librarians in order to maximize our impact on student learning, and suggestions on how
we can advocate for our positions and library spaces. Second, we need to do all we can to get the word out
there about the power of school libraries and teacher-librarians in connection with student achievement. In
part, this includes connecting with key decision makers at the school, district and provincial levels and
showcasing student learning occurring in our libraries and explaining the potential for further student learning
opportunities if we had higher levels of staffing and increased resource budgets. Third, we need to harness the
power of evidence-based practice to make sure our programs and spaces are having the most significant
impact on student success possible. Finally, we need develop advocacy plans on personal, district and
provincial levels.

In November 2016, the British Columbia Teacher’s Federation won a Supreme Court of Canada decision
affirming teachers’ right to bargain classroom size and composition and ratios of learning specialist teachers,
so there is renewed hope that teacher-librarian positions will be restored and increased for future school
years. There will be a call to restore the pre-2002 specialist to student ratios, but there may also be a call to
decrease these ratios, meaning fewer students per full-time specialist, as the needs of students have changed
from 2002 to 2016. Look at technology, for example. How many students had a cellphone connected to the
internet in their pocket in 2002, or how many students brought their own device such as an ipad or
Chromebook to school with them on a daily basis in 2002? Surely, students in 2016 and the future would
benefit from more digital literacy and digital citizenship lessons and teacher-librarians can play a key role in
ensuring our students are using this technology wisely and effectively. In preparation for the 2016/2017
school year, I look forward to supporting our local union executive members and our provincial teacher-
librarian specialist association in calling for, at a minimum, a restoration of our pre-2002 specialist staffing
ratios if not an improvement. I look forward to the increased possibilities for student learning in our libraries
and our classrooms that will be possible with a restoration or improvement of these ratios.

Additional Resources
Library Research Service: School libraries impact studies.
A comprehensive list of various studies and reports linking school libraries and teacher-librarians to student
achievement, including direct links to a number of the studies:
https://www.lrs.org/data-tools/school-libraries/impact-studies/

International Association of School Librarianship: Advocacy for school libraries.

Information on creating an advocacy plan, links to various advocacy toolkits, links to research on libraries
and student achievement:
http://www.iasl-online.org/resources/Pictures/IASLADVOCACY_%20SCHOOL_LIBRARIES%20(3).pdf

International Association of School Librarianship: Recent school library research - Impact studies.
International library impact studies and links to library advocacy resources from around the world.
http://www.iasl-online.org/resources/Pictures/pdlib_recent%20sl%20research%20impact%20studies%20-
%20international%20(6).pdf

Library media programs and student achievement: Research and research-based practices for library
media specialists and education leaders.
A summary of research findings including factors impacting student achievement and implications for
practice.
http://www.cobbk12.org/librarymedia/proof/research.pdf

Richey, J., & Cahill, M. (2015). What's a school librarian's favorite preposition? Evidence in, of, and
for practice. Knowledge Quest, 43(3), 68-73.
Journal article on evidence-based practice. Provides details about the six elements in the evidence-based
practice cycle: determine needs, develop goals, plan, implement plan, communicate and reflect.
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1049068.pdf

16
Oberg, D. (2012). Ignoring the evidence: Another decade of decline for school libraries. Education
Canada, 52(2).
Journal article on the link between school libraries and student achievement, cuts to Canadian school
libraries, and enhancements to school libraries in other parts of the world.
http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/ignoring-evidence-another-decade-decline-school-libraries

Ewbank, A. D. (2015). Union-active school librarians and school library advocacy: A modified case
study of the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians' Association and the British Columbia Teachers'
Federation. School Library Research, 18.
Journal article detailing advocacy strategies employed by the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation and the
British Columbia Teacher-Librarian Association.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol18/SLR_UnionActiveSchoo
lLib_V18.pdf

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Barrett, L. (2010). Effective school libraries: Evidence of impact on student achievement. School Librarian, 58(3), 136-139.
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Washington State School Library Impact Study. Seattle, WA: Washington Library Media Association. Retrieved from
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lower performing schools with similar overall funding. School Libraries Worldwide, 17(1), 37-50. Retrieved from
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Hughes, H., Leigh, T., Osborne, M., Fraser, S., Kahl, C., & Reynolds, H. (2013). School libraries, teacher-librarians and literacy at
Gold Coast schools: Research findings. Synergy 11(2). Retrieved from http://www.slav.vic.edu.au/synergy/volume-11-
number-2-2013/research/331-school-libraries-teacher-librarians-and-literacy-at-gold-coast-schools-research-findings.html
Hyslop, K. (2015, Oct. 9). How many poor kids live in your riding? The Tyee. Retrieved from http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/10/09/BC-
Child-Poverty/
Klinger, D. A., Lee, E. A., Stephenson, G., Deluca, C., & Luu, K. (2009). Exemplary school libraries in Ontario. Toronto: The
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School-Libraries-in-Ontario.pdf
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Lance, K., & Hofschire, L. (2012). Change in school librarian staffing linked with change in CSAP Reading Performance, 2005 to
2011. Denver, CO: Colorado State Library, Library Research Service. Retrieved from
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Lance, K. C., & Kachel, D. (2013). Achieving academic standards through the school library program. Teacher Librarian, 40(5), 8-
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Lance, K. C. & Schwarz. B. (2012). How Pennsylvania school libraries pay off: Investments in student achievement and academic
standards. Louisville, CO: RSL Research Group. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED543418.pdf
Lance, K. C., Schwarz, B., & Rodney, M. (2014). How libraries transform schools by contributing to student success: Evidence
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Maliszewski, D. (2011). Factors that support the development of exemplary school library programs. Paper presented at the
International Association of School Librarianship 40th Annual Conference, Kingston, Jamaica. Retrieved from
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Research, 17. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/slr/volume17/richey-cahill
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Todd, R. (2005). Ross Todd's letter from America. Orana, 41(1), 9-10.
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15. American Association of School Librarians. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ994327.pdf

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Chapter 2

THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE TEACHER-LIBRARIAN

Sheri Kinney

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

Welcome to my house--OUR house of learning--the Library Learning Commons (the LLC) where learning is so much
more than common.

The place where:

You tag along on someone’s journey--in their clothes, their skin, their mind--breathing their loves, choking down their
flaws, drinking in the very essence of that fragile filament that connects them to the human family.

Where you read.

The place where:

You seek understanding by asking questions like kindling sparks a flame, and a bonfire. Where you bend knowledge to
your will, you ride a zebra through the stacks, hidebound for information, and dance--daredevil--on the high wireless
network. You think thoughts so new, so true, so YOU that your neurons salute.

Where you inquire.

The place where:

You share ideas like skittles--scattering themes and memes so generously that everyone can taste the rainbow. You talk,
chat, exchange, debate, argue, concede, AND slam.

Where you collaborate.

The place where:

You use some words, a gluestick, some markers, the stapler, some cardboard, an iPad, an app, a password, the network,
your own cloud to make something only you could dream into being.

Where you create.

And who am I?
I’m your guide, your support, your helper, your teammate.

Bespectacled and bun-headed, I’m not just some book-beeper, some archive-keeper. Nah, my library and I may look old
(may BE old), but we are alive--living and changing.

19
And I will show you how to track that story that blows your mind and rebuilds it one epiphany at a time.

And I will teach you how to wrestle a website to its digital knees until it cries out for mercy: “I’m CRAP! 1 Oh, I’m
CRAP! Please release me from your sweet, sweet references!”

And I will support the conversations of re-creations and inspirations.

And I will help you hunt and gather the string, glue, and paper products, along with the bits, the bytes, and electronic
effects that you need to make whatever needs making.

I am your guide, your support, your helper, your teammate.

And I say: “Welcome to the library. Look around you and learn!”

I wrote and performed this spoken word piece in my high school library as a welcome to our school district’s
annual student poetry slam. As I composed the piece, I realized just how much libraries have changed and
continue to change, and how much the role of the teacher-librarian is changing as a matter of necessity. The
stereotypical frowning shusher has been replaced by a dynamic learning leader trained and ready to
collaborate with colleagues and students.

As a young teacher, I took a position in a middle school library and promised that I would take some teacher-
librarianship courses. I knew from watching and working with the teacher-librarian at my previous school
that the library was more than just a collection of books and the librarian more than curator of those books.
Acting as a true learning leader, she shared a passion for literacy, planned and co-taught units of study, and
introduced new technology. And she made it look easy. As I studied, I began to learn the reasons behind her
practice. Still, my understanding was limited and I was a teacher-in-the-library rather than a teacher-librarian;
I had a lot to learn. In my initial teacher-librarianship courses, I uncovered what I did not know and started
my journey of understanding. My day-to-day experience in a school library showed me how to turn what I
learned into thoughtful practice.

Fast-forward 18 years and I am completing my Master of Education degree in Teacher-Librarianship. My

early TL courses and the evolution of learning I have been participating in led me to pursue this advanced
degree and continue my own transformation toward becoming an effective teacher-librarian.

LIBRARIES ARE CHANGING: Beyond the book warehouse

According to Sykes (2001), “[a]s learning becomes student directed rather than teacher directed, school
libraries transform from collecting and accessing resources to places of connecting and creation” (p. 5).
Curriculum shifts set the stage for library change. Progressive, child-centred learning demands that libraries
serve students by supporting understanding through multiple literacies, inquiry, collaboration, and design.
Whether they are called Media Centres or Library Learning Commons, school libraries continue to shift from
a room where books held all the answers to a physical and virtual destination where students use a variety of
resources to create their own answers.

TEACHER-LIBRARIANS ARE CHANGING: Beyond “book-beeping and archive-keeping”

The role of teacher-librarian is also changing. While teacher-librarians continue to support literacy and
maintain vibrant book collections, they understand that their role is more than just print cheerleader. LaGarde
and Johnson (2014) say, “[i]f teacher librarians hope to remain relevant in this dramatically changing school
environment, they will need to actively carve out new roles and responsibilities that support both students and
staff” (p. 40). Teacher-librarians recognize the increasingly interactive nature of both literature and
information, and they are expanding their traditional domains to include technology, new media, and
transliteracy. They are learning leaders who collaborate with classroom teachers to guide students through the
inquiry process. They encourage students to demonstrate their understanding as they design and create in the

1
I teach students to evaluate online resources using The CRAP Test, based on the work of Howard Rheingold (2009): C is for
Currency, R is for Reliability and Relevance, A is for Authority, and P is for Purpose and Point of View.

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library’s makerspace. Most importantly, teacher-librarians know that education is a continuous process; they
are prepared to grow and change.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

As we move further into the 21st century, education continues to shift and change. In British Columbia, the
Ministry of Education is developing an evolving plan for educational change, based on this vision: capable
young people thriving in a rapidly changing world. The Ministry’s British Columbia Education Plan
maintains that:

To achieve this, we need an education system that better engages students in their own learning and that
fosters the skills and competencies they will need to succeed. The focus for this transformation is the
movement to increasingly personalized learning, which is enabled and supported by quality teaching and
learning, flexibility and choice, and high standards. (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2015a, para. 1)

The British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association (BCTLA) both understands the changes in education
and strives to meet and exceed those challenges. Its recent position paper (2010) reports that the explosion of
online resources and the reality that we are educating students for jobs that do not exist yet means teacher-
librarians must help students develop a skill set that they can carry with them for life: that they learn how to
learn. To that end, teacher-librarianship is shifting along with modern, student-centred education. Teacher-
librarians must take the best of what they have always done--encouraging students to read and wonder--and
bring that with them along their own journeys of growth.

Currently, one of the major shifts in teacher-librarianship is the move from Library to Library Learning
Commons (LLC) which is as much philosophical as it is bricks and mortar. Even an older library space
cannot halt progress, particularly when there is a teacher-librarian with a clear vision of creating an LLC.
Teacher-librarians can work around outdated spaces to design areas where teachers, students, and families
have the opportunity to learn, either along, in small groups, or in large groups. The learning situation is
flexible even as the space retains its old shape (Canadian Library Association, 2014).

Part of the LLC is the virtual library or, as Koechlin, Luhtala, and Loertscher (2011) refer to it, “The Virtual
Knowledge Building Centre” (p. 5). Designed by the teacher-librarian and key members of the school
community, these virtual or cyber-libraries encourage design, construction, collaboration, and participation,
as well as basic information-seeking.Using the library website, students can: search for books--including
ebooks and audiobooks; find out about authors; get inspired by avid readers; find out about the inquiry
process, information-seeking, and citation; and, start their information-seeking journey with the onsite
references and databases. As Koechlin et al. say, teacher-librarianship is more about “the use of the stuff
rather than just having the stuff and organizing it” (p. 1).

Along with virtual changes, school libraries are experiencing functional changes. One way libraries and
teacher-librarians are encouraging creative thought and design is by making room for makerspaces. As
Graves (2014) explains, “[a] makerspace is a place where makers can envision a project, find an expert, and
create something” (p. 8). As makerspaces begin to emerge and converge with school library programs, library
learning both widens and deepens. In many makerspaces, students take the lead and imagine their own
makerspace into being. While the name “makerspace” gives the area a measure of intention, makerspaces
themselves are varied in substance and style (Loertscher, Preddy, & Derry, 2013; Moorefield-Lang, 2015).

How is Literacy Changing Teacher-Librarianship?

Traditionally, literacy has been one of the most important elements of a teacher-librarian’s job, and that
continues to be the case. School libraries and teacher-librarians are key to developing habits of literacy in
students. Teacher-librarians are full partners in teaching literacy. Marcoux and Loertscher (2009) imagine a
“collaboration between the classroom teacher, the reading specialist, and the teacher-librarian in a school that
pushes foundational literacy” (p.1).

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Teacher-librarians know their students and are well aware that they are group of individuals rather than a
mass entity sharing tastes and habits (Cart, 2007). A teacher-librarian acts as an “enabling adult” (Chambers,
1991, p. 9), that person who provides a comfortable space, a rich collection, and a thoughtful dialogue.
Beyond that, we act as “collaborative partner and knowledgeable teacher” (Buzzeo, 2007, p.18). We are
ready and willing to act in concert with the classroom teacher and the reading specialist to support students as
they develop their literacy skills.

Further, teacher-librarians are increasingly invested in developing their students’ transliteracy skills, their
“ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality
through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks” (Thomas, Joseph, Laccetti, Mason,
Mills, Perril, & Pullinger, 2007, para. 3). The literacy landscape continues to change, and effective teacher-
librarians must not only acknowledge but also prepare for it by increasing our own skills (Gogan & Marcus,
2013; Jaeger, 2011).

Transliteracy’s umbrella covers digital and more traditional information literacy. Prensky’s notion of the
“digital native” (2005, p. 8) does not mean that today’s youth have nothing left to learn. While students
access and manipulate dozens--even hundreds--of digital applications, they often lack proficiency in certain
areas. As Steeves suggests in her research for Media Smarts, “using media effortlessly isn’t necessarily the
same thing as using it well” (2014, p. 4). She goes on to say that, “digital literacy requires more than just a
comfort with software and apps and digital platforms and devices. It is built on strong critical thinking skills
and an understanding of online rights and responsibilities” (p. 4). Further, Steeves’ findings suggest that,
while students are learning digital literacy skills both at school and at home, there have been gaps at the
school level (p. 10).

However, teacher-librarians know that there are strong frameworks in place across the country to teach the
digital skills embedded in information literacy, such as the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’
Association’s Points of Inquiry (2011). As more schools embrace inquiry-based learning and as provincial
curricula begin to demand its inclusion (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2015b, p. 6), teacher-
librarians are poised to help teach and guide the process, and to explain and help students work through the
affective phases involved in information search process (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari, 2012, p. 16). The
Canadian Library Association’s school library standards document, Leading Learning, states that students
“require expert instruction and guidance to become sophisticated users of information and ideas in our
complex world” (2014, p. 7).

Teacher-Librarians as Valuable Learning Partners

Teacher-librarians should strive to collaborate with classroom teachers. Teachers and teacher-librarians who
work in isolation are missing out on some powerful educational opportunities within their schools. Even
worse, their students are missing out. What can be an effective combination of expertise and talent between
the educators in a school is lost when those educators fail to collaborate. Recent research shows that in
schools in which the teacher-librarian collaborates and co-teaches, the resulting educational experiences
correlate to valuable and positive student outcomes (Loertscher, 2014; Todd, Gordon, & Lu, 2011).

Administrators, particularly principals, are essential learning partners for teacher-librarians. Research tells us
that, in relation to teacher-librarians, many principals value teaching, collaboration, inservice for staff,
educational leadership, and professional expertise (Lupton, 2016; Oberg, 2006). A principal is more likely to
strongly support the school library if the teacher-librarian communicates clearly and considers the school’s
goals to be part of his or her own library goals (Oberg, 2006; Zmuda & Harada, 2008).

Teacher-librarians should also consider their students’ whole lives and attempt to collaborate with families.
Programs such as Family Literacy Nights can support students in a variety of ways: encouraging children and
their families to interact in the library setting, giving parents/guardians ideas to encourage their children’s
literacy, and providing access to resources that parents and guardians may find helpful (Chance, 2010;
Harada & Hughes-Hassell, 2007).

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Teacher-librarians who are effective education partners always have the students at the forefront of their
minds and know that students should be collaborators in their own learning. These professionals value the
opportunity to see all of the students in the school, to acknowledge their students’ choices in reading content
and format, and to create a comfortable place for them to belong (Smith, 2012).

From Teacher-in-the-library to Trained Teacher-Librarian

In order to effectively understand and manage the on-going changes in school libraries, literacies, and
teacher-librarianship, a school library needs a fully trained teacher-librarian. While a teacher-in-the-library
may have the best of intentions, s/he doesn’t have all of the information s/he needs. A qualified teacher-
librarian is a “program administrator….an information specialist … and a teacher and an instructional
partner” (Kaplan, 2007, p. 301). The Canadian Library Association’s Leading Learning document describes a
teacher-librarian as “a teacher who leads the LLC program and has education in school librarianship (e.g.,
specialist, diploma, Master of Education, Master of Library and Information Science)” (2014, p. 27).

Trained teacher-librarians also understand that their learning continues after they earn their qualifications.
They know that they must regularly evaluate their programs to ensure effectiveness. Adherents of evidence-
based practice know that it “is an approach to school library practice that systematically engages research-
derived evidence, school librarian-observed evidence, and user-reported evidence” (Todd, 2015, p. 9).
Trained teacher-librarians inform their practice with a variety of evidence and inform themselves with current
literature in their field. They are lifelong learners.

What can School Leaders do about…?

The scope of the literature and the rate of change may seem overwhelming, but a little discomfort often
precedes learning (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari, 2012, p. 15). Thriving in the school library means living
in that slightly uncomfortable yet invigorating space while taking concrete steps to:

● embrace changes in learning and literacy;

● work inside and outside of your library;
● collaborate with those around you; and
● become a flexible specialist.

Maintain a vision and work toward it.

Embrace Change
Teacher-librarians know that schools are changing, and it is crucial that we both understand these changes
and adapt to them. To continue effective practice, we must not only know current curriculum, but also stay on
top of innovations. We would be wise to meet regularly with our classroom colleagues and engage them in
conversations about how we can best support them and their students. Do they need new or different print
resources and digital resources? Do they need assistance with the information search process? Do they need
help with new technologies? We don’t know how we can help until we ask, and we don’t know we need to
help in new ways until we understand how education is changing.

Changes in traditional literacy include what is considered reading. In past years, educators considered comics
and graphic novels to be a lesser form of literature. Now, we understand that comics and graphic novels are
complex media that require specific visual and sequencing skills. We also understand that listening to
audiobooks either on their own or while reading the print versions is a worthwhile literary pursuit.
Knowledgeable teacher-librarians have robust graphic novel and audiobook collections.

As classroom teachers learn more about inquiry and information literacy, teacher-librarians need to be ready
to support them, assist them, and lead them when appropriate. I’ve found that I can be especially helpful to
classroom teachers by teaching their students about website evaluation and how to triangulate information by
checking multiple sources. I can also help students deal with some of the messiness that happens with inquiry

23
by encouraging them to work through and even celebrate their frustrations by explaining that even
experienced learners go through complex stages of feelings during the process (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, &
Caspari, 2012, p. 16).

As transliteracy continues to explode, teacher-librarians can help both teachers and students understand that
ideas of what constitutes reading and writing are changing. Teacher-librarians can encourage students to use
whatever media they deem most appropriate to both take in information and express it. In order to do this,
TLs have to maintain a level of digital currency and dexterity. Can you help students leverage their
smartphones and tablets to access literature and information? Can you show them how to demonstrate their
learning by using digital tools like Explain Everything, Powtoon, and Prezi?

Work Inside and Outside of Your Library Space

While some teacher-librarians have a more modern Library Learning Commons, others strive to make an old-
fashioned space work. You have to do what you can with whatever you have. In an older library like my own,
I try to adapt the space using the LLC philosophy of flexibility. I have created nooks for students who need
quiet study space away from the group learning areas. Currently, I don’t have room for a makerspace, but
there is nothing stopping me from creating a maker-cart or two that can be used in the library or signed out by
interested classes. I also repurpose whatever I can. When I started in my current library, one of the first things
I did was to remove a countertop cubby system that closed off the corner of the circulation desk where I
sometimes worked. The cubby system was handy, but I soon discovered that people couldn’t easily see me
when they entered the library. I unscrewed the cubby system and moved it to a nook near the library entrance;
its sturdy construction makes it a valuable bench for small group work. And now, I can easily greet people
who enter the library, even if I’m sitting at my work station.

As I write this, I’m looking forward to some renovations that will create a more flexible space in the library. I
did my homework about Library Learning Commons, and I have conferred with the principal and my library
assistant along with students and staff about how to make the space more functional. We are on the
maintenance list, but due to the age of our building, our minor renovations are major because of the asbestos
in our structure. Still, I continue to work with what I have rather than simply waiting. I’m always thinking
about what I can do with the space to help students learn more effectively.

Keep in mind that the walls of the library are not a librarian cage. An effective teacher-librarian is a presence
in the school, not just in the library. Go out to classes regularly to introduce new resources. You can take a
cart of new books to classes for book talks, and, if you have an online library system like I do, you can take
your laptop and scanner and circulate books wherever you are. You can also stop by classes to talk about new
resources students and teachers might be interested in. When you have trusting relationships with classroom
teachers, you can also just pop in to see what the class is working on. One activity I continue to have success
with is taking a group of students with me on a book buying trip. Last year, I drove the book club members to
a nearby city to help me purchase new fiction they thought their peers would like. The year before, a
classroom teacher and I took a small bus-load of at-risk students to a big bookstore to buy books they wanted
to see in the library. Students were eager to read “their” books and were thrilled by the bookplates I had
added that indicated who had chosen the resource for the library.

One of the most important things you can do to connect with your school community is to develop a virtual
presence. Again, be sure that your library walls don’t block you in; reach out online to connect to staff,
students, and parents. Create a library website, and don’t let your level of technology skills deter you. Likely
there are experts in your district who can provide help should you need it. Before I built my library website, I
determined what students, teachers, and parents might want from the site. I also studied many secondary
library sites and borrowed from the best. To keep the library website functional, I update it frequently and
seek student and teacher input. I try to keep it interesting and engaging by including student polls, noteworthy
library news, and a featured book section. My aim is to have the library site be a helpful online hub for our
school community.

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Just as teacher-librarians are not limited to the library, we are also not limited to official school hours. After
school library clubs, book clubs, and maker clubs can be an important way to connect with students and get to
know them in a more casual way. Because of my interest in slam poetry, I also run an after school slam club.
What kind of club makes sense for you and your school community?

Collaborate
Collaborating with others in your school community is essential. Teacher-librarians who work in isolation
risk building walls that make their libraries unwelcoming fortresses. Meaningful conversations with
administrators, teachers, students, and parents provide TLs with ideas and avenues to make the library the
school’s learning hub.

The school library should support the school goals. Have conversations with administrators and staff to see
how you might do this effectively. They might have ideas that you can incorporate into your library goals.
Use evidence-based practice to gather both statistical and anecdotal information that you can use to create
meaningful and measurable goals. Also, be transparent as you create library goals and share them widely
within the school community. Report to your administrators and staff, present at a parent meeting, and post
the main goals in the library. Know--and let your school community know--that you are not in this alone, nor
do you want to be.

Work with classroom teachers, supporting them and their students as they navigate the curriculum. Try to say
“yes” as often as possible. Recently, a teacher asked me to help him plan and teach a spoken word poetry
unit. This isn’t part of my regular library work, but I have an interest and some skills, so I didn’t hesitate. We
had an interesting time with the students and experienced some failure along with our success. Now, the
teacher is eager to do more spoken word next semester, and I have two more requests for collaboration with
classroom teachers who noticed me working with the first teacher.

Notice what’s going on around you and pay attention to signs teachers are open to collaboration. A social
studies teacher who asked me what I thought of inquiry is now bringing his class into the library to work with
me on a unit. But, I don’t just wait for teachers to approach me. I make time to go to them and ask them what
they’re working on and how I might help. I don’t assume my colleagues know I will work with them; I do
what I can to let them know. To be honest, some teachers just don’t seem interested in collaborating with me.
I don’t pester them, but every so often, I ask them how I might better support them. In the meantime, I work
with the teachers who want to collaborate.

If your staff isn’t aware of what you can do and how you might help them, raise your profile. Advertise by
creating a short digital presentation you can send by email and/or create a brochure to hand out. Don’t miss a
chance to present at staff meetings; keep it brief, interesting, and positive. Provide content for your school’s
social media and school newsletter, and consider creating library social media accounts. Tweet your new
book arrivals and post club meetings on Facebook.

As your colleagues learn more about your skills, they may want you to teach them directly. Be open to
providing in-service. Be aware of your staff’s needs and tailor professional development offerings to them.
You can do this informally by offering regular tutorials. I plan on hosting Workshop Wednesdays every other
week after school to teach digital technology skills and to learn along with my colleagues as district tech
specialists come in occasionally to teach us whatever we request.

Become a Flexible Specialist

The old adage, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’, holds true in teacher-librarianship. Become a teacher-
librarian rather than a teacher-in-the-library by getting training and learning what you don’t know. Find out
where you can take advanced courses and sign-up. You can earn qualifications such as a certificate, a
diploma, or a master’s degree in teacher-librarianship. You can also get a Master of Information and Library
Science degree. Teacher-librarianship courses will teach you how to be an effective school librarian.

25
But don’t stop there. Professional qualifications mean the beginning of learning, not the end. Read
professional journals and follow school librarians on social media. Blogs can be an excellent source of
information and inspiration. Also, follow the inquiry process; if there’s something you wonder about
regarding your practice, develop a question and work towards your own new understanding. Take time to
develop your Personal Learning Network (PLN). Build a PLN of colleagues both near and far. Share the
brain power as you learn from and with teacher-librarians locally and out of district. Locally, join your local
specialist association, or start one in your district if it doesn’t already exist. Go to conferences and learn
alongside other TLs. Let technology help keep you connected and develop new connections. We learn so
much by sharing our brain power.

Once you get a better sense of teacher-librarianship and how it powerfully supports the whole school
community, you need to let people know that. Advocate for library programs in your school and in your
district. Maintain open communication channels with the school board, senior administrators, school
administrators, school staff, parents, and students. Let your partner groups know what you are doing and why
you are doing it. Let them know how you and the library program can improve and enhance student learning.
What teacher-librarians do is vitally important and certainly nothing to be shy about.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

The world around us is not the same as it was decades ago, and it will not be the same ten, twenty, or more
years from now. Educators recognize this and strive to prepare students for unknown realities. As education
evolves, so must school libraries. And, as school libraries change, so must teacher-librarians. We must shift
our practice in order to retain relevance by understanding the changing needs of our partner groups, by
becoming trained specialists dedicated to lifelong learning, and by embracing the collaborative nature of our
positions. We should be prepared to continue changing as the world around us changes.

As a teacher-librarian nearer the end of my career than the beginning, I know that I can’t stop learning. Both
my understanding of teacher-librarianship and my practice will shift by the time I retire, and that’s a good and
necessary thing. For those with me and those who come behind me, I offer a challenge: Embrace change.

Yes, welcome to my house--OUR house of learning--the Library Learning Commons (the LLC) where learning is so
much more than common.

The place where:

We don’t complain about ‘kids today’, but celebrate them.

We read alongside our bookworms and tempt our resistant readers with our language love, our narrative nectar.

We join students’ inquiry teams because we All want to know.

We put our “shush” away and let the conversations grow, bee-busy.

We spy--and store--materials for makers and cheer their creations.

The place where we grow understanding like weeds in a meadow--wild, free, irrepressible.

Welcome to the library: Let’s look forward and learn!

Additional Resources
Read
Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library
learning commons in Canada. Retrieved from http://apsds.org/wp-content/uploads/Standards-of-
Practice-for-SchoolLibrary-Learning-Commons-in-Canada-2014.pdf
This document will help you both understand the concept of the library learning commons and take concrete
steps to recreate your library space; learn the what, the why, and the how.

26
Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., & Caspari, A. (2012). Guided inquiry design: A framework for inquiry in
your school. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
This book is a go-to resource for inquiry-based learning. Kuhlthau et al. have combined philosophy, research,
and practical advice to help both the beginner and the more experienced practitioner.

Valenza, J. K. (2010). Manifesto for 21st century teacher librarians. Teacher Librarian. Retrieved from
http://teacherlibrarian.com/2011/05/01/manifesto-for-21st-century-teacher-librarians/
This is Valenza’s rallying call for progressive teacher-librarians. If you want to check and improve your
practice, this is for you.

Connect
Gwyneth Jones’ The Daring Librarian blog: http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/
Jennifer LaGarde’s The Adventures of Library Girl blog: http://www.librarygirl.net/
Add Jones and LaGarde to your Professional Learning Network. Follow their blogs to keep on top of issues
and trends in teacher-librarianship.

Join
Canadian School Libraries’ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1400617276832667/
Facebook groups like this one post important news and journal articles from Canada and around the world.
Stay informed.

References
British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association. (2010). School library programs, teacher-librarians and effective teaching and
learning. Retrieved from http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/documents/SchoolLibraryProgramsPositionStatement.pdf
British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association. (2011). The points of inquiry: A framework for information literacy and the 21st
Century learner. Retrieved from http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/documents/Points%20of%20Inquiry/PointsofInquiry.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2015a). Focus on learning: 2015 update. Retrieved from http://www.bcedplan.ca/
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2015b). Introduction to British Columbia’s Revised Curriculum. Retrieved from
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/curriculum_intro.pdf
Buzzeo, T. (2007). Literacy and the changing role of the elementary library media specialist. Library Media Connection, 25(7), 18-19.
Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada.
Retrieved from http://apsds.org/wp-content/uploads/Standards-of-Practice-for-SchoolLibrary-Learning-Commons-in-Canada-
2014.pdf
Cart, M. (2007). Teacher-librarian as literacy leader. Teacher Librarian, 34(3), 8-12.
Chambers, A. (1991). The reading environment. Stroud, UK: The Thimble Press.
Chance, R. (2010). Family literacy programs--Opportunities and possibilities. Teacher Librarian, 37(5), 8-12.
Gogan, B., & Marcus, A. (2013). Lost in transliteracy: How to expand student learning across a variety of platforms. Knowledge
Quest, 41(5), 41-45.
Graves, C. (2014). Teen experts guide makerspace makeover. Knowledge Quest, 42(4), 8-13.
Harada, V. H., & Hughes-Hassell, S. (2007). Facing the reform challenge: Teacher-librarians as change agents. Teacher Librarian,
35(2), 8-13.
Jaeger, P. (2011). Transliteracy--New library lingo and what it means for instruction. Library Media Connection, 30(2), 44-47.
Kaplan, A. G. (2007). Is your school librarian 'highly qualified'? The Phi Delta Kappan, 89(4), 300-303. doi:
10.1177/003172170708900414
Koechlin, C., Luhtala, M., & Loertscher, D. V. (2011). Knowledge building in the learning commons. Teacher Librarian, 38(3), 20-
26.
Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., & Caspari, A. (2012). The theory and research basis for guided inquiry. In Guided inquiry design: A
framework for inquiry in your school (pp. 13-28). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
LaGarde, J., & Johnson, D. (2014). Why do I still need a library when I have one in my pocket? Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 40-44.
Loertscher, D. V. (2014). Collaboration and coteaching. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 8-19.
Loertscher, D. V., Preddy, L., & Derry, B. (2013). Makerspaces in the school library learning commons and the uTEC maker model.
Teacher Librarian, 41(2), 48-52.
Lupton, M. (2016). Adding value: Principals’ perceptions of the role of the teacher-librarian. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 49-
61. doi:10.14265.22.1.005
Marcoux, E., & Loertscher, D. V. (2009). The role of a school library in a school’s reading program. Teacher Librarian, 37(1), 8-14.
Moorefield-Lang, H. (2015). Change in the making: Makerspaces and the ever-changing landscape of libraries. TechTrends, 59(3),
107-112.
Oberg, D. (2006). Developing the respect and support of school administrators. Teacher Librarian, 33(3), 13-18.
Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8-13.

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Rheingold, H. (2009). Crap detection 101. Retrieved from http://blog.sfgate.com/rheingold/2009/06/30/crap-detection-101/
Smith, N. (2012). Showing you care: Suggestions for school library relationships. Knowledge Quest, 40(5), 18-21.
Steeves, V. (2014). Young Canadians in a wired world, phase III: Experts or amateurs? Gauging young Canadians’ digital literacy
skills. Media Smarts. Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/pdfs/publication-
report/full/YCWWIII_Experts_or_Amateurs.pdf
Sykes, J. (2001). The role of the teacher-librarian in the 21st century. School Libraries In Canada, 21(2), 5.
Thomas, S., Joseph C., Laccetti, J., Mason, B., Mills, S., Perril, S., & Pullinger, K. (2007). Transliteracy: Crossing divides. First
Monday, 12(12). Retrieved from http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2060/1908
Todd, R. J. (2015). Evidence-based practice and school libraries. Knowledge Quest, 43(3), 8-15.
Todd, R. J., Gordon, C. A., & Lu, Y. (2011). One common goal: Student learning report of findings and recommendations of the New
Jersey library survey, phase 2. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries.
Zmuda, A., & Harada, V. H. (2008). Librarians as learning specialists: Moving from the margins to the mainstream of school
leadership. Teacher Librarian, 36(1), 15-20.

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Chapter 3

TEACHER-LIBRARIANS IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Kelsi McGillivray

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

An international school librarian writes an email to a friend back home...
Dear Kate,

Thanks for your email the other day! It was great to hear from you. After six months, I think I’m over my initial culture shock and
starting to adjust to life here. My expectations of how things ‘should’ go are being constantly challenged. A typical day for me
contains a lot of normal work, but is also filled with interesting challenges. Take today for an example.

I woke up around 6:00, and shivered through my morning routine - it’s the cold season now and there’s no heating. Then I walked to
school down narrow, brick-lined lanes, said hello to the security guard, made a giant mug of black tea, and headed to the library.

The lights were off because of a scheduled power cut and didn’t come on until the generator started at 7:45 AM. Once the school day
began, I taught my library assistant how to cover books in an adhesive plastic to protect them from dust and air pollution. Then I did
a bit of weeding and discovered that some bugs called silverfish had been having quite a feast in the geography collection! Too bad -
it’s hard enough getting books here, and high shipping costs make them very expensive to replace.

At 9:30 AM I went to my first academic leadership team meeting - finally! I’ve had to sit down with my principal more than once to
explain my vision and role before being allowed to join the team. Not every country places as much value on TLs as they do in
Canada. I had a successful experience doing an inquiry project on ‘governments’ with the Grade 5 class just before Christmas, so I
think that some staff members are beginning to appreciate the services I can offer them.

After the leadership meeting, I had a quick chat with the Korean language teacher to discuss how we can develop our Korean
language collection. I’m starting with Korean because they are the largest language group at our school, but I would like to build up
other language collections as well; we also have students who speak Hindi, Nepali, and Chinese.

The afternoon passed quickly and I finished the day by leading an after-school book club. The books we’re reading are all about kids
who have moved to a different country or culture. I think the students are really enjoying them because they can identify with the
characters’ emotions and struggles.

After school I made supper and spent my evening reading until the power went out at 8:00. The backup lights in my flat are too dim to
read by, so I decided to email you instead.

I know you wonder why I like working here with all these extra challenges. Well, that will have to be a topic for another day since my
laptop battery is almost out and there’s no chance of charging it till the power comes back on in the morning!

Take care! Thanks so much for keeping in touch! It means a lot.

________________________________________________

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The above email is a fictionalized one, but it provides a snapshot of the experience of an international
teacher-librarian. As of 2017, there were more than 8000 international schools worldwide, employing
420,000 teachers and educating more than 4.5 million students, and that number continues to grow
(Weschler, 2017). Though it’s not possible to know how many international schools employ qualified
teacher-librarians, it is safe to estimate that, globally, there are thousands who work in the field. The Int’l
School Library Connection group on Facebook, for example, boasts more than 1,400 members. Therefore, it
is important to understand the unique opportunities and challenges international teacher-librarians face, and
consider how school leaders can both support international teacher-librarians and learn from them.
Additionally, international school librarians’ unique perspectives can enrich the quality of education in their
home countries.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

What is an international school?
The first international schools arose in the UK and Europe during the last half of the 19th century, during
Victorian-era globalization. These schools were developed to serve a variety of purposes, including
promoting national policy, developing international collegiality, and providing students from upper socio-
economic classes with a liberal education and the opportunity to develop proficiency in modern languages
(Sylvester, 2002). Geller (2002) suggests that some schools also promoted “...internationalism as a
counterbalance to nationalism” (p. 26). As globalization has continued and its pace has increased, numerous
international schools have been established around the world, each as unique as the purposes and the
communities that they serve. Skelton (2002) claims that this diversity makes it almost impossible to define
what an international school is (p. 34). In addition, there is no governing body that gives schools the
permission to designate themselves as ‘international’ (Hayden & Thompson, 2013). Some international
schools are established for pragmatic reasons (to serve expat families who work abroad) and others are
established for visionary reasons (based on the ideals and experiences they want to offer) (Haywood, 2002).
The International Baccalaureate program is a good example of the latter.

For the sake of clarity, for our discussion we will use the following as the working definition of international
schools:

International schools are independent schools that operate autonomously in countries around
the world, often serving the children of personnel employed in diplomacy, foreign service,
multinational corporations, and the military. While the instruction is usually in English, each
school and its library situation is unique. (Adams, 2005, p. 54)

What benefits are there for teacher-librarians who work in international schools?
Because international schools are so diverse, it’s impossible to create a list of ‘perks’ that will equally apply
to all situations. However, there are some common benefits that likely apply to many situations.

Educational Benefits
Pedagogically, international schools are sitting in a bit of a ‘sweet spot.’ They are often staffed by
multinational teams. This means that the staff can share and draw upon the best teaching practices and
resources from around the world (Ferguson & O’Hare, 2004). International schools are rich environments in
which to teach and learn, as they provide opportunities for school community members to learn other
languages, break down stereotypes, engage in cultural inquiry (Hill, 2002), and gain a global perspective on
history and geography (Gellar, 2002). Because most schools are governed locally and independently, they
are able to make locally-sensitive decisions about curriculum and policies. This allows them to be nimble and
responsive to their context. In addition, international schools are often home to engaged students, supportive
administrators, and actively-involved parents (Adams, 2005). Furthermore, international teacher-librarians
usually enjoy having a larger team of support staff, such as library assistants and IT technicians, who share
the load of responsibility for library programming (Symons & Gerlach, 2006). Many international schools are
well-funded and have ample technology budgets; some have interactive whiteboards in every classroom and
1:1 device programs (Davis, 2017).

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Practical Benefits
Of course, it’s not only because of ideological reasons that teacher-librarians choose to work internationally.
There are a lot of practical benefits to working abroad. First, there are many financial incentives. International
schools often offer generous salaries and the cost of living can be quite low. This can allow teacher-librarians
to pay off debt, save for the future, and have money left over to travel. In addition, many international schools
cover the cost of housing, flights, and health insurance (Davis, 2017). Secondly, there is a strong job market
for teachers abroad. International schools are always recruiting, and the fact that teacher-librarianship is a
specialized niche means that teacher-librarians may be highly sought-after staff members. If the job market is
slow in the TL’s home country, they may find work in their field abroad.

Personal Benefits
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, many teacher-librarians are motivated by personal reasons to
work internationally. For instance, the chance to broaden one’s horizons and worldview is an incredible
opportunity for personal growth (Symons & Gerlach, 2006). Some people feel that they are able to fulfill
their dreams, follow a sense of calling, raise their sense of status - or, they simply enjoy working in a ‘better’
climate (Adams, 2005). Whether they want to live near amazing beaches, pick up a second language, or
connect with a culture that’s always interested them, there are many factors that draw a teacher-librarians to
work internationally.

What unique challenges may international school librarians encounter?

Of course, every teaching situation has drawbacks as well as benefits. International teacher-librarians
experience challenges similar to those they would face at home, but in some cases these challenges are
exacerbated by their international location. In other cases, they face challenges that are totally unique to their
context.

The challenge of advocacy

Many teacher-librarians find they need to prove their own worth to their administrators and community
(Braxton, 2003). This doesn’t change when they go overseas, and to a certain extent, advocacy can become
more important. People may project their own assumptions and experiences on the teacher-librarian’s role,
and view the teacher-librarian as simply a book manager or a childminder. International school libraries are
often staffed by untrained volunteers due to recruiting challenges, which insinuates that the position is not
‘worthy’ of being filled by a trained professional (Ferguson & O’Hare, 2004). Another factor is that while
Canada, the United States, and Australia have a history of employing qualified and active teacher librarians,
this is not the case in other countries (Markless, 2009). For example, British educators are much less likely to
view the librarian as an integral part of the instructional team, especially when related to decision-making
(Ferguson & O’Hare, 2004), because in England, “...there is no requirement for a librarian (qualified or not)
to be employed in a school” (Braxton, 2003, p. 41). Therefore, international teacher librarians need to be
prepared to build strong relationships with their administrators, and to make strong cases for their
indispensability as part of the school leadership team (Ferguson & O’Hare, 2004). Additionally, international
teacher-librarians need to be prepared to prove themselves more than once because of the high rate of staff
turnover at international schools.

The challenge of access

Another significant challenge for international school librarians is developing a varied, responsive library
collection in an international location. The main reason for this is the increased cost and time required to
acquire resources abroad (Emmelhainz, 2014). Although international schools often have large library
budgets, funds can be quickly consumed by international shipping fees, which range from 30-70% of the
purchase price of the resource (Emmelhainz, 2014; Hurd, 2011); additionally, heavy customs fees can apply
to large orders. Shipping constraints mean that it may take six to eight months for book orders to arrive in the
library, and as a result, some libraries only order once or twice a year (Emmelhainz, 2014). In addition,
magazines and periodicals often arrive months after publication.

31
Added to this is the fact that the needs of the international school library collection are very diverse. Teacher-
librarians need to develop a collection that caters to ESL learners (Emmelhainz, 2014), as well as collections
in other languages spoken by students (Hurd, 2011). International school libraries may not be able to
supplement their collections with access to public libraries like school libraries at home often do (Newcomer,
2009). Instead, because they may have the largest collection of English-language books in their city, they
may be the main source of library services and English material for the broader English-speaking community
(Gourley, 2008). Thus, international school libraries may have broader collection needs than non-
international schools, yet struggle to meet these needs in a timely and economical manner.

The challenges to ethical principles

Budget constraints and access challenges place international teacher librarians in a predicament. Once abroad,
teacher-librarians may discover locally-sourced, free, or inexpensive resources, which are also illegally
produced (Hoiseth, 2007). For example, in many developing countries, pirated copies of movies can be
purchased in major department stores, while legal copies are harder to acquire. In addition, as an anti-piracy
measure, legally-sold DVDs are ‘zoned’ to only play on devices purchased in the same part of the world (i.e.,
you can only play a DVD purchased in the UK on a DVD player that was also purchased in the UK, while
pirated DVDs usually play on any device). This makes it difficult to know which country to purchase
resources from, since you can’t guarantee that they will be equally usable by everybody. Furthermore, some
software companies (such as Adobe and Microsoft) will not sell legitimate versions of their software in
certain countries, because of the prevalence of piracy in those places. Another ethical challenge is that in
some countries, local photocopy shops will readily copy workbooks, and even whole books, at a minimal
cost.

The above situations are complicated by the fact that there are no international copyright laws - only
international copyright agreements that individual countries choose to be part of (Hoiseth, 2007; Butler,
2007). There is also a misconception that non-profit use of copyrighted items is acceptable (Hoiseth, 2007).
The challenges of access, as well as minimal or unenforced copyright laws in the country where one might be
are working, may place the international teacher librarian in difficult ethical quandaries regarding copyright
infringement and pirated material.

The challenge of intellectual freedom and legal issues

Every learning community is diverse, but international school communities are exceptionally so. Diverse
communities come with diverse opinions on what is acceptable content, and therefore international school
librarians will have to address the issue of intellectual freedom, just as librarians at home do. Aiani (2015)
explains that promoting intellectual freedom at international schools is ‘complicated by an international
setting and the implications of local cultural mores, legal ambiguity, and community ties” (p. E5). Especially
in elementary school libraries, the task of ensuring intellectual freedom is complicated by the idea that
materials should be ‘developmentally appropriate’ - and the standard can be different from culture to culture
(Aiani, 2015, p. E5). In international settings, teacher librarians may not have clear avenues to legal support
when they receive a book challenge (Aiani, 2015, p. E8). In addition, a school’s international location may
place it in an ambiguous legal situation if a challenge does arise. Additionally, international school
communities are usually very tightly-knit, which means that a challenge may arise from someone the teacher-
librarian knows quite well on a social level (Aiani, 2015, p. E8).

The challenge of multiculturalism

Many teachers are drawn to work in international schools because of the chance to work in a multicultural
environment, and this can be one of the richest parts of working internationally. However, multiculturalism
may also be one of the greatest challenges. It’s not until people are fully immersed in a different culture that
they become aware of their own ethnocentrism and the complex issues that arise in a multicultural context.
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to evaluate situations through our own cultural lens and believe our culture to
be superior (Merriam-Webster, 2018). International teacher-librarians will have to quickly (and humbly)
recognize it in themselves, their teaching methods, and the resources they bring to the collection (Sun &
Roumell, 2017).

32
Because most international schools conduct their classes and meetings in English, use an English-language
curriculum, and recruit English-speaking staff, assumptions can be made that everyone in the school
community will have a similar set of values and social mores. However, even among English-speaking
countries such as Canada, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, there are significant cultural
differences, and there may be teachers from ‘non-western’ countries employed at the school. In addition,
even if most of the staff are from ‘western’ backgrounds, the student population will certainly be diverse.

In fact, Pearce (2013) calls student diversity the ‘core’ challenge of international schools. Depending on their
cultural backgrounds, teachers and students may have very different understandings of how teaching and
learning should happen (p. 63). If there is a mismatch in expectations, students could experience enough
cognitive dissonance that it disrupts their learning (p. 78). Most international teachers are trained according to
the standards of their home country, but few have done comparative studies in international education (p. 64).
Most international schools are based on American or British pedagogy, and teachers can struggle to adopt a
truly democratic or pluralist perspective towards teaching and learning practices from other cultures (p. 67).
The ‘homogenizing force’ of globalization in education has promoted Western culture, values, and pedagogy
above others, which often goes unquestioned (Sun & Roumell, 2017, p.3). Often, international schools pay lip
service to multiculturalism through events such as ‘dress in your traditional costume day’ or international
potlucks (Pugh & Okuno, 2017), but not many take it a step further by truly incorporating culturally diverse
ways of teaching, knowing, learning, and communicating.

Teacher-librarians need to be aware of how his reality affects the collection. Many books that are published
in the ‘west’ can have a ‘pro-western’ cultural bias (Hurd, 2011), or racist perspectives. In addition,
community members may have very different expectations about what types of books should be in the
collection, what kinds of activities should happen in the library, and what purpose the library serves. Teacher-
librarians may find that their ideas clash with the expectations of those in their learning community.

Country-specific challenges
Finally, international teacher-librarians will face challenges that are specific to their location. For example,
some countries experience frequent power cuts that make backup power supplies for electronic equipment
essential. Some countries experience strict, governmentally-enforced firewalling, or the sudden suspension of
internet services. In other locations, climate factors such as humidity, dust, or air pollution take a toll on the
collection, wearing out books and electronics much more quickly than expected. Some schools do not have
central heating or cooling systems. Other schools face environmental disasters, political tensions, or even
war; these situations disrupt the educational program of the school and have a profound effect on the whole
community. In addition, culturally diverse ideas on issues such as authority, timeliness, gender interactions,
and space have the potential to create feelings of cognitive dissonance for expatriate teachers. These
challenges demonstrate that while international school librarians have extraordinary opportunities, they also
face significant challenges which require them to have a stance of resilience, positive thinking, and problem-
solving.

What can School Leaders do about…?

The challenges that international teacher-librarians experience can indeed be unique, but they are not
insurmountable. With the support of a strong administrator, an attitude of cultural and professional openness,
and personal qualities such as flexibility and a willingness to take risks, international teacher-librarians can
enjoy rich and satisfying careers abroad.

Meeting the advocacy challenge

The variety of expectations that those in the learning community may hold towards teacher-librarians require
them to advocate for themselves and demonstrate how they add value to the school learning community. As
Braxton (2003) puts it, they need to creatively “...raise [their] profile while still attending to the nitty-gritty”
(p. 41). The most strategic way that the teacher-librarian can advocate for their skills is by building a strong
professional relationship with the school administrator. Shannon (2009) calls the support of a principal

33
“critical to the success of the school library program” (p. 1). Administrators set the tone for the whole school
and influence how much the teacher-librarian is valued as part of the teaching team (Markless, 2009), and
students are more likely to perform better when there is a strong, collaborative relationship between the
teacher-librarian and the principal (Hughes, 2014, p. 34). In addition, administrators usually determine school
budget allocations, which directly impacts the quality of services the library is able to offer (Shannon, 2009).
Therefore, forging a partnership with the administrator is key to a teacher-librarian’s efficacy.

There are two main strategies that teacher-librarians can use to raise their profile and advocate for their role.
First, the teacher-librarian can raise the administrators’ awareness to the huge volume of research that
demonstrates the impact that a trained teacher-librarian can have on student learning. Research conducted in
the United States, the UK, and in Canada demonstrates ‘recurring relationships’ between student achievement
and school libraries’ staffing levels, size, currency, and ICT resources (Hughes, 2014, p. 31; Francis & Lance,
2011; “Great School Libraries,” 2016; Lance, Rodney, & Schwarz, 2010). There are more than twenty studies
that show that this relationship occurs “independently of particular social and school-based variables”
(Hughes, 2014, p. 32). Indeed, Spendlove (2003) reports that the quality of a school library program can
positively impact student achievement scores by as much as 10-20%. If the administrator is not aware of
these findings, it is the responsibility of the teacher-librarian to summarize and present this research to them.
Secondly, teacher-librarians can prove their value by actively engaging with the educational aims of the
school (Shannon, 2009). Taking the time to collaborate and build relationships, strategically support learning
and teaching activities, develop a relevant collection, and plan responsive library programming will all go a
long way (Markless, 2009).

Meeting the access challenge

The added time and expense required to build a strong collection of library resources in an international
school library is a constant challenge, but there are ways to solve it. First, teacher-librarians should explore
locally and internationally-available options (Ferguson & O’Hare, 2004), rather than relying on systems that
worked for them at home. A national bookstore may sell books and materials at a lower price than North
American or international vendors; local publishers and retailers may hold book fairs. Librarians should make
sure the quality of locally-purchased books is still high enough to withstand frequent use - paper and binding
standards are not the same throughout the world. If books must be ordered from abroad, a local shipping
company may be able to arrange for cheaper shipping or customs fees. Some familiar companies such as
Scholastic have regional offices which may also be able to facilitate large orders. Discovering these
alternatives will require active networking with local schools, librarians, and teachers, as well as with those in
the broader geographic region.

Secondly, efforts must be made to proactively preserve the collection from loss or damage, since that is more
economical than replacing items. Covering books with protective covers, giving students waterproof
bookbags, and teaching students how to care for books can ensure that resources will not need frequent
replacement (Newcomer, 2009).

Finally, there are many creative fundraising strategies, such as contacting publishers to ask for donations of
free books, applying for financial grants, or selling old books to raise money for new ones (Newcomer,
2009), which can help teacher-librarians to secure funds for more resources.

Meeting the ethics challenge

When faced with ethical challenges related to materials acquisition, teachers may wonder whether to follow
the laws of their home countries, or those where they are currently located. Hoiseth (2007) asserts that to the
best of their ability, they should follow both. Teachers who are educating students to be globally-minded and
principled individuals have a responsibility to model ethical behavior themselves, and to meet the highest
standards they are capable of (Hoiseth, 2007, p. 42). Sometimes unanticipated situations come up, and as long
as copying is not part of an intentional plan to avoid buying legal copies, it can be permissible as a short-term
solution (Hoiseth, 2007, p. 44). Through adequate preparation and planning, teachers should be able to adhere

34
to high standard of copyright practices. Hoiseth (2007) reminds us that compliance is a goal to work towards,
which will likely take more than one year, and will require the full support of the administrative team.

Meeting the intellectual freedom challenge

One of the mandates of any library is to promote intellectual freedom and access to information, which
includes access to controversial materials that may be challenged by members of the learning community.
When this happens, teachers in international schools are in an ambiguous legal position. However, this does
not mean that they are on their own. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
(IFLA) has produced a statement on global standards for intellectual freedom, which can provide guidance
and reference if needed (Aiani, 2015). Teacher librarians may join an international library association, which
can offer support and learning opportunities to its members (Farmer, 2010). At the very minimum, every
teacher-librarian should ensure that their library has a robust set of essential policy documents, including a
selection policy and procedures for book challenges (McDonel, 2004). The development of these policies and
procedures must be done in collaboration with community members and school leaders and they should be
made publicly available to the learning community (Kabashi, 2009). These measures will help in the event of
a book challenge, but thankfully, Aiani (2015) reports that international school community members are
often very broad-minded and bring relatively few challenges (p. E9).

Meeting the multicultural challenge

Learning to become a culturally-aware member of a diverse community is one of the most important
challenges for teacher-librarians to consider, because their cross-cultural proficiency will directly impact their
relationships with every member of the community and their efficacy as a learning leader.

Living internationally does not guarantee that a person will become internationally or multiculturally literate
(Day & Philip, 2010). Calling your school ‘international’ does not mean that everyone’s’ cultures are equally
valued. International schools and teachers often superficially engage in cultural appreciation, while
continuing to favor western pedagogy and culture - intentionally or unintentionally (Allen, 2002). It is rare
that ‘multiculturalism’ has an impact on international schools’ systems, structures, and pedagogical
approaches (Allen, 2002, p. 115).

Because culture goes beyond observable behaviours or artifacts, teacher-librarians need to go beyond cultural
appreciation to demonstrate cultural competence: “a desire to know others and a behavioural change to make
it happen” (Ouvrard-Prettol, 2017, p. 27). Sometimes called ‘cultural humility,’ this stance requires the
willingness to not only appreciate other cultures, but also to adapt to and honor those cultures.

To begin developing cultural competence, teachers first need to recognize and understand their own cultural
background (Lind, 2017). They also need to gain an understanding of the cultural context of the nation where
the school is located and the community they serve - which can be difficult because international student
populations are so diverse (Lind, 2017, p. 24). To do this, teachers need to intentionally build authentic
relationships with people from other cultures (Lind, 2017; Pugh & Okuno, 2017). These relationships can
help them to understand how to improve their services (Lind, 2017). Pugh and Okuno (2017) challenge
educators to ensure their decision-making process incorporates adequate and democratic feedback, and
solicits a range of perspectives. An international school culture should allow people to maintain their cultural
identity even after special multicultural programs have ended (Pugh and Okuno, 2017).

Finally, international teacher-librarians need to ensure that the library collection is one that allows children to
read widely about a variety of cultures (Day & Philip, 2010). International school libraries will, of course,
have a large English collection. However, they also need collections in the many other languages that reflect
the linguistic diversity of the school community (Gourley, 2008). The collection should also contain
resources that both engage with and challenge cultural identities and values (Lind, 2017). Newcomer (2009)
suggests asking parents to donate their favorite English-language books about or from their country. This is
an excellent way to increase community ownership of the collection, as well as to build a collection that is
culturally sensitive.

35
Interestingly, though adults might struggle to develop cultural competence, it is actually a strength of
international students (Allen, 2002). Students who grow up outside their parents’ passport countries are often
called TCKs - Third Culture Kids. TCKs’ cultural identity is not solidly aligned with the country of their
legal citizenship - it is a ‘third’ culture which blends cultural values from many contexts, and is usually
unique to each TCK. Even local students who attend international schools can become TCKs because the
cultural context of their education is so different from their peers (Lind, 2017). TCKs have an increased
ability to relate with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, and to understand and adapt to
diverse cultural norms and values.

Meeting Country-Specific Challenges

Because of the diverse contexts in which international schools exist, it is impossible to itemize or to prepare
for every situation. The best way that an international school librarian can hope to meet country-specific
challenges is to develop their personal and professional dispositions of resilience, positive thinking, and
flexibility. They need to develop strong professional relationships and a strong local support system. They
will need to become people who are resourceful, energetic, and full of integrity. These are qualities that will
serve them well wherever they go!

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

As we have seen, the challenges that international teacher-librarians face are not necessarily unique, but they
may be intensified or complicated due to the location of their employment. They need to respond to these
challenges with awareness, creativity, and assertiveness. International teacher-librarians must re-apply their
knowledge of best practices at home to unique international contexts, which gives them the opportunity to
explore these principles on new levels. However, this learning process is reciprocal. Teacher-librarians in
non-international settings can learn from their international counterparts. In particular, I believe that teacher
librarians in Canada can learn a lot from international teacher-librarians about what it means to grow in
cultural competency and develop a culturally-sensitive library collection.

As a nation, Canada is becoming increasingly culturally diverse. By 2016, immigrants made up almost
twenty-two percent of our population (Grenier, 2017); more than 200 languages are spoken at home as a
“mother tongue” (Roy, 2013). School classrooms today may have students from First Nations, European,
African, Asian, or South American cultural backgrounds. Mere familiarity with the outwards signs of culture
such as cuisine or dress does not ensure cultural competence, because the most important aspects of culture
(values, worldviews, and beliefs) are often unobservable. Just as working at an international school does not
guarantee cultural competence, neither does living in a multicultural society.

As in international schools, the Canadian teacher population is not reflective of the diversity of the Canadian
population (Ryan, Pollock, & Antonelli, 2009). Oberg and Bainbridge (2006) assert that teachers in Canada
often embrace a version of multiculturalism that is merely ‘benign plurality,’ a stance that perpetuates
stereotypes and paternalism rather than openly discussing uncomfortable issues or looking critically at one’s
own cultural assumptions. How can teacher-librarians in North America effectively understand and relate
with the diverse cultural backgrounds of their students? How can they ensure that they are not celebrating
observable cultural behaviours in a surface manner, while continuing to propagate Western culture and
pedagogy?

School leaders in Canada are beginning to address the importance of these questions, particularly in relation
to the First Nations people of Canada. For example, the most recent curriculum revisions in Saskatchewan
explicitly value First Nations, Metis, and Indigenous culture as a vital part of the curriculum, especially for
newcomers to Canada (Pillay, 2016). Other provinces have made similar changes. This is a step in the right
direction. However, knowing the ‘right’ answers and developing strong policy is only a beginning. In order
for education in North America to truly become multicultural, two more important steps need to be taken.
First, individual teachers need to become culturally humble (Ouvrard-Prettol, 2017), willing to truly listen to
differing cultural perspectives and acknowledge their own stereotypes and racism. Second, our school

36
libraries need to become truly democratic, involving the whole community as co-decision-makers, planners,
and collection builders (Pugh & Okuno, 2017). In this process, hearing from teacher-librarians who have
been immersed in a different cultural context could be an incredible asset. Many international teacher-
librarians have already had to wrestle through these issues. They have come face-to-face with the extent to
which Western cultural values dominate the international school landscape. And, if they are sensitive to that
situation, they have also had to think carefully about their role in perpetuating that reality, or alternatively,
seeking to develop a different norm. In a sense, international school librarians can become cultural bridges,
helping people from mono-cultural or culturally privileged perspectives begin to conceive of alternatives. In
this way, their influence can extend beyond the boundaries of their international school, and reach back to to
Canada, impacting the next generation of global citizens.

References
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Knowledge Quest, 44(1), E5-E9. Retrieved from http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/
Allen, K. (2002). Atolls, seas of culture and global nets. In Hayden, M., Thompson, J. J, & Walker, G. R. (Eds.), International
education in practice: dimensions for national & international schools (pp. 112-123). London, UK: Kogan Page Ltd.
Braxton, B. (2003). Raising your profile--again. Teacher Librarian, 31(1), 41-42. Retrieved from http://teacherlibrarian.com/
Butler R. (2007) Borrowing media from around the world: School libraries and copyright law. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(2), 73-
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Davis, K. (2017). A career launches in Nigeria. School Library Journal, 63(11), 8-9. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/
Day, K., & Philip, B. (2010, September). Building internationally literate communities. Paper presented at the School Library
Association of Queensland and the International Association of School Librarianship Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Emmelhainz, C. (2014). Reaching ELL students in international school libraries. School Library Monthly, 30(8), 14-16. Retrieved
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Farmer, L. (2010). Why go international? Professional benefits. Library Media Connection, 29(2), 34-36. Retrieved from
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Ferguson, M., & O'Hare, J. (2004). The role of the teacher librarian in an international school. International Schools Journal, 23(2),
50-56. Retrieved from http://www.johncattbookshop.com/books/international-schools-journal
Francis, B. H., & Lance, K. C. (2011). The impact of library media specialists on students and how it is valued by administrators and
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Learning, 55(4), 63-70. Retrieved from http://aect.site-ym.com/?page=techtrends
Gellar, C.A. (2002). International education: A commitment to universal values. In Hayden, M., Thompson, J. J, & Walker, G. R.
(Eds.), International education in practice: Dimensions for national & international schools (pp. 26-33). London, UK: Kogan
Page Ltd.
Gourley, B. (2008). Inquiry: The road less traveled. Knowledge Quest, 37(1), 18-23. Retrieved from http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/
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Hayden, M., & Thompson, J. (2013). International schools: Antecedents, current issues, and metaphors for the future. In Pearce, R.
(Ed.), International education and schools: Moving beyond the first 40 years (pp. 3-24). London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic.
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Haywood, T. (2002). An international dimension to management and leadership skills for international education. In Hayden, M.,
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Hill, I. (2002). The history of international education: An International Baccalaureate perspective. In Hayden, M., Thompson, J. J, &
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Hoiseth, L. (2007). Copyright, fair use, and overseas schools. International Schools Journal, 27(1), 41-47. Retrieved from
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Hughes, H. (2014). School libraries, teacher-librarians and student outcomes: Presenting and using the evidence. School Libraries
Worldwide, 20(1), 29-50. Retrieved from https://www.iasl-online.org/publications/slw/index.html
Hurd, J. (2011). A world of possibilities. School Library Journal, 57(11), 46-52. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com
Kabashi, A. (2009). Policy challenges for administrators and teacher librarians in international schools: Albania: A case study.
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Journal Of Education, 32(3), 591-617. Retrieved from https://cje-rce.ca/
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Chapter 4

THE COACHING LIBRARIAN: COMBINING THE ROLES OF

INSTRUCTIONAL COACH AND TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
Barbara Chuiko
bfpaul@ualberta.ca

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

She sits straight-backed behind the looming desk, tight grey bun firmly in place and sharp eyes peering
menacingly over her dark-rimmed glasses. A rigid guardian of the books, she can simultaneously stamp
checkout cards and scan the room for offenders, quickly sniffing out any misdemeanor in her library.

Wearing a sweater vest, bow tie, and sensible shoes, he stands timidly organizing the card catalogue,
avoiding both eye contact and conversation with the library patrons. He is content to be surrounded by quiet
books and clerical tasks, and looks forward to another comforting evening spent at home in the company of a
good book and a hot drink.

The punitive librarian and the introverted librarian are only a couple of the many stereotypes that exist about
public and school librarians. In our fast-paced, 21st century world of technology and global communities, it is
easy for people – including school leaders – to fall back on these stereotypes and hastily assume that school
librarians are outdated and unnecessary in contemporary school settings. Many of these leaders might
wonder: why spend precious school budgets on someone whose presumed role is to simply organize books
and monitor students? This is precisely why school leaders are long overdue for a new understanding of the
modern teacher-librarian.

As the form and function of school libraries have changed, so too has the job description of the teacher-
librarian been transformed (Clyde, 1999). Far from the stereotypical librarian, today’s teacher-librarian
challenges students in a positive, dynamic environment, and anticipates and responds to the needs of our
global 21st century schools and students. According to the American Association of School Librarians (2018),
today’s school librarians are educated and qualified to carry out interlinked and interdisciplinary roles as
instructional leaders, program administrators, educators, collaborative partners, and information specialists.
The profession of teacher-librarian is unique because it merges two separate professions: that of education
and teaching, and that of librarianship. Both professions come with their own codes of ethics, professional
conduct, and core values that the teacher-librarian must balance, yet they are equally rooted in service to
learners.

39
In recent years, the image of school libraries and teacher-librarians has not kept pace with the actual,
significant changes that have taken place in these spaces and roles, leading many to hold an inaccurate view
that they are obsolete. As a result, a popular new role has emerged on the educational scene. Often referred to
as an instructional or learning coach, these teachers are receiving increased attention in the context of school
improvement and inclusive education initiatives. The goal of the instructional coach is continuous
improvement of teacher practice and facilitation of professional learning to improve student success (Alberta
Education, 2011) and, like teacher-librarians, they are instructional leaders who work collaboratively with
teachers to build and sustain learning environments that meet the diverse learning needs of all students
(Government of Alberta, 2010a).

Working side-by-side with teachers, both teacher-librarians and instructional coaches focus on improving
instruction to design learning experiences that are accessible, effective, and engaging for all students (Alberta
Education, 2018). These roles require many of the same dispositions, knowledge, and skill sets, although a
teacher-librarian has additional training in being a school library program administrator, information
specialist, advocacy leader, and literacy expert.

This chapter will define these two powerful school leadership roles, and explore how the roles of instructional
coach and teacher-librarian complement each other and could be combined within a school setting. By
merging these roles, the new position of a coaching librarian would be that of a highly specialized
instructional coach who would work with both students and staff members as a “big picture” expert (Harada,
2010a) in 21st century learning and literacy. This chapter will also look at the literature surrounding both of
these positions, how they impact student success and learning, and how they work to build the capacity of the
school and teachers.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

What are Instructional Coaches?
The concept of coaching in education developed from the business world where executive coaching is a
common method for helping employees to become more competent in their positions (Knight, 2007). In
education, however, the goal of an instructional coach is to raise the quality of teaching practice throughout
the school (Saphier & West, 2009), ultimately increasing student achievement and supporting school
improvement (Government of Alberta, 2010b; Killion & Harrison, 2006). To achieve this goal, instructional
coaches should be part of the school’s leadership team, drawing on shared leadership approaches to build on
teachers’ strengths (Government of Alberta, 2010a).

According to Knight (2007), instructional coaches are full-time professional developers who work on-site in
schools to help teachers adopt research-based instructional practices. This job-embedded approach to
instructional intervention allows teachers to receive professional development and individualized support
based on their unique needs (Alberta Teachers’ Association, 2015; Wang, 2017). In his study, Russo (2004)
found that improving teachers’ instructional practices, and thus their students’ learning, requires professional
development programs that are embedded into the teachers’ daily work. Instructional coaching appears to
provide this necessary component of professional development, allowing teachers to learn and apply new
skills with the necessary support rather than in the isolation that commonly occurs following traditional forms
of professional development (Barry, 2012; Kretlow & Bartholomew, 2010).

The role of instructional coaches is highly variable across individuals and school settings, tending to be
designed around local needs rather than one official job description or definition (Barry, 2012; Borman &
Feger, 2006; Poglinco et al., 2003; Wolpert-Gawron, 2016). In each of the various forms and models of
coaching, however, the instructional coach consistently facilitates, supports, and advocates for improved
instructional practices without ever performing supervision or evaluation of teachers (Alberta Education,
2011; Government of Alberta, 2010a). By remaining non-evaluative, the coach is able to work alongside
teachers to improve instruction (Saphier & West, 2009).

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What are the Roles of Instructional Coaches?
Because the instructional coach’s position is defined differently from one location to another, a coach’s
functions “are as varied as the students and teachers they serve” (Wolpert-Gawron, 2016, p. 57). Killion and
Harrison (2006) found that within their job responsibilities, instructional coaches can perform at least ten
different roles, such as resource provider, data coach, curriculum specialist, instructional specialist, classroom
supporter, mentor, learning facilitator, school leader, catalyst for change, and learner. Wang (2017) chose to
define these diverse roles more succinctly as facilitator and instructor, collaborator, and empowerer.

As a facilitator and instructor, instructional coaches require an understanding of research-based teaching

strategies and practices in order to build teacher capacity and drive change (Alberta Education, 2011; Killion
& Harrison, 2006). The instructional coach is tasked with continually gaining knowledge about emerging
trends in education, innovative technologies, and research-based instructional practices in order to design and
develop professional learning opportunities for teachers during staff meetings, learning sessions, or smaller
presentations (Alberta Education, 2011; Killion & Harrison, 2006; Wolpert-Gawron, 2016). Through this
research and curation, the coach is able to advise fellow teachers and assist them in bringing these new
strategies or tools into their classrooms, resulting in a ‘teachers teaching teachers’ model of learning
(Wolpert-Gawron, 2016).
In the role of collaborator, the instructional coach adopts a partnership approach with teachers, recognizing
them as equals and relinquishing top-down power with the aim of reflecting and co-creating together (Knight,
2007). In this collaboration, coaches model, observe, co-teach, provide feedback, and learn along with the
teacher. Allowing teachers to practice their skills alongside a coach reinforces components of effective adult
learning which include being experiential and encouraging collaboration (Kretlow & Bartholomew, 2010).

As an empowerer, the instructional coach endeavours to build and maintain relationships with teachers,
helping those who have been asked to seek advice on their practice or those who are looking to challenge
themselves by learning new strategies or tools. By sharing insights and questions from their own learning,
instructional coaches become mentors and develop a high level of trust with teachers (Killion & Harrison,
2006). As Wolpert-Gawron (2016) explains, “Having someone on [the teachers’] side – someone in the
trenches – helps create a tighter community of instructors” (p. 59) and allows teachers to take risks and
improve their practice.

What are the Qualities of Instructional Coaches?

To be effective in these diverse roles, an instructional coach requires certain skills and dispositions. Not only
do coaches have to be knowledgeable about instructional approaches, resources, technologies, support
systems, and assessment approaches across subject areas and grade levels, they must be skilled collaborators
with strong interpersonal and communication skills who are able to develop positive and trusting
relationships with teachers (Alberta Education, 2011; Borman & Feger, 2006; Killion & Harrison, 2006). The
ability to mentor adults in a supportive and collaborative manner is necessary, as is having a skill for
motivating others. Instructional coaches need to be committed to lifelong learning, actively searching out
innovative practices and tools (Alberta Education, 2011), and they need to “think beyond the position of
teacher or to consider an issue in a different light than an administrator” (Wolpert-Gawron, 2016, p. 56) to
develop solutions for teachers, schools, and ultimately students.

How do Instructional Coaches Affect Teaching and Student Learning?

It is often recognized that high-caliber teaching impacts how successful students are in school (Marzano,
2007). Danielson (2009) argues that the single most important factor influencing the degree of student
learning under the control of the school is the quality of teaching. Though there is a lack of research that
evaluates the relationship between instructional coaching and student achievement, some literature does show
the impact on teachers who make sustained changes in their instructional practices due to coaching (Killion &
Harrison, 2006; Knight, 2004; Sweeney, 2009). Most studies show that coaching leads to improvements in
teaching capacity, with teachers “applying their learning more deeply, frequently, and consistently”
(Annenberg Institute for School Reform, n.d., p. 2). Instructional coaching offers teachers an opportunity to
achieve their goals, improve their teaching strategies, and reflect on their teaching in new ways that increases

41
the quality of their methods (Barkley, 2005). Some studies also show that adding the support of an
instructional coach significantly increases teaching effectiveness, which eventually improves student learning
(Barry, 2012). As Saphier and West (2009) emphasize, the importance of the coach’s position emanates from
having contact with every teacher in the school, and a primary focus on improving instruction and student
learning.

What are Teacher-Librarians?

Although similar to the position of instructional coach in many ways, the primary goal of the teacher-librarian
is to produce successful learners who are competent in multiple literacies and to ensure that students and
teachers are “effective users of ideas and information” (American Association of School Librarians, 2009, p.
8). Through a range of roles, the teacher-librarian works to enable students to become information literate
citizens and lifelong learners (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2003), and empowers fellow teachers to be
successful in their jobs (Hartzell, 2002). As the role of the teacher-librarian has changed in the 21st-century
learning environment, there has been a major shift to emphasize the roles of instructional partner and
information specialist as being central to the position (AASL, 2009).
A report released by the National Center for Literacy Education (2013) revealed that teacher-librarians are
highly involved leaders who play a critical role in building a school’s capacity through consistent
collaboration with teachers. This leadership comes “from the middle” since teacher-librarians do not have
position power but must develop social influence where colleagues become committed to collaboration and
partnerships that enhance student learning (Haycock, 2010a).

What are the Roles of Teacher-Librarians?

The teacher-librarian’s varied roles can include instructional work with students, instructional partner with
teachers, reading motivator, staff developer, information specialist, curator, and program administrator
(Southworth, 2013; Zmuda & Harada, 2008a). As instructional partners and collaborators, teacher-librarians
are able to offer a unique perspective since they work with every student and teacher in the school and are
therefore able to provide a cross-grade, cross-discipline, cross-content perspective that expands a classroom’s
capacity (Church, 2011; Southworth, 2013). Teachers who were previously isolated in classrooms, facing the
complexity of preparing students for the 21st-century alone, will find a full collaborative partner in the
teacher-librarian who can assist them in making learning experiences more meaningful and authentic for
students (Kimmel, Dickinson, & Doll, 2012; Montiel-Overall, 2006). By co-planning, co-teaching, and co-
evaluating student work with teacher colleagues, teacher-librarians aim to improve student learning and
performance (Church, 2011; Zmuda & Harada, 2008a). To be a strong collaborator and instructor, the
teacher-librarian must also be effective as a curriculum leader by being knowledgeable in the intended,
implemented, and assessed curricula. Using this information, the teacher-librarian can develop a plan to
support classroom work, providing appropriate materials and resources to strengthen the curricula (Howard,
2010).

Teacher-librarians also act as information specialists, leading students to become information literate citizens
who are able to access, evaluate, and use information. They are able to focus on the process of learning,
which demands the 21st-century skills of inquiry, problem solving, and critical thinking, rather than just the
subject-area content that classroom teachers must focus on (Church, 2011). Promoting and supporting
inquiry-based learning encompasses information literacy and allows teacher-librarians to work with teachers
in all aspects of instructional planning (Fontichiaro, 2010a). As information specialists, teacher-librarians are
able to put less emphasis on the simple transfer of information and more on developing intellectual growth
and critical consciousness in students (Elmborg, 2006).

Similar to the instructional coach, a key role of the teacher-librarian is to act as a learning leader who helps to
plan and provide site-specific and individualized staff development. By being present in the building, teacher-
librarians enable their teacher colleagues to master the latest content and integrate new knowledge and skills
into their practice with sufficient time, support, and resources (Gilmore-See, 2010). This method of staff
development is connected to the real work of teachers and ensures that it is more than an isolated event on a

42
given day. As learning leaders, teacher-librarians “recognize that schools are places of growth for adults as
well as children” (Harada, 2010b, p. 25), and they have a commitment to continuous learning for everyone.

Now that technology and our digital and global society has expanded the definition of literacy, it is necessary
to have a leader who is committed to a vision of literacy for the whole school. As literacy leaders, teacher-
librarians hold a deep understanding of reading and writing processes, of the best practices for teaching
literacy skills across the curriculum, of the role technology plays in literacy instruction and learning, and of
how they can best contribute to student literacy achievement (Achterman, 2010). In supporting literacy in the
school, teacher-librarians are devoted to Ranganathan’s (1931) first two laws of library science: “Books are
for use,” and “Every reader his [or her] book.” In other words, they strive to tailor the books and resources to
the specific needs and interests of the school and have appropriate materials available for each student that
provide a wide range of reading experiences.

Technology has also changed the face of learning and teaching in the 21st century. It is no longer enough to
simply use technology; it must support and contribute to quality learning. Teacher-librarians are
knowledgeable as technology leaders in schools because they are able to collaborate with teachers and
students to find technology tools that meet authentic teaching and learning needs (Fontichiaro, 2010b). They
promote the effective use of educational technologies, helping to design student learning experiences that
target higher-order thinking skills through meaningful integration of technology, and they can also provide
leadership in the development of technology literacy standards and digital citizenry attributes (Perez, 2010).

A vital role of the teacher-librarian is as the school library program administrator. In designing and delivering
the school’s library program, the teacher-librarian uses evidence-based practice to identify the program’s
goals and objectives based on the demographics and characteristics of the school community (AASL, 2009).
Not only do teacher-librarians develop integrated library programs linked to the curricular goals of the
school, but they also manage the library space, materials, equipment, budget, and staff (Asselin, Branch, &
Oberg, 2003). The teacher-librarian is committed to program excellence, and actively seeks to continuously
improve upon the library’s program and services (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2003). Providing both physical
and virtual learning environments is essential to the 21st-century school library program. Teacher-librarians
endeavour to create stimulating physical learning spaces where information seeking, collaborating,
communicating, reading, browsing, and use of multimedia formats are accessible to all patrons, while the
virtual library space provides additional services, such as online resources and interactive tools, that are
tailored to the needs of the students (AASL, 2009).

What are the Qualities of Teacher-Librarians?

To fulfill these varied roles effectively, teacher-librarians need to develop and demonstrate certain
competencies. Shannon (2002) concluded that effective communication and interpersonal skills are necessary
for all aspects of teacher-librarians’ work, and Haycock (2010a) found that teacher-librarians need to
maintain positive and productive relationships with their colleagues and be able to communicate a deep
interest and respect for the work of others. They must also have self-confidence, a “tough poise,” and be able
to offer guidance to colleagues with sensitivity, flexibility, and creativity (Haycock, 2010a). According to
Howard (2010), the teacher-librarian must also be a risk taker, be able to create a vision, inspire a sense of
trust, display personal passion, and demonstrate patience. Kimmel, Dickinson, and Doll (2012) argue that
teacher-librarians must be willing to work to stay current, demonstrate ethical behaviour, and embrace
diversity. Summarizing general theories of leadership, Haycock (2010b) concluded that teacher-librarians as
leaders require additional attributes including focus, competence, and to exhibit trust, honesty, and respect.

How do Teacher-Librarians Affect Teaching and Student Learning?

A key trend in the literature is that teacher-librarians play an integral role in teaching and supporting 21st-
century skills (Coker, 2015; Todd, Gordon, & Lu, 2010; Todd, Gordon, & Lu, 2011). In a compendium of
research studies from the United States and Canada, it was concluded that “well-funded school libraries,
staffed by certified school librarians, are transforming into learning centers that equip students with the skills
they need to succeed” (Scholastic Library Publishing, 2016, p. 4). AASL (2009) determined that the teacher-

43
librarian “empowers students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical
users of information” (p. 8). Though they may not be experts in every curriculum area, teacher-librarians are
“uniquely situated to gain a critical overview of the entire curricular landscape” (Harada, 2010b, p. 20),
integrating their knowledge of current educational trends, emerging technologies and resources, and
community connections. Oberg (1999) recognized that teacher-librarians are agents of change in schools
when they implement a program for the first time, make changes to an established program, or participate in
other forms of school improvement. With the presence of a teacher-librarian, the school library has the
potential to be “the most information-rich, inquiry-rich, resource-rich, pedagogically-rich classroom in the
building” (Zmuda & Harada, 2008b, p. 46), which impacts the effectiveness of the school’s teaching quality
and has a significant impact on student achievement (Zmuda, 2006).

What Can School Leaders do about Coaching Librarians?

How do the Roles of Instructional Coach and Teacher-Librarian Compare?
A review of the literature shows that the roles of the instructional coach and the teacher-librarian are similar
in nature. As instructional partners and collaborators, both positions are non-evaluative leadership roles that
strive to raise the quality of teaching practice throughout the school by supporting teachers in designing
effective and engaging learning experiences that increase student success. The instructional coach and the
teacher-librarian are also similar because they are both on-site professional developers who support teachers
in adopting research-based instructional practices. Both roles take a partnership approach to collaborating
with teachers, and work to enable others to be successful in their roles. The skills and dispositions required of
the two roles are also very similar. In order to be effective, the instructional coach and the teacher-librarian
each require strong interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability to develop positive and
trusting relationships with teachers. Each role requires skill in mentoring and motivating adults, a
commitment to lifelong learning, and knowledge of instructional approaches, resources, technologies, support
systems, and assessment across subjects and grade levels.
While the roles, skills, knowledge, and dispositions of the instructional coach and the teacher-librarian
overlap in many areas, it is crucial to recognize that the teacher-librarian has additional training in being a
school library program administrator, information specialist, and literacy expert. Unlike instructional coaches,
certified teacher-librarians have specialized graduate degrees in the field of education, and this training
ensures they are skilled at responding to the 21st century needs of our schools and students. Not to take
advantage of this highly qualified instructional staff member would be to underutilize human resources in the
school building (Church, 2011). Further, while there is currently little research to support the relatively new
coaching model, many studies show that professional certified teacher-librarians positively impact student
achievement when they provide leadership in reaching the school’s mission and learning objectives (Lewis,
2016).

What is the Potential in Combining the Positions of Instructional Coach and Teacher-Librarian?
In recent years, many school administrators have chosen to hire instructional coaches to fulfill the roles of
instructional collaborator and professional development facilitator within the school. When schools opt to
hire instructional coaches over teacher-librarians, their decision leaves the schools without a literacy leader, a
resource specialist, an expert in information literacy, and a trained professional with specialized knowledge in
building flourishing learning commons. In Alberta, for instance, where the movement towards a learning
commons has become mandatory (Alberta Education, 2014), schools are now following guidelines to
establish spaces for collaboration, inquiry, imagination, and play, but they are neglecting to provide the
teacher support needed to lead this deeper learning. This new shift has led to the misguided belief that “it is
the space and not the specialist that is required for 21st century learning” (Zmuda & Harada, 2008a, p. 11).
Unlike instructional coaches, teacher-librarians have the training required to lead this learning.

To meet the needs of our schools today, it makes sense to combine the role of instructional coach and
teacher-librarian. Doing so would efficiently blend the work of the instructional coach with the teacher-
librarian’s expertise in literacy, technology, curricula and information, creating an effective use of time and
resources in the school. The newly designed position of a coaching librarian would amalgamate the skills,
dispositions, and knowledge base of these two roles to create a unique position and a new learning leader in

44
the school. This highly specialized form of instructional coach would work with both staff and students as a
big picture expert in 21st century learning and literacy, with the additional objective of producing students
who are competent in multiple literacies and are effective users of ideas and information.

How Could the Two Roles be Combined Within a School Setting?

A coaching librarian could successfully build the capacity of the school, teachers, and students, but before
this innovative position could be introduced and established within a school, the school leaders would need to
recognize the similar responsibilities, skills, dispositions, and knowledge of both roles and understand the
benefits of a combined position.

Unfortunately, school administrators often have a lack of clarity about the teacher-librarian’s role because
they are unaware of the research behind school libraries and teacher-librarians, and they lack the background
knowledge needed to envision and build strong school library programs (Levitov, 2010). They frequently do
not have a vision for the school library as a powerful learning center, and often “have a limited sense of the
value or possibilities that lie within” (Levitov, 2010, p. 32). Administrators’ perceptions are shaped by a
variety of factors including their own experiences in school libraries as children, the lack of exposure to the
potential of the library in their administrative training, the nature of the teacher-librarian’s work in
empowering and enabling others which results in “occupational invisibility,” and the low profile that teacher-
librarians and school libraries have in professional literature read by administrators due to their specialization
(Hartzell, 2002).

Ironically, school administrators do not generally see themselves as being important players in capitalizing on
the teacher-librarian’s contributions to the school (Hartzell, 2002), yet administrative support is an
overarching theme in the literature surrounding school libraries (Lewis, 2016). Research even shows a strong
relationship between student test scores and the degree to which the principal values and supports the school
library program (Lance, Rodney, & Russell, 2007). While it is unreasonable to expect them to be experts in
every aspect of education, school leaders can increase their understanding of the role and the significance of
teacher-librarians and school libraries by broadening the scope of their professional reading and by
connecting with schools and districts who already have strong school library programs. To show support for
the school library, school leaders can promote the benefits of the program to teachers while encouraging them
to collaborate with the teacher-librarian, avoid assigning tasks and duties that prevent the teacher-librarian
from collaborating, teaching, and keeping the school library open to students, ensure that the school library
operates on a flexible schedule, brainstorm ways to maximize accessibility of the school library for both
students and teachers, and maximize school library staffing and funding (Spinks, 2009). Pioneering the role
of a coaching librarian would require a paradigm shift on the part of school leaders, and a shift “of this
magnitude requires not only rethinking... but also reassessing current practice” (Zmuda & Harada, 2008b, p.
19).

The new position of a coaching librarian would have many of the same goals as the typical instructional
coach, but it would have more of a focus on working with teachers to design, implement, and assess learning
that helps students become effective users of ideas and information, become lifelong learners, and ultimately
21st century global citizens. The coaching librarian would also work directly with students on achieving these
goals, and would administer the school library program while supporting 21st century learning in the learning
commons. This position would also continue to provide the job-embedded professional development for
teachers expected of both the instructional coach and the teacher-librarian, but it would have a stronger
emphasis on literacy skills across the curriculum.

In order to allow the coaching librarian to properly combine the duties of the two roles and to meet the
expectations of the new role, it would be vital to consider the distribution of time for this novel role. Working
under a full-time, flexible schedule would allow the coaching librarian to collaborate with students and
teachers within their varied schedules, and would permit the fluidity demanded of a position with such
diverse responsibilities. To effectively make decisions on policy changes, program administration, and
mission statements, the coaching librarian would need to be a contributing member of the school leadership

45
team. Furthermore, the coaching librarian would be an active participant in school and district committees,
professional learning communities, and division-wide discussions that contribute to school effectiveness and
student learning.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

Words have power, and it is interesting to consider what a label can do to a role. The very similar roles of
instructional coach and teacher-librarian, for example, tend to be perceived quite differently because of the
connotations behind their labels. When one considers the word coach, there is the implication of someone
who pushes us to improve ourselves or who helps us to reach our full potential. The word librarian, on the
other hand, is laden with stereotypes and misconceptions, especially for school administrators whose
perceptions around teacher-librarians tend to be rooted in stereotypical images (Hartzell, 2002). Since school
administrators are often given autonomy in how to distribute funding for school staff, it is important for them
to see beyond the label and recognize how the teacher-librarian’s role is integral to the work of the school
“because the significance of the learning that is conducted in the library is at the heart of the school’s
purpose” (Zmuda & Harada, 2008b, p. 15).

Today, many schools are opting to hire instructional coaches rather than teacher-librarians. While the work of
instructional coaches is necessary and important in modern schools, this hiring decision leaves a critical gap
in the needs of the school. Schools face more challenges than ever before due to increasingly diverse student
populations and the need for a skilled and educated workforce in this global economy. We are at an
unprecedented time in history when students “require development of complex information literacy and
technology skills to succeed, [and] a robust school library program is a prerequisite to success” (Perez, 2010,
p. 73). The skills of the modern teacher-librarian are needed now more than ever. By combining the roles of
instructional coach and teacher-librarian, schools will capitalize on the benefits of the coaching role while
meeting the modern information, literacy, technology, and advocacy needs of students, teachers, and schools
alike.

Together, administrators and coaching librarians can create a new vision. They can leave behind the
stereotypes of the punitive librarian with her scowl, or the introverted librarian with his timidity, and build a
new role for the 21st century. A role in which collaboration and partnership is celebrated, passion for literacy
is made contagious, and enthusiasm for 21st century learning is inspired.
Welcome, coaching librarian.

Additional Resources
American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2009). Empowering learners: Guidelines for school
library programs. Chicago, IL: American Library Association. http://www.ala.org
This publication envisions the school library program of the future, and provides direction in moving beyond
the basics to provide goals, priorities, criteria, and general principles for an effective school library program
that empowers lifelong learning in students.

Coatney, S. (Ed.). (2010). The many faces of school library leadership. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries
Unlimited. https://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx
Through essays contributed by leaders in the field of school librarianship, Sharon Coatney offers insights and
suggestions about the important ways that school librarians provide school leadership, such as in technology,
literacy, curriculum, advocacy, vision, intellectual freedom, collaborative instruction, and staff development.

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand

Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. https://us.corwin.com
Jim Knight describes his approach to instructional coaching and explains the essential skills that instructional
coaches need in order to be successful.

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2016). The many roles of an instructional coach. Educational Leadership, 73(9),
56-60. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership.aspx

46
This article discusses how instructional coaches play a vital role in schools, and describes the varied functions
of this role.

Zmuda, A., & Harada, V. (2008a). Librarians as learning specialists: Meeting the learning imperative for
the 21st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. https://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx
The authors reveal how school library media specialists can serve as leaders in developing learning activities,
situations, and objectives that meet student needs using the school’s mission as a framework.

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Chapter 5

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN TEACHER-LIBRARIANSHIP: TAKING

CONTROL OF OUR DESTINY
Janis Bridger
jbridger@ualberta.ca @TweedsLibrary

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

A bright blue spring sky stretches above a lively group of math educators marching in front of the school
board office. The shedding of warm winter jackets and the emergence of fragile spring blooms indicate new
beginnings, and the initial planning for a new school year that looms ahead. This should be a time for
celebration and excitement, not only anticipating the conclusion of the current school year, but also looking
ahead to a new beginning in the fall. The atmosphere, however, is tense. Signs carrying slogans, such as
“They have cake, now let them have pi!” and “Strength with Numbers” litter the crowd. Protractors, rulers,
compasses and calculators are held high and are being rhythmically moved to the chant, “Math makes
sense!”. Each math teacher is passionate; each is anxious; each is advocating for their position as a
mathematics teacher for the following school year.

Absurd? Perhaps. The prospect that math teachers could find themselves having to advocate for their
positions is unlikely. For teacher-librarians, however, advocacy is a survival tool. My battle to justify the
value of teacher-librarians may have been ignited by the reaction of others when I told them that I was a
teacher-librarian. Comments like, “Oh… do we still need librarians? I thought everything was going digital”
and “Anybody can read stories to kids. Do schools really need special teachers to just read stories to kids all
day?” put me on the defensive and forced me to reflect on my contributions to student learning and school
community. Or, perhaps my fierce need to advocate was born on the picket lines in 2013, as British
Columbian teacher-librarians fought for the reinstatement and guaranteed ratios of specialty teachers,
including teacher-librarians, into our provincial agreement. We bore signs declaring: “Teacher-librarians
should not be seen as a luxury. Every child deserves a teacher-librarian!”. Regardless of what ignited my
passion to advocate for teacher-librarians, I realized how uncertain teacher-librarians’ positions really are and
the explicit need to change stakeholders’ perceptions about qualified teacher-librarians’ contributions to
school communities.

My story is not an anomaly. Each spring, as school administrators examine the enrolment for the next
school, they must decide the amount of teaching time alloted to each department and to specialty teachers.
Many school library programs and many library personnel decisions rest precariously on administrative
shoulders, so to speak. Bates, McClure, and Spinks (2010) explain that “administrators and policy makers

49
give priority to programs they believe that work” (p. 24). Unfortunately, there exist many stakeholders who
have a lack of awareness of, who hold misconceptions about, or who do not perceive teacher-librarians or
school libraries as valuable and multi-faceted resources (Richey & Cahill, 2014, p. 2).

The unstable nature of school library programs and school library personnel is apparent worldwide. School
libraries in Australia and North America have experienced significant challenges in the last two decades.
Lonsdale (2003) reports evidence of the “apparent decline in the numbers of qualified teacher-librarians
employed in school libraries in public schools in Australia” (p. 4), school library budget cuts, and an
increased focus on accountability (p. 4). Qualified teacher-librarians are becoming scarce, as these specialty
positions are not being filled when they become vacant upon retirements, teacher-librarians are being
redirected to fill other needs in the school, and/or library time is being diminished, as teacher-librarians take
on additional responsibilities, such as technology (Lonsdale, 2003, p. 5).

In North America, school libraries have also seen cutbacks in both school library funding and qualified
teacher-librarian positions. The American Association of School Librarians (2014) states that “a number of
states have fewer than half of schools with a full-time certified school librarian and the field has made little
progress in changing that, despite active support in some areas” (p. 4). Oberg (2012) articulates these
deficiencies in Canadian school libraries, reporting that although teacher-librarians are integral in supporting
21st century learning, “many provincial curricula espouse this, but few provinces fund school libraries or
even mention school libraries as a force for improving teaching and learning or for responding to the
demands of a knowledge-based society” (para. 21). Kidder (in Williams, 2011) reiterates the demise in
Canadian school libraries when she states, “this fight is being lost now… school libraries, in particular, are
being closed. Teacher-librarians are being cut.” (p. 4)

The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) (2018) recognizes the positive impact that teacher-
librarians and school library programmes can have on student learning, yet still, many school libraries in the
province “are closed or only open part of the day” (para. 3). While British Columbia’s teacher-librarians have
gained some ground with the positive Supreme Court ruling in the spring of 2017, which reinstated a
guaranteed ratio of teacher-librarian time based on student population, many teacher-librarians are still
having to justify their value, competing with other specialty teachers for limited funding for non-enrolling
teachers at the school level (BCTF, 2017, p. 3). Although the minimum ratio is being honoured, many school
libraries still do not have full-time access to teacher-librarians because of the 1:702 teacher-librarian to
student ratio and a smaller school population. Furthermore, even though teacher-librarians have secured
guaranteed time in schools libraries, there is no guarantee that stakeholders have recognized the multi-faceted
value that teacher-librarians contribute to literacy, student learning, and the school community. Challenges
continue to exist. How can teacher-librarians change the perceptions of our specialized profession?

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

In a world and time when administrators and decision makers are bombarded with curriculum change,
advances in technology, changing support needs for students, and ever-rotating buzzwords in education, there
exists the potential for decision makers to experience information overload and miss specialized research in
education. Now, more than ever, there exists the “need for individual school librarians to take action, to
improve practice, and to make their contributions to student learning clear” (Richey & Cahill, 2014, p. 2).
How can teacher-librarians ensure administrators appreciate their contributions? How can we prove the value
we bring to staff and students through library programmes and our school libraries? From these questions
and challenges emerges the relevance of evidence-based practice in teacher-librarianship.

What is evidence-based practice (EBP)? An overview.

In 2001, Dr. Ross Todd, of Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, proposed a shift
in the school librarianship paradigm, insisting that teacher-librarians become explicitly accountable by
collecting and presenting proof that their programs and their teaching positively impact student learning,
through evidence-based practice (EBP) (DiScala & Subramaniam, 2011, p. 62). Also in 2001, the “No Child
Left Behind Act” and a “teacher accountability infrastructure that focuses on student outcomes” (Stecher,

50
Vernez, & Steinberg, 2010) was introduced in the United States. Thus, emerged the rise of a paradigm shift in
teacher-librarian accountability: from circulation statistics and program documentation to collecting evidence
of teaching practice and explicit evidence of student learning (Barron, 2003; DiScala & Subramaniam, 2011;
Geitgey & Tepe, 2007).

Crumley and Koufogiannakis (2002) state that evidence-based practice is “relatively new” (p. 61) in the field
of elementary and secondary school librarianship and is based on evidence-based practice that originated in
the medical profession (Barron, 2003; Mardis, 2011). Dr. Ross Todd has been widely accepted as the
individual responsible for introducing a model specifically suited for teacher-librarians working in school
libraries. Todd (2009) describes the three branches of EBP: evidence for practice, an informational
component in which “existing research provides the building blocks for professional practice” (p. 89); the
transformational evidence in practice, in which a teacher-librarian collects evidence (p. 89); and finally,
evidence of practice in which formational evidence demonstrates the “impacts and outcomes” as a result of a
teacher-librarian’s “inputs, interventions, activities, and processes” (p. 89). Oatman (2006) likens EBP to a
three-legged stool that includes a leg consisting of empirical research, a second leg, consisting of a school
librarian’s experience and expertise, and the third leg, consisting of measurable data that proves the school
librarian’s impact on student learning (p. 57). More simply, EBP encompasses using available research to
guide teaching practices mindfully, to apply and reflect on teaching practices chosen, and finally, evaluating
and sharing student learning outcomes.

The evidence in evidence-based practice is integral

Using this teaching model, a teacher-librarian's practice is built upon evidence. Todd (2009) explains
explicitly that the evidence in EBP refers to evidence for, evidence in, and evidence of practice, collectively
(p. 89). Although some agree with Todd’s definition, there exists, however, a huge discrepancy in opinions
about the different kinds of evidence that should be used in evidence-based practice. Many school library
professionals recommend the inclusion of both formal and informal evidence in EBP, ranging from empirical
research studies to casual conversations with colleagues or students. Asselin (2002), however, asserts that
formal research should be evaluated when making claims that teaching practice is research-based, as
descriptive and correlational studies lack stringent scientific methods (para. 5). Other professionals even
argue that the name, evidence-based practice, itself is erroneous and should be considered to be correctly
called action research (Lyons, 2009) which can be defined as the actions that an educator makes after
gathering research in order to explicitly improve a particular aspect of his/her practice (Creswell, 2012, p.
577).

Evidence for practice: Empirical research to guide teaching practices

Referring to the original definition of EBP from the medical profession, evidence is drawn from professional
research-based studies (Asselin 2002; Oatman, 2006; Todd, 2009) and a teacher-librarian subsequently
infuses this empirical evidence with his/her expertise to inform his/her teaching. As Todd (2009) describes,
this portion of EBP, evidence for practice, refers to informational evidence that “focuses primarily on
examining and using the best available empirical research to form practices and inform current actions, and to
identify best practices that have been tested and validated through empirical research” (p. 89). The argument
for using empirical evidence as a basis for instructional planning is that the evidence is likely to be peer-
reviewed, systematic, and non-biased (Asselin, 2002). Furthermore, a teacher-librarian can utilize formal
studies and research to guide lesson planning and teaching strategies for instruction of specific skills. For
example, a teacher-librarian may choose to implement lessons using a specific reading strategy that has
proven to be effective in several empirical studies.

Asselin (2002), and Geitgey and Tepe (2007) also articulate that formal studies of students’ achievement
pertaining to the value of teacher-librarians and school libraries can be used as evidence in a teacher-
librarian’s evidence-based practice. Kramer and Diekman (2010) suggest that teacher-librarians become
familiar with the empirical evidence, such as studies conducted by Lance and Schwartz (2012), and Todd and
Kuhlthau (2005), linking student success to school libraries and qualified teacher-librarians, but caution that
this evidence may not have the desired impact on decision-making administrators whose careers may be

51
dependent on students’ academic success (p. 27). Teacher-librarians may be required to present evidence of
their own in order to initiate change and to convince stakeholders and decision-makers of the value teacher-
librarians bring to a particular group of students, through additional supporting evidence in and of their
teaching practice.

Evidence in practice: Observation and feedback to guide teaching practices

Because administrators are invested in their students’ achievement, an implicit need exists for teacher-
librarians to document evidence of their teaching practice and library programmes on their students’ learning.
This aspect of evidence-based practice is a departure from the original definition of EBP from the medical
field, where research-based evidence, coupled with professional expertise and experience leads the medical
professional to practice. In education, many professionals suggest that monitoring student learning through
standardized testing results is a method to collect evidence, and subsequently to link a teacher-librarian’s
impact on student learning (DiScala & Subramaniam, 2011; Geitgey & Tepe, 2007; Oatman, 2006; Pappas,
2008). In British Columbia, the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) is administered each year to all grade
four and grade seven students in the province and examines reading, writing, and numeracy skills (British
Columbia Ministry of Education, n.d.). The results of these assessments and the included school-based
summaries could be used by a teacher-librarian to tailor his/her teaching in order to address weaknesses.
Tracking this data must occur over time and one must recognize that assessment scores could be the result of
interventions other than the teacher-librarian’s instruction or influence.

Many experts in the teacher-librarian profession state that gathering informal evidence on which to base
teacher-librarian practice is also imperative, and an effective way of honouring stakeholders’ wants and
needs. Gillespie (2014) discusses the use of “engaged” and “encountered” evidence in EBP (p. 1). While the
former evidence is information and/or feedback that the teacher-librarian seeks out explicitly (through
surveys, for example), the latter evidence is based on responses or feedback initiated by another and shared
with the teacher-librarian (an email from a parent or a comment made by a student, for example) (Gillespie,
2014, p. 11).

Some professionals, however, argue that using non-empirical evidence dilutes true EBP and the practice
resembles more of an action research model, where the practitioner is also the researcher who uses evidence
to guide teaching and implement change (Lyons, 2009, p. 65). Nevertheless, the majority of school library
professionals acknowledge the value of both formal and informal evidence in evidence-based practice. The
collective body of evidence that a teacher-librarian collects from formal assessments, in conjunction with
observations, self-reflections, and feedback from colleagues, students, and others becomes evidence that, in
turn, informs the teacher-librarian’s practice.

Evidence of practice: Generated data of informed evidence-based teaching practices

According to Todd (2009), EBP and teacher-librarianship also includes the need to collect evidence of
student learning due to teacher-librarians’ program and explicit teaching, or “user-reported evidence” (p. 89).
Referring to Todd’s evidence of learning, a teacher-librarian must plan effective ways to have students
produce evidence so that it can be collected, analyzed, and used to prove a teacher-librarian’s effectiveness.
Historically, teacher-librarians have relied on library statistics, such as circulation numbers and the number of
students using the library at a given time (Bates, McClure, & Spinks, 2010; Geitgey & Tepe, 2007; Oatman,
2006; Valenza, 2015), in order to provide evidence of library use and the need for library staffing. Lagarde
(2014) suggests that in lieu of documenting broad library statistics as evidence, a teacher-librarian may
investigate a handful of students’ library circulation statistics in order to provide evidence of his/her teaching
impact. Although library statistics may still be somewhat pertinent information or evidence, teacher-
librarians are now being called upon to generate, collect, and analyze more pertinent forms of evidence.

Valenza (2015) explains explicitly that this evidence requires “innovative approaches to gathering evidence
and analysis of evidence demonstrate the school librarian’s vision, accountability, and his or her professional
leadership within the educational program” (p. 43). Whether positive or negative outcomes (Geitgey & Tepe,
2007, p. 12), teacher-librarians must archive generated data or evidence that demonstrates his/her impact on

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student learning and achievement. Bates, McClure, and Spinks (2010) suggest that this type of evidence
could be information gathered before and after instruction, in various forms, including pencil and paper tests
or “ticket out the door” activities (p. 25). Richey and Cahill (2014) list the use of “disciplinary logs” (p. 9) as
potential pieces of informal evidence, suggesting that a teacher-librarian may impact students’ behaviour and
consequently, the number of student discipline cases. Evidence of practice comes in various forms and
encapsulates the “measured outcomes and impacts of [a teacher-librarian’s] practice” (Todd, 2009, p. 89).

Evidence-based practice is holistic in nature

Although discrepancies may exist among professionals regarding what consists as evidence in the evidence-
based practice model, evidence can be “informational, transformational, or formational” (Todd, 2009; 2015).
Evidence informs practice, and in turn can inform others of a teacher-librarian’s practice. A professional
consensus is apparent, built on an inherent understanding that within the evidence-based practice in teacher-
librarianship, evidence is holistic, or acquired from many different sources (DiScala & Subramaniam, 2011;
Gillespie, 2014; Todd, 2015). Todd’s tri-pronged definition of ‘evidence’ clearly demonstrates the “holistic
framework” upon which EBP in teacher-librarianship is built. Gillespie also articulates that EBP in teacher-
librarianship is a “holistic experience”(p. 9), rather than a process, while DiScala and Subramaniam (2011)
present “triangulation,” or the use of multiple sources of data in school librarians’ EBP (p. 63). Thus, a
teacher-librarian not only utilizes existing professional evidence to guide teaching practice, but also relies on
collecting local evidence to ensure that his/her teaching practice addresses the specific needs of his/her
students and colleagues.

The role of local data in evidence-based practice

A teacher-librarian not only weaves empirical evidence into his/her practice, but must also generate evidence
to support his/her own impact on students’ learning. The importance of local data in evidence-based practice
is explicitly highlighted by many professionals (Geitgey & Tepe, 2007; Kramer & Diekman, 2010; Richey &
Cahill, 2014; Todd, 2015; Valenza, 2015). In the case of EBP, local data can thus be described as
information that pertains solely to the teacher-librarian’s immediate school community. Teacher-librarians’
own observations or feedback from colleagues become evidence, or local data. This evidence, in turn,
informs a teacher-librarian’s instruction, as he/she can subsequently address specific learning needs and
support for individuals or groups in this local community of learners. Lagarde (2014) also suggests that
teacher-librarians align their teaching to help support their administrators’ learning goals and explicitly
provide evidence of the learning journey towards these school-wide goals. A teacher-librarian benefits from
being familiar with his/her student population and can customize learning opportunities, lessons, and/or
support to best suit the students’ needs.

Local data can include comments, feedback, and observations made by a teacher-librarian or shared with the
teacher-librarian by another member of the school community. This local data can help support schoolwide or
library goals and/or other deficiencies that are observed within the local school population, and where
informed instruction and direct interventions can have impact on the students’ learning. Being mindful not to
forget the library management aspect of a teacher-librarian’s role, local data, especially feedback from staff
and students, can guide a teacher-librarian to modify and improve the library programme and services, as
well as the library collection. Unlike empirical research that may generalize results and findings, the research
may not apply to a specific population. Local data, on the other hand, can guide the teacher-librarian to
address the specific needs of the staff and students with whom he/she works. As Richey and Cahill (2014)
assert, although empirical evidence has a place in EBP, teacher-librarians “usually use more pragmatic ways
of knowing, rather than research-based” (p. 15).

Collecting evidence and assessment of student learning

Teacher-librarians not only use evidence to guide their practice, but also create, gather, and analyze evidence
in order to determine their impact on students’ learning. A baseline measurement, or an informal evaluation
of students’ knowledge before teacher-librarian instruction or intervention, is required, followed by a
measurement after instruction has occurred. In terms of Todd’s model of EBP, assessing students’ learning is

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considered “evidence in practice” (Todd, 2009, p. 89). More simply, how does one know if a teacher-
librarian has had impact on students’ learning?

Within the EBP framework, local data, which can include both formal and informal assessments,
observations, and feedback, can inform instruction, but also create local data (evidence) that can also be used
to demonstrate a teacher-librarian’s impact on the student learning. Using formal assessment results, such as
“state-based testing” or other standardized testing, for one’s school population was highly regarded by some
authors as a method to track student learning over time (DiScala & Subramaniam, 2011; Geitgey & Tepe,
2007; Oatman, 2006; Pappas, 2008). Formal assessments can also be generated within a teacher-librarian’s
practice and curriculum standards may be used as a guide for instruction, student assessments, and library
programme planning (Bates, McClure, & Spinks, 2010; Geitgey & Tepe, 2007; Pappas, 2008; Richey and
Cahill, 2014; Todd, 2015). If student learning success is correlated to either standardized testing or
curriculum outcomes, and more localized reporting on student achievement, such as report cards, then a
teacher-librarian must remain abreast with current student requirements and learning goals.

Informal assessments or evidence in practice within the EBP framework are extremely diverse and can range
from observations, interviews, and surveys (DiScala & Subramaniam, 2011; Richey & Cahill, 2014) to
unsolicited feedback from teachers (Oatman, 2006), students, and/or other stakeholders, and even to “library
organizational data” (Oatman, 2006). Also worthy of being included in a teacher-librarian’s body of
evidence are anecdotal accounts of his/her impact on “social and cultural” aspects of the school community
(Gillespie & Hughes, 2014, p. 29). Journal-writing or blogging can be used to document and synthesize this
evidence, to encourage professional self-reflection, and ultimately, to elicit improved teaching practice.

Regardless of whether a teacher-librarian uses either formal or informal assessments methods and/or tools, an
inherent trait that is woven through EBP is that evidence informs practice. Conklin (2012) asserts,
“evidence-based practice helps us as educators to determine what we are doing right and what needs to
change to improve student learning” (p. 49). It is, therefore, imperative for teacher-librarians to also include
negative data, as well as to analyze and archive the data. Although implementing evidence-based practice
may seem like an overwhelming task, many teacher-librarians have already infused evidence-based practice
into their teaching, perhaps without even knowing it!

What can School Leaders do about…?

Implications for teacher-librarians: What does EBP look like?
With a solid understanding of evidence-based practice in teacher-librarianship, the next step is to incorporate
these ideas into our personal practice. Numerous strategies and tools to incorporate these practices exist, but
can also seem overwhelming. How does a teacher-librarian begin to implement evidence-based practice?
This section will explore examples of evidence for practice, evidence in practice and evidence of practice that
teacher-librarians can begin to integrate into their teaching.

Learning together with journal clubs: Evidence for practice

Mindful of busy schedules, increasing professional demands, and limited time for professional development,
creating a journal club is an ideal way to infuse research into practice, while connecting with like-minded
professionals. Similar to a book club or text-based discussion groups, participants read the same text by a
predetermined date, then meet to discuss the content. Discussion groups can be created online with other
teacher-librarians in personal learning networks (PLNs) or the teacher-librarians in a district could include
this learning component in their monthly meetings.

How do journal clubs work? Before the scheduled meeting, a volunteer selects a relevant article that presents
an “innovative idea” (Hickman & Allen, 2005, p. 642), current research and/or trends that apply to current
school library practice or programming. Participants are expected to read the article and to attend the
meeting prepared to share connections that they have made, questions they have, and any additional
information they have sought out. “Ultimately, professional book [or journal] clubs enhance classroom
practice and thus, student achievement” (Miller, 2003, para. 2).

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Although professional books could be selected for discussion, journal articles offer advantages over more
lengthy texts. Not only are journal articles more likely to be read because of the brevity of the text, but
journal articles could be chosen from professional databases available to district staff and students, thus
eliminating a cost for the literature. Furthermore, while becoming familiar with trends and research in
teacher-librarianship, journal club members also nurture relationships with each other and begin to establish a
common ground for teacher-librarians in the district or within their personal learning network. Miller (2003)
elaborates on the value of journal clubs, describing the sharing and learning that occurs while touring the
different hosting schools and by authentically implementing instructional strategies while mediating a journal
club discussion. Journal clubs invite all teacher-librarians, no matter where they are in their professional
development journey, to engage in informal yet meaningful professional development and to gain a
familiarity with well-respected professionals and research in our field.

Although a group setting often enhances motivation and a high interest article can elicit professional passion,
journal clubs do not exist without challenges. Hickman and Allen (2005) articulate that participation in
journal club meetings can be negatively impacted by “busy schedules” and low attendance, while “moderator
burnout” (p. 643) can also occur when participants are reluctant to volunteer to facilitate discussions.
Similarly, frustration and resentment can occur if meetings are cancelled and if only a handful of people
come prepared for the article discussion. If these and other challenges are abundant, an alternative to an in-
person journal club is to seek out an online personal learning network with whom to discuss professional
articles and current trends.

Social media and digital tools: Evidence for and of practice:

Face-to-face professional development, such as journal club meetings, may not always be feasible.
Fortunately, professional development opportunities are readily available through a click, tap, or swipe of a
device. Digital tools can be used to connect with other school library professionals from around the world, as
well as to use a digital platform to archive evidence of our own professional development and teaching
practices.

Creating a virtual professional learning network that includes school library professionals and resources from
professional library associations (for example, the British Columbia Teacher Librarian Association, Canadian
School Libraries, American Association of School Librarians, and American Library Association) allows a
teacher-librarian to access both formal and informal evidence to guide his/her practice. While one may begin
to peruse online professional resources passively or for consumption only, LaGarde and Whitehead (2012)
articulate that making connections with others, applying knowledge to practice, and making contributions to
online platforms are logical next steps in professional online learning (p.10).

Twitter, blogs, listservs, and webinars are popular social media platforms available to facilitate networking,
resource sharing, and professional development. These digital tools help “break down barriers of isolation”
(Wong, 2013, p. 33) and allow professionals around the world to “go beyond what is known and familiar and
explore new and alternative ideas and opportunities” (Couros & Hilt, 2011, p. 38).

Social media tools are not limited to providing evidence for practice, but can also be used as platforms to
demonstrate a teacher-librarian’s evidence of practice. More specifically, a teacher-librarian may choose to
create a professional digital portfolio to archive professional artifacts, evidence of professional growth, and
self-reflections (Frunzeanu, 2014; Heath, 2002; Keller, 2013). Artifacts can include, but are not limited to
images, videos, examples of lessons and student work, and even professional accolades. An emphatic piece
of advice by many professionals is to include professional and personal reflections that link to the shared
artifacts (Couros & Hilt, 2011; Frunzeanu, 2014; Heath, 2002). “Reflection also gives us the opportunity to
relate our practice to theory, research and best practice, and not just to the items on a standardized evaluation
instrument” (Heath, 2001, para. 7). Frunzeanu (2014), however, cautions professionals that a digital portfolio
should not be ‘scrapbook-like” in nature, but should include explicit connections to curriculum and student

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learning outcomes (p. 118). Whether shared publicly or privately, a digital portfolio becomes documentation
or evidence of a teacher-librarian’s practice over time.

Formative and summative assessments: Evidence in practice

Evidence in practice means that a teacher-librarian recognizes a need and creates a plan to address this
deficiency, while measuring or assessing specific aspects before instruction and then again after instruction.
The impact of a teacher-librarian’s instruction or support is determined by comparing the initial assessment
with the latter assessment. No matter whether the instruction or intervention was positive or negative, the
results of the assessment comparison and the reflection of the process is considered evidence in practice.
Furthermore, teacher-librarians, themselves, are responsible for assessing their own practice, student learning,
and the needs of their school community. This daunting task can be broken up into more manageable chunks;
formative and summative assessment.

The value of teacher-librarians and school library programmes, particularly in American schools, are often
measured by standardized test results (Bartow, 2012, p. 10). Considered summative assessments, these
assessments focus on the final outcomes and are evaluated based on rubrics, specific standards or learning
outcomes. Examples of summative assessment other than standardized testing results include a student’s
final grade on a unit project or test and report card grades. There is merit in using summative assessments to
plan teaching strategies, to establish schoolwide learning goals, and to plan focused instruction of particular
content or skills in future terms or school years (Wallace & Husid, 2017, p. 71). Furthermore, summative
assessment is often documented and a teacher-librarian can access this information to demonstrate his/her
impact on student learning.

Although summative assessments can be a pertinent source of evidence to guide a teacher-librarian’s practice,
other, more meaningful assessments can be used. Formative assessments, often less documented evidence,
should be included in a teacher-librarian’s body of evidence in practice. This type of evidence assesses a
student’s learning “immediately” (Valenza, 2015, p. 42) or in a “timely” (Wallace & Husid, 2017, p.68)
fashion, as the teacher-librarian identifies students’ needs during the learning process. For example, during a
lesson planned to teach kindergarten students how to log onto Chromebooks and access online books, a
teacher-librarian may observe the students’ difficulties with keyboard navigation. Instead of continuing on
with intended lesson, the teacher-librarian may delay the original lesson and plan a lesson that explicitly
addresses keyboard commands such as shift, space, backspace, and enter. A teacher-librarian must get into
the routine of documenting this formative assessment so that they can refer back to this evidence and
demonstrate the impact of their teaching.

Checking understanding with older students can be accomplished not only through observation or student
conferences, but also by using strategies that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts
and skills by using “graphic organizers, journals, exit slips, self-assessments, pair-shares, process portfolios,
and checklists” (Wallace & Husid, 2017, p. 69). Digital tools can also be used to collect information about
students’ understanding of concepts and acquisition of skills. Valenza (2015) and Wallace and Husid (2017)
suggest tools such as Google Forms, socrative.com, and padlet.com among others as digital options for
teacher-librarians to use in order to collect evidence of student learning. Some of these digital tools even
produce graphed data that can be used to present a summary of student reflections of their learning.
Incorporating student self-reflections, guided by clear rubrics at the beginning of the learning process,
encourages students to become accountable for their learning and can also be used as a teacher-librarian’s
evidence in practice (Williams, 2014).

Challenges in producing evidence of student learning pertaining to 21st century skills or core competencies
have surfaced, as educational pedagogy moves from exclusively content-based knowledge to students
nurturing critical thinking, interpersonal, and creative skills (Bartow, 2012, p. 10). Research indicates that as
a profession, more extensive attention must be focused on assessing these skills, particularly for students in
elementary grades and in the upper secondary grades, where there appears to be a lack of appropriate
assessment tools (Siddiq et al. 2016, p. 76). Until more authentic and suitable tools become available to

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assess students’ acquisition of 21st century skills and dispositions, teacher-librarians must use their
professional judgment to observe and document anecdotal evidence of students’ learning.

Many teacher-librarians are already using both formative and summative assessments in our practice, as we
modify our teaching when we observe student learning and detect areas of need. Richey and Cahill (2014)
assert that, “anecdotal evidence such as observations and patron comments, provides immediate feedback and
can guide the school librarian in making necessary program modifications” (p. 15). While historically it has
been sufficient to use anecdotal evidence to modify teaching without recording these teaching adjustments,
documenting this information has become imperative in order to provide supporting evidence on the impact
of student learning on student learning. Recording this evidence can be as simple as writing formative
assessments and teaching adjustments on day plans, lessons, or by recording them digitally immediately after
the lesson or at the end of the day. Consistency will help in locating and retrieving the evidence when the
time comes to summarize and share the evidence to stakeholders. This is a habit that teacher-librarians can
adopt in order to bolster the evidence in their practice.

Surveys and feedback: Evidence in Practice

As a school leader whose decisions often impact the greater school community, a teacher-librarian may
solicit feedback or may be given feedback more informally by students, colleagues, administration, or
students’ families. By keeping documentation of stakeholders’ feedback, addressing the suggestions, and
recognizing positive comments over time, a teacher-librarian can use this information to guide professional
practice. As a teacher-librarian makes decisions based on stakeholder feedback, the documentation of this
process becomes evidence in practice.

Teacher-librarians should consider creating surveys to give to staff, students, and families as an opportunity
for them to provide feedback. Conducting regular surveys with staff and patrons and taking their feedback
into consideration provides a teacher-librarian with evidence of “customers’ experience and needs tracked
systematically over time” (British Columbia’s Institute of Technology, 2014, p. 1). The teacher-librarian, in
turn, can address the data that has been presented by the stakeholders. This information, whether, positive or
negative is invaluable, as the stakeholders can assist in identifying needs or recognizing the positive aspects
of the school library programme, library collection, and the teacher-librarian’s impact on student learning.

What should be included in these surveys? Although a district school library survey template may be
perceived as a good idea, Little (2016) emphasizes that because each school community has distinct needs, “a
universally formatted survey” (para. 3) is ill-advised. However, teacher-librarians may want to create a
shared document of possible survey questions to draw from when designing their surveys. Content ideas for
a survey teacher-librarian’s for colleagues could include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

● Library scheduling/programming
● Library collection; requests, noticeable deficiencies, popular items, etc.
● Curriculum areas that need support / goals for the following year
● Feedback on collaboration; both things that worked well / successes, as well as areas that need
modification
● Feedback received from students and/or families about the school library

Student surveys about the school library can be effective, valuable tools to collect evidence (Little, 2016;
Colorado Department of Education, 2015) and “improve [...] student engagement overall” (Little, 2016, para.
1). Online survey tools may be effective for older students, whereas young students may respond more easily
to simple pencil and paper or in-person oral surveys. In order to include students’ families, a link to surveys
could be included through an electronic newsletter or through the school library website.

Electronic surveys, such as Google Forms and SurveyMonkey.com (Little, 2016; Valenza, 2015), provide
online platforms for stakeholders to respond anonymously and to provide honest feedback for teacher-
librarians. These tools also have the capability of generating graphs and visual summaries of the information

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submitted on the surveys, which can then become useful evidence for a teacher-librarian to, in turn, share
with stakeholders. By critically evaluating and summarizing the surveys results, a teacher-librarian can
evaluate his/her effectiveness and build “an extensive understanding of [the school] community’s needs”
(New Mexico State Library, 2018, para. 1).

More informally, teacher-librarians may receive unsolicited feedback from stakeholders that should be
considered and recorded as evidence in practice. Gillespie (2014) considers this unexpected feedback,
“encountered evidence” (p. 1). She elaborates, stating, “accidental finding is a serendipitous encountering of
evidence, usually in unexpected places, whereas accidentally receiving evidence is sourcing evidence from
another party” (Gillespie, 2014, p. 25). This evidence can include receiving emails from students’ parents, a
colleague or student requesting a particular resource for the library, or commenting on library hours or
services. A teacher-librarian can capitalize on this chance information by addressing these needs, concerns,
and/or praises. Archiving emails and documenting comments and requests allows the teacher-librarian to
keep an organized record to refer back to when changes in practice have been made. Follow-up with
individuals who provide this feedback can then be used to demonstrate that a teacher-librarian incorporates
stakeholders’ recommendations and successes into his/her practice.

Regardless whether information from stakeholders is requested by a teacher-librarian or accidentally

stumbled upon through conversation or other means of communication, the evidence should be documented
so that patterns of feedback can be established. By recognizing our community’s input and applying these
suggestions to our practice, we demonstrate evidence in our practice. Synthesis of the evidence, coupled with
self-reflection, will prepare the teacher-librarian to share the evidence of his/her practice with others.

Monthly Newsletters and End of the Year reports: Evidence of practice

An unread book, that collects dust sitting on a shelf is a book not worth having. Similarly, if the evidence
that a teacher-librarian has invested time and effort in collecting and summarizing is only seen by that
individual, the evidence becomes wasted. However, just as the book that is dusted off and showcased, when
a teacher-librarian shares his/her collected evidence, others are likely to pay some attention to it. What is
often invisible becomes highlighted. Suddenly, a teacher-librarian’s impact on student learning and on a
school’s community can be recognized and acknowledged. The data collected in practice becomes evidence
of practice, as a teacher-librarian uses a newsletter to “communicate, educate, and advocate” (Sims, 2016, p.
28).

Monthly school newsletters, either digital or print, are venues in which teacher-librarians can share evidence
of their practice with students’ families, other educators, and administrators. “A newsletter affords the
opportunity to connect student learning in the library to relevant standards or school improvement plan goals
(Sims, 2016, p. 29), while creating a papertrail of a teacher-librarian’s library programming and contributions
to student learning. Pappas (2006) suggests that a teacher-librarian explicitly ask students’ families what they
would like to know about the school library programme (p. 9) and then, address these topics in a library
newsletter. Topics or themes that could be included in the library portion of the newsletter are:

● Library programming with connections to curriculum and core competencies

● “Technology supporting the curriculum” (Sims, 2016, p. 31)
● Literacy-building activities in the library and supporting activities for home
● Information about digital literacy, information literacy, visual literacy
● Student data (Lagarde, 2014), such as examples of student learning or collaborative learning
● Upcoming library events or opportunities

Year-end or annual reports: Evidence of practice

Creating an annual or year-end report is another way to showcase a teacher-librarian’s evidence of practice.
Again, evidence collected throughout the year is reflected upon and summarized in a document that can be
shared with stakeholders, including administration, colleagues, students and their families, and school boards.

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Lagarde (2013) suggests that a teacher-librarian share his/her annual report with the entire school community,
including on social media platforms, such as a website or Twitter.

According to Jensen (2008), by creating an annual report, a teacher-librarian not only fosters communication
with administration, but also “helps the librarian determine how well the program meets the information
needs of school patron” (p. 29). What this means is that a year-end report should highlight the evidence that
demonstrates how the school library programme and the teacher-librarian has supported student learning. A
mistake that is often made is that these school library reports often showcase wonderful events and displays
from the year in the library, but lack the information that is most relevant to stakeholders: student
achievement and success (Lagarde, 2013; National Library New Zealand, n.d.; Sims, 2016, p.29). Sims
(2016) states explicitly, “we should never advocate for the librarian or the library program but rather for our
students” and focus on “why the library is vital to student learning” (p. 29). A teacher-librarian’s annual
report could include, but are not limited to:
● Library programme and teacher-librarian instruction in connection to the curriculum and core
competencies, along with students’ successes and areas to build upon.
● Students’ information, digital, and visual literacy, as well as technology skills. Specific examples of
student growth in and understanding of these specialized areas of learning.
● Student use and acquisition level of available technology.
● Documentation of teacher learning, facilitated by teacher-librarian collaboration and/or professional
learning opportunities.
● Leadership opportunities and socio-emotional support, for all students, but especially highlighting
how the school library is inclusive and supports vulnerable students and students with special needs
and/or behaviour challenges.
● Evidence of community-building through library programming and collaboration.
● Goals for the following school year, either to address school goals, weaknesses, or to build upon the
past year’s work.
●
With the luxury of many 21st century tools available, a teacher-librarian has a plethora of platform choices
for a year-end report, from traditional word-processed documents, or in-person conferences, to digital
platforms that support embedded evidence such as links, images, video. Regardless of the report platform, a
teacher-librarian should be mindful of some general guidelines so that the intended audience is engaged,
informed, and ultimately, recognizes the impact that the teacher-librarian and his/her library programme has
on student learning and the school community. Lagarde (2011; 2017) and Jensen (2008) remind teacher-
librarians to create a concise report that explicitly addresses both student learning and the school’s goals.
Administrators have many responsibilities and teacher-librarians should make every effort not burden them
with lengthy, time-consuming reports. The reports should be aesthetically pleasing and can include visuals
such as images, charts, or graphs (etc.) to share information (Jensen, 2008; Lagarde, 2011; Lagarde, 2014;
National Library of New Zealand, n.d.). Finally, Jensen (2008) suggests that the report be accessible to all
and therefore, should not include “library jargon” (p. 31) that could exclude potential readers of the report.
Both Valenza and Lagarde provide examples of school library annual reports that can be used as guides.

Regardless of the year-end report style, a teacher-librarian should consider including annual or year-end
reports by collecting evidence throughout the school year, summarizing and reflecting on the evidence, and
nurturing consistent, open communication with administrators.

Using EBP for advocacy

While British Columbian teacher-librarians have been positively affected by the Supreme Court ruling that
has brought some security to school library positions (Naylor, 2017), I believe that it would be detrimental if
we stop advocating for teacher-librarian positions and school library programmes. Teacher-librarians should
be encouraged to continue incorporating evidence into their practice and to share evidence with their school
community and their professional community. Collecting and reflecting on evidence for, in, and of practice
is best practice. Evidence-based practice can also be used as a proactive approach to advocate for our unique
teacher-librarian positions and library programmes. Making evidence-based practice an integral part of

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practice every year creates documentation of our professional contributions to student learning and allows us
to remain on our stakeholders’ radar.

What is advocacy?
Defined by the American Library Association (2007), advocacy is the “on-going process of building
partnerships so that others will act for and with you, turning passive support into educated action for the
library program” (para. 2). Advocacy is demonstrating professional accountability, leadership, and creating a
deliberate plan to communicate with stakeholders. Evidence-based practice is an ideal method in which to
advocate for ourselves, and teacher-librarians, in general. As we become more visible and stakeholders
become more aware of our positive impact on students’ learning and the school community, we will garner
more support and become a more recognized part of the leadership team.
How to do we share our evidence for advocacy?
In addition to sharing our evidence with stakeholders through social media platforms, and regular newsletters
and annual reports, there are other methods in which to share our evidence-based practice. Barsky (2009)
suggests that, at times, inviting stakeholders to participate in journal clubs may be warranted when topics are
relevant. In turn, this becomes a piece of advocacy for teacher-librarians as they demonstrate authentic
professional development and an opportunity to work with others invested in school libraries. Advocacy can
also be achieved more subtly by demonstrating lifelong learning, being leaders, participating on school and
district committees, and by creating learning opportunities for both students and staff. Ultimately, advocacy
can be achieved any time that we can exhibit achievements in our students’ learning and our positive impact
on school community.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

Although some teacher-librarians worldwide have already embodied EBP into their teaching, I suggest that
EPB has not yet become a widely-recognized concept, nor is it a required component for teacher-librarians in
British Columbia. How can we incorporate the practices that our teacher-librarian colleagues are already
using into our own daily work? Integrating EBP needs to be deliberate and well-planned. Teacher-librarians
can begin the journey toward evidence-based practice by focusing on four broad concepts: documentation,
collaboration, self-reflection, and communication.

Documentation
Teacher-librarians must establish a method to document the evidence, so that this practice becomes a habit
and so that the evidence is organized and easy to retrieve. Lagarde (2017) suggests that creating a folder
dedicated to evidence that remains on the computer desktop is a method to file and access evidence. Other
professionals suggest documenting evidence using digital tools, such as blogs or websites (Couros & Hilt,
2011; Wong, 2013). Another method is by keeping notes directly on a day plan or lesson plan.
Summarizing evidence continuously through the year (at the end of a week or month, for example) will likely
make year-end overviews easier to manage. Regardless of the method of documentation, a teacher-library
must ensure that evidence is documented consistently and easy to locate.

Collaboration
Although teacher-librarians often work in physical isolation of each other, we must create opportunities to
connect and collaborate with each other either in person or virtually. Attending teacher-librarian meetings
and conferences, as well as participating in online forums or social media platforms dedicated to teacher-
librarians are examples of how a teacher-librarian can collaborate with other school library professionals. By
collaborating and building a personal learning network, we can share ideas, resources, templates, and most
importantly, the passion for what we do. Evidence-based practice becomes more manageable and less
intimidating when we can work together.

Self-reflection
Collecting evidence without reflecting on what this information means is insufficient. We must examine the
accumulated evidence and determine how this information will influence changes we make to our practice,
and in turn, impact our students and school community. As professionals who foster learning and personal

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growth in our students, we, ourselves, must emulate what we teach and become introspective in order to
further develop as teacher-librarian professionals. Being able to use both positive and negative evidence
from our practice to make changes is an essential component of EPB.

Communication
While careful not to be boastful, teacher-librarians have been challenged to make their teaching contributions
more transparent and tangible to our stakeholders to ensure that the value we bring to our school communities
is recognized. We must create and nurture consistent paths of communication with our stakeholders, in order
to share honest information of our practice and to help build strong learning communities. This
communication becomes our advocacy for both our students and our school library programmes and positions
(Pappas, 2006). Additionally, teacher-librarians should continue to foster communication with other teacher-
librarians, both locally and globally, to strengthen our specialized position.

The practice of using, collecting, creating, reflecting upon, summarizing, and sharing evidence for, in, and of
practice should be adopted by all teacher-librarians. Regardless of what motivates a teacher-librarian to adopt
the elements of evidence-based practice, this conscious shift in his/her teaching incorporates accountability,
advocacy, and best practice. Ideally, as more teacher-librarians become aware of EBP and integrate this into
their teaching practice, our voices will be heard, our contributions to the school community will be recognized,
and the challenges we face to defend both our positions and library programmes will diminish.

Teacher-librarians do not want to have to raise signs with slogans such as, “How Dewey support our
students? Let us count the ways”, “Stop ‘boolean’ teacher-librarians!”, or “Our fight is non-fiction!”, to
advocate for our school library programmes. Let the evidence for, in, and of our practice do the talking. Join
the movement toward evidence-based practice and let us see what positive things will flourish!
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Chapter 6

WHY SHOULD SCHOOL LEADERS CARE ABOUT THE LIBRARY AS

SPACE AND PLACE?
Amanda Chan
ahc.chan@gmail.com

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

Imagine, if you will, a slightly chubby, nine-year old Asian girl. She’s a little shorter than the other kids her
age, and she’s wearing a pair of huge red and gold-rimmed glasses that take up half her face. She has a
thing for colorful spandex pants and is rather attached to a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt at least a few sizes too
big for her. She runs around in a pair of well-worn Nike high tops because Nike was, and still is, her
cousin’s favorite gift for birthdays and Christmases.

Now imagine this chubby little Asian girl sitting at her Grade 4 desk, feet swinging and eyes wandering
outside. She’s thinking of all the games she could play with her friends when the bell went for recess, and
finally, it rings. She races down the hall, but not in the same direction as everybody else. While her
classmates rush to grab any soccer ball, basketball or skipping rope available, this student makes her way to
her favorite place--the library. You see, as much as this chubby little Asian girl loves being outside, she
spends most of her recesses and lunches in her school library. Why? Because she’s allergic to nearly all
forms of pollen native to her hometown. Instead, she helps the librarian shelve books–-picture books and
chapter books to start and then the non-fiction books. Slowly, she becomes very close friends with the Dewey
Decimal system. She spends many days amidst the book stacks until high school when at last her allergies
finally wane enough to allow her outside.

Yes, that chubby little Asian girl was me. Having extreme allergies meant I was taking extra strength pills
before my age was even in double digits. Sports Day was a day I dreaded above all others. Even though I
still had fun, the end of day was always marked with a stuffed nose, puffy eyes, and labored breathing. At the
same time, my allergies also allowed me to be consistently surrounded by my favorite things–books and that
was something I never complained about.

For me, a library has always been synonymous with my safe haven. As a young child, I loved being
surrounded by fairy tales, knights and princesses, and anything else that helped my imagination create more
diverse and elaborate worlds. As I grew older, I escaped into chapter books and allowed my imagination to
run wild. Coming up with my own worlds was my favorite time in Language Arts--I knew anything was
possible.

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In high school and university, I am a bit ashamed to say, I was not as loyal to my library, choosing instead to
browse Chapters and build my personal library. It wasn’t until I got the opportunity to be a teacher-librarian
that I rediscovered my deep passion for all things literary. When I started putting away books during that
first month on the job, all the incredible memories came back--hiding in the corner with an adventure book,
laughing at comics, and blushing at my first “romance” books where the boy and girl finally kissed. I had
such fond memories from my childhood, and I realized that I would love nothing more than to share this with
my students.

When I started my Master of Education program, I admit I wasn’t completely sure what I was getting into. Of
course, I loved reading, and I know from personal experience that teacher-librarians can help make anybody
feel at home in the library; however, I had never really thought of the importance of the idea of space and
place until near the end of my coursework. In a class called “Children and Place,” I learned that an
environment is not just who and what is in the space, but it is the connection between the person and the
space that really makes it a place.

Sturm comments that children need a place of their own, and that they “need this sense of control over
elements in their lives, which are often dominated by other people’s rules and regulations” (2008, p. 47) and
“giving children control over their spaces serves as the prelude to giving them control over their stories” (p.
53). This needs to be a priority for elementary teacher-librarians as “childhood is often the first place where
we begin to see and use the environment imaginatively” (Strong-Wilson & Ellis, 2007, p. 40). Furthermore,
it is also the time when children start becoming comfortable with the spaces around them and creating their
own perspectives and opinions. As teachers, one of our main goals is to create a safe learning environment
for our students so they can allow themselves to be open to a variety of learning situations. While creating a
classroom that is a safe space is a common concern for teachers, this is no less true for other spaces in the
school.

The concept of space and place is even more important in the library because it is a room shared by all
students, students, teachers, administration, and guests. Many people think about the library as the heart and
soul of a school--a space that not only looks warm and comforting, but also feels warm and comforting for all
those that visit it.

In this chapter, I will look at the research focused on space and place, and I will explore how the connection
between children and the library space can create a library place that can provide a positive influence on
children’s school experience. I firmly believe an elementary school library space should be a place that
supports children’s learning and growth; my inquiry into space and place will help me to learn how to
achieve this.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

In many ways, the terms ‘space’ and ‘place’ have been used interchangeably. The Merriam-Webster
dictionary defines space as “the amount of an area, room, surface, etc… that is empty or available for use” or
“an area that is used or available for a specific purpose.” Merriam-Webster also defines ‘place’ as a “physical
environment”, or “a particular region, center of population or location.” While these specific definitions do
not identify a clear difference between the two terms, for a student, ‘space’ and ‘place’ can be miles apart.

The elementary school library has sometimes been considered a space of absolute quiet, a space where rules
are paramount, and a space that is not for fun or for using the imagination. Today, there is more interest in
encouraging students to take the library space and make it their own place. As Ellis comments, “space
becomes place when it is invested with meaning by those who spend time in it” (2005, p. 58).

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What is Space? What is Place?
Our ideas of ‘space’ can be entirely objective: a kitchen table or a classroom desk can be just physical objects
and a library can just be a location. Elmborg notes that “when we talk about library space, we are usually
talking about buildings” (2010, p. 338) and, for many students, a library is simply another room in their
school, despite any endeavors of their teacher-librarians to make it an inviting place. However, contemporary
teacher-librarians understand the “emerging emphasis on the feeling of library space and the importance of
managing that space to attract and hold library users” (Elmborg, 2010, p. 340).

Relph explains that while space easier to understand as just a physical location, place is more special with
meaning and character (cited in Rasmussen, 2004, p. 165). Likewise, Tuan describes space as being more
abstract and non-specific while place is lived experience with different and specific meanings (cited in
Rasmussen, 2004, p. 165). The connection between a person and a place is built over time and “individual
and collective identities are bound to place at multiple scales” (2005, p. 56). According to Yuan, a variety of
persons can relate to one place in a variety of ways. She also notes that the idea of place is fluid, dynamic,
and constantly changing. It is “understood not as merely a location in physical space, but as a human
conception and habitual site of human activity” (2005, p. 58). Limberg and Alexandersson add that “place
and space are of great existential significance for people [because] they give the person his or her identity”
(2003, p. 4).

Ellis observes that she has “often witnessed how the places of children’s everyday lives have limited their
opportunities for nurturance, growth, and learning” (2004, p. 23). Going to school is not always the most
stimulating or enjoyable activity for children and, in many cases, students arrive in the morning and are
quickly hustled to their seats where they stay for the majority of the day. Often, their only reprise is recess
time or lunch time when they are released from their desks and get the opportunity to run around outside.
Gussow defines place as a “piece of the environment that has been claimed by feelings” (cited in Sturm,
2008, p. 47). This is evident when students rush to a particular part of the playground to start their play with
friends.

The Reggio Emilia approach, founded by psychologist Loris Malaguzzi, shortly after World War II puts
students in the center of schooling and encourages them to take control of learning by engaging with their
environment. With this approach, named after the Reggio Emilia villages in Italy, “floors, walls and ceilings
become blank canvases to be erased and drawn upon” (Wexler, 2004, p. 14). The Reggio Emilia approach
focuses on taking the classroom into nature, and it advocates that “teachers pay close attention to the myriad
of ways that space can be made to ‘speak’ and invite interaction” (Strong-Wilson & Ellis, 2007, p. 41).
Strong-Wilson and Ellis point out that “children will often find uses for objects and spaces that adults do not
anticipate or intend” (2007, p. 43). ‘Space’ as a location can become much more than that, with the support of
educators that allows students to claim these environments as their own ‘places.’

What a Children’s Place looks like to an Elementary Student

Childhood is often the time where imagination is the most liberated. Anything within arm’s reach can be used
to support a child’s thoughts and ideas. This wonderful ability allows children to take spaces and create their
own personal places. Sturm refers to these personal places as ‘secret spaces’ which “serve as mirrors in which
children can explore themselves and play with identities, while at the same time they act as windows to the
real world” (2008, p. 47). Rafste uses the term ‘porous room’ which is “a space where users can themselves
influence and form the context” (2005, p. 9). Such imagination can take form in a blanket fort in the living
room, or a treehouse in a backyard, or a space in the library, but a place for one student does not necessarily
mean the same thing to another. Rasmussen notes that “children’s places are created in different contexts”
(2004, p. 166), so what is sacred to one child may not be to another. What all ‘children’s places’ have in
common is that they mean something to someone.

Strong-Wilson and Ellis comment that “place is a source of meaning, belonging, and identity largely due to
the relationships facilitated by bonds” (2007, p. 43). These authors point to the difference between children’s
places and places for children. They argue that places for children are created by adults and structured and

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planned according to specific guidelines and regulations. Children’s places, however, are created by children
and this where they invest their time, energy and imagination (Tupper & Ellis, 2007, p. 43). Often at school,
children choose the outdoors for their selected ‘place’ because recess and lunch times are often their only
time away from adults. Sturm notes that for a child, these places “[feel] both connected (internally to place
and self) and disconnected (externally from rules, adults and daily routines), and the child retains the power
to observe the world without being observed by the world” (2008, p. 47). A school library can provide this
space for children to create their place.

Why should Teacher-Librarians Encourage Children’s Places?

In short, because students need a place for themselves and a elementary library can provide that. Malone
observes that many generation Z children (those born after 1991) are constantly controlled and monitored by
their parents. She notes “some parents, in pursuit of providing their children with a ‘good start’ or even ‘an
edge’ to their prospective adult life, heavily schedule their children’s private lives with non-school time
squeezed between formal lessons” (2007, p. 516). For many children, even when they are out of school and
out of the formality of education, they are still under a strict schedule, sometimes down to the minute. As a
location that students can visit regularly, the school library should be able to provide some much-needed
freedom. According to Kelley-Mudie, “the library is … a place to pursue both academic and personal
interests, a place to meet and work with peers, but also a place to find quiet” (2014, p. 56). Johnston and
Bishop add that a library “provides a place where students can feel acceptance and a sense of community or
social affiliation” (2011, p. 3).

Teacher-librarians need to help create a more positive and supportive environment for children so that they
feel comfortable creating their own place in the library. Sturm points out that children invest a lot of time in
their creations and need to have the flexibility and opportunity to express their creativity and this could mean
something as simple as allowing them to move furniture around when possible (2008, p. 49). In an
elementary school, this means that students should have spots for quiet reading and work, as well as spots for
collaboration and conversation because both forms of interaction should be encouraged in a library. Strong-
Wilson and Ellis (2007) note that “because children’s experiences are limited by the places they inhabit, it is
vitally important that we pay attention to those places” (p. 43). Rasmussen adds “the concept of place should
not be underestimated in theorizing children’s everyday life” (2004, p. 171).

Ellis notes “it is important to consider whether classrooms and schools are places that support community and
positive identities for students” (2005, p. 57) and that “the classroom as a place isn’t just the walls and
furniture, but rather the whole experience that results from the way people inhabit it” (p. 58). Having a deep
relationship with school, and the library, can promote healthy and positive choices for our students, and for
their future. Dressman adds that schools “bear the formal responsibility in modern industrial societies for
providing children with the skills and beliefs they will need to become productive citizens of the future”
(1997, pp. 268-269). Framed in this way, students have the ability to create a place, and places have the
ability to help students construct a positive identity.

Places are important for high school students as well. Tupper, Carson, Johnson and Mangat (2008) studied
high school students and their negotiation of space and citizenship. They suggest the building of student
places is connected with responsible citizenship and with negotiations of individual identities. They argue
that, while there is much attention paid to the formal curriculum and framing it in competencies and
responsibilities, there is much less attention paid to the physicality of a school (p. 1067). There is a need to
complete the curriculum, of course, but topics such as social responsibility and social awareness can be
learned anywhere in the school. Tupper et al. mention that “possibilities exist for students to negotiate
emerging identities and to explore understandings of what it means to enact citizenship in myriad spaces
beyond the classroom” (2008, p. 1066). Although they are speaking of a high school setting, it is clear that
this happens in an elementary school as well. In playgrounds, students negotiate mutual friends and practice
citizenship with each other both inside and outside school walls. Johnston and Bishop note Bush, saying that
relationships with other students and the community lead to “a type of ‘safe haven’ or a ‘sanctuary’ for

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mutual respect, openness, acceptance, and tolerance, or security” (2011, p. 3-4). There is no reason this
cannot happen in an elementary library as well.

Soeiro mentions her school library is a shared space for staff, students, parents and the community, and she
takes this advantage of this to encourage self-reflection. She chooses books appropriate for discussing social
responsibility, because “these books allow us not just to look at an injustice singularily but also examine the
greater social context that created it” (2016, p. 43). Her school library supports students in creating their own
places by providing a space for them to interact with one another while exploring their interests. We can do
the same in our own libraries by engaging students and encouraging their part in social justice, citizenship,
and the understanding of other cultures.

Considering that each school usually has a varied and multicultural population, teacher-librarians cannot just
choose any book to add to the collection. Rather, “while attempting to develop internationally diverse
collections and support global citizenship, teacher-librarians must try to encompass as many different cultures
and values as possible” (Reid & Roulston, 2013, p. 328). When students can see themselves reflected in the
literature, they can feel more welcome and supported by those around them.

The public library can also support students in creating their own places: “such spaces provide traditional
support materials, facilities and staff knowledge as support materials to assist them in their learning,
adventuring and investigations into creativity and knowledge” (Boyle, Collins, Kinsey, Noonan, & Pocock,
2016, p. 33). Like an elementary library, a public library welcomes a variety of people and cultures and
should be maintained as a supportive and inclusive place for everyone and “in order to meet these
needs…school libraries must consider the cultural, physical, and social aspects of their users” (Johnston &
Bishop, 2011, p. 4).

What can School Leaders do about…?

Mi notes that in public libraries have “a new role of serving as social spaces for community engagement and
of learning, thinking, and reading, where people can share their experiences, knowledge, and ideas” (2015, p.
26). The same can be said for elementary school libraries since “most elementary schools place a strong
emphasis on literacy, self-directed education, and collaborative learning and teaching styles” (Wernick, 2011,
p. 26).

Teacher-librarians can work towards providing a space and a place for students in an elementary library by
observing, by listening and learning with students, and by listening and learning with other library
professionals. Johnston and Bishop note that “teacher librarians, as information professionals, should lead the
way in utilizing available data sources to meet the needs of their users and utilize all tools available to learn
about students’ needs, including their environment external from the school” (2011, p. 5). An elementary
school library is a room with multiple purposes and multiple users--students, teachers, administrators, and
parents, and all of them are from different walks of life. Teacher-librarians need to be aware that a library
cannot be static: both the space (the physical entity) and the place (the emotional entity) of the room need to
be maintained.

To start, Houston suggests creating a core purpose statement which “states the most fundamental role of the
organization which distinguishes it from other institutions, companies, or services” (2015, p. 85). Teacher-
librarians can frame their core purpose around creating a space that encourages positivity, creativity, and
imagination and then begin to change the space and place accordingly.

Observing
For students to truly connect with the library, they must first feel comfortable and excited about the room
itself. Working in an elementary library for the past few years, I’ve found that visuals are important. In any
primary classroom, there are posters on the walls, bins in a variety of colours and labels on all surfaces.
Teachers do this because this is what ‘hooks in’ younger students, and it provides them with direction. This
approach is important for an elementary library. Rotating models, displays and posters are key to starting

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conversations and making the classroom a ‘happy’ place to be because “if the settings in the school library
are designed for certain purposes, the school library will be experienced in accordance to those settings”
(Limberg & Alexandersson, 2003, p. 12).

Houston comments that “we have a longstanding tradition of library spaces being beautiful as well as
utilitarian … we want libraries to fill our aesthetic desires” (2015, p. 84). At my own school, a very
thoughtful Special Education Assistant changes my large display board every season, and I’ve found students
are eager to see what comes next. This past year, I’ve taken to removing certain book covers and laminating
them to display on my walls and that has created mass ‘wait-lists’ for a few particular picture books. As
Demas & Scherer note, “the quantity of space in a library is not as important as the quality” (2002, p. 68) and
in many cases, the quality of space can be improved with just a little time and planning.

When I began my position as teacher-librarian, I was disappointed to see how uncoordinated the library
seemed. Bookshelves didn’t match, and much of the furniture was crowded into the corners of the room. For
me, one of the most fundamental factors in a library is whether the space is suited for its users. Elmborg notes
that “learning [is] a constructive process, which has encouraged us to redesign schools and libraries to foster
collaborative learning and active learning” (2011, p. 339) and Hyman adds “planning a center of teaching and
learning means restructuring existing notions about libraries as storage spaces” (2014, p. 17).

In a study by Raftse, she notes that some schools use the library for academic purposes or leisure purposes
whereas others use the library for both at the same time (2005, p. 10). My goal was for both purposes to be
present in the library at the same time--some students could be reading quietly while others were actively
using their imagination. Keeping this in mind, and knowing I had limited funding, I rearranged the furniture
to create better flow throughout the room and to improve upon open spaces for students. For younger students
especially, shelves need to be at an appropriate height, chairs cannot be too big or high, and most importantly,
there needs to be some form of space that children can claim as their own. This could be a set of couches, a
carpet with cushions or pillows, or even a bunk bed for children to sit and read on (and under!). Boyle et al.
reminds us that “each creative space is unique and reflects the needs and passion of its community and
organising body” (2016, p. 31) and, as leaders in the library, we need to remember that “spaces and materials
are designed and chosen to be flexible enough for children to invent new purposes for them” (Wexler, 2004,
p. 14).

In some cases, this may mean the library needs to undergo a complete makeover. I understand that such
‘makeovers’ are rarely possible all at once, even in schools in affluent communities. I only purchase one
large scale item per year and only if needed. Most of my budget is reserved for maintaining the book
collection for my students and teachers and while I understand this is an important part of my job, there are
other aspects that take a higher precedence. Boyle et al. point out that “creative spaces are not defined by the
equipment and tools they provide … or the activities they run, but by the principles of self-directed learning,
knowledge sharing and community building” (Boyle et al., 2016, p. 31). Limberg and Alexandersson add that
“school libraries could be designed to enhance the learning process by nurturing mind, body, and spirit”
(2003, p. 14). To do this, we also must look at more than just what is in the building.

Johnston and Bishop comment that “it is necessary for the teacher librarian to learn as much about the
community and the various environments and their students come from” because “how a school library
defines its place, including its collection, services, and the total room environment, defines how students may
create their own sense of place” (2011, p. 6). This could include just stepping out of the library and taking a
walk around school property to see what the students see. What are many of the students interested in? Are
there common hobbies among girls / boy / intermediates / primaries? Are there international students?
Where are they from and what would they like to learn about Canada? All these queries allow a teacher-
librarian to connect with the students and more importantly, it shows we are listening and learning.

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Listening and Learning with Students
Sanacore says “watching children in the school library and in the classroom helps educators gauge individual
strengths and needs” (2006, p. 25). Teacher-librarians need to listen to students in order to help them find
their place in the library. While it’s true that students may first be drawn to their physical surroundings, it is
also important to build trusting and positive relationships. If a student can feel comfortable with their teacher-
librarian, there is a much bigger chance they will also see the library as a place rather than just a space. This
can begin with something as simple as greeting students at the door and starting conversations with them.

As a teacher-librarian who encounters nearly 450 students a week, I know it is imperative for me to foster
these relationships right from the first time I meet them. With younger students, especially those in
Kindergarten and those who are new, I make a point to welcome them and to ask them questions. Do they
have an older sibling already at our school? Do they have a pet? What is the one thing they’re looking
forward to this year? I make sure they understand that if they have any questions about anything, they are free
to ask me and I will answer as best I can. In my experience, just these few words can help build the base of a
trusting relationship. As these relationships grow throughout the years, students begin to connect that feeling
of welcomeness and openness to the library, and they can start to create a place within the library. These
relationships may begin with a question, but are enhanced and built with more than just the check-books-in-
check-books-out interaction: there also needs to be conversation.

Teacher-librarians need to have the ability to chat. When a student is wandering around the room, ask
questions and listen to their answers. What kinds of books do they enjoy? Are they more of a Harry Potter
fan or a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan? What would they like to see in the library? What kinds of holidays and
events do their families come together for? Conversations like these not only help the teacher-librarians
create a diverse and relevant library collection, but they can give students a feeling of involvement. Giving
students the opportunity to voice their opinions, thoughts, and choices is important because “student choice of
reading material is essential to student engagement in pleasure reading” (Guldager, Krueger & Taylor, 2016,
p. 14).Sanacore adds “considering children’s perspectives when building school libraries will likely improve
their attitudes toward reading because children will then have easy access to materials that reflect their
interests and preferences” (2006, p. 27).

When library users feel like they have a voice, they are much more open to providing suggestions and
engaging in conversations. Guldager, Krueger and Taylor also comment that “one of the major professional
goals of teacher librarians is to teach students a love of reading, so that they will independently choose to
read throughout their lives” (2016, p. 13). In an article by Mark Dressman, he makes note that Barbara, the
librarian at Crest Hills Elementary, creates discussion and engagement through storytime and book talks
(1997, p. 280). By asking a question before simply introducing the book, she makes it clear that students are
welcome to voice opinions and thoughts and they are fully engaged and connected.

Listening and Learning with Library Professionals

There is a wealth of knowledge to gain from our colleagues. Since taking over the teacher-library position at
my school, I’ve done my best to be actively involved with other teacher-librarians in my district. Once a
month we gather for a meeting to discuss book selection, reading programs and, of course, advocacy.
Through my colleagues, I’ve learned about and have implemented two major reading programs in my school
each year: The Reading Link Challenge, initiated by Fraser Valley Regional Libraries, and the Langley
Books of the Year, initiated by the teacher-librarians in the Langley School District.

The Reading Link Challenge is a “province-wide program for students in grade 4 and 5 that promotes the
‘sport of reading’“ (Fraser Valley Regional Library, 2014, para. 1). Teams receive a set of books and, after
months of studying them cover to cover, they challenge the other teams in their school by answering
questions about the books. Winners from each school face off against other schools in the district and then
across the Lower Mainland. For my competitive students, this is their element. For others, it is a wonderful
opportunity to be part of a non-sports team. Plus, they are allowed to be ‘loud’ in the library while creating

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their posters and shouting out answers to questions. I’ve even had younger and older students ask to
participate.

The Langley Books of the Year are geared towards all elementary and middle school readers. For older
intermediate students, there is a set of novels (Grades 4-8), and for younger primary students, there is a set of
picture books (Kindergarten to Grade 3). Between September and March, intermediate students are
encouraged to read the novels, and primary students have the picture books read to them. Eventually, each
student is given the opportunity to vote for the book they enjoyed the most, and the winning books are
honored with title of Langley Book of the Year. I’ve found students particularly enjoy this program because it
gives them the chance to give their opinion, and be involved with the entire district

Both of these programs present books and reading in a perspective that students may not have experienced
otherwise, but by maintaining open communications with professionals around me, I am able to truly provide
a positive experience for my students, both readers and not-so-much readers alike. Furthermore, by
presenting reading in this non-traditional way, students are more inclined to really get involved with the
library, even if it is just to drop and ask about one of the reading programs. During my practice, I’ve had the
privilege of connecting with a highly dedicated and supportive group of teacher-librarians throughout my
school and district.

Hyman notes that, when it comes to inquiry learning experiences, in her practice, “students, teachers, and I
work side by side to develop essential questions, investigate and evaluate relevant sources, and create new
knowledge to share with each other, and the world” (2014, p. 20). With this relationship, all involved are
connecting with knowledge, but also with each other. In the current BC curriculum, there has been a
substantial attempt to include more First Nations literature and teaching. By connecting with my teacher-
librarian colleagues as well as with other professionals around the district, I am consistently receiving
information about possible resources for my school. I have set up a portion of the library dedicated solely to
First Nations books. This positive experience of sharing information with my colleagues and my students can
be part of the foundation for creating a place in the library.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

When a teacher-librarian provides a visually appealing room, combined with the opportunity for creativity,
imagination and discussion, amazing things can happen. Kelly-Mudie comments “we need to pay attention to
what our students expect from the library space and make sure the programs and services we’re providing
align with what our students and teachers need and want from the library and the librarian” (2014, p. 57).
There is much more to a library than tables, shelves, and books. There is the opportunity for creating a whole
other world.

While we understand that an elementary library needs to be bright and colorful, we can’t always predict what
students really want. I propose here that each teacher-librarian take a day, or even a week, and ask students
and teachers what they may want in the library. Provide some guidelines--what is something that is feasible?
Are there books they would want to include? What kinds of activities would they like to see in the library?
Maybe even offer them a list of possible activities so they can check off the ones they are interested in.
These simple actions can show students their opinions are important and, while everything suggested perhaps
cannot be adopted, some things certainly can.

At my elementary school, most children come from middle to middle-upper class families. iPods, iPads and a
variety of technologies are fairly standard when it comes to Christmas and birthday presents. At the same
time, we also have children who don’t get to school with a full stomach each day. Despite the many
differences among all our students, the library can be the place they have in common. Now, more than ever,
libraries are changing. The traditional ‘be quiet and read’ room is gone, and Makerspaces and Library
Learning Commons are becoming more and more prevalent. The most important fact of both concepts is that
it invites the chance for more than just reading, that is where children can thrive. In a time where students are

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overscheduled and expected to just sit and work, where else can kids just be kids? In the library, where it
should be the children’s place to be.

References
Boyle, E., Collins, M., Kinsey, R., Noonan, C., & Pocock, A. (2016). Making the case for creative spaces in Australian libraries. The
Australian Library Journal, 65(1), 30-40.
Demas, S., & Scherer, J. A. (2002). Esprit de place: Maintaining and designing library buildings to provide transcendent spaces.
American Libraries, 33(4), 65-68.
Dressman, M. (1997). Congruence, resistance, liminality: Reading and ideology in three school libraries. Curriculum Inquiry, 27(3),
267-315.
Ellis, J. (2004). The significance of place in the curriculum of children’s everyday lives. Taboo, 8(1), 23-42.
Ellis, J. (2005). Place and identity for children in classroom and schools. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies,
3(2), 55-73.
Elmborg, J. K. (2010). Libraries as the spaces between us: Recognizing and valuing the Third Space. Reference & User Services
Quarterly, 50(4), 338-350.
Fraser Valley Regional Library. (2014). Home. Retrieved from http://www.readinglinkchallenge.ca/.
Guldager, N. N., Krueger, K. S., & Taylor, J. B. (2016). Reading promotion events recommended for elementary students. Teacher
Librarian, 43(5), 13-19.
Houston, A. M. (2015). Revisiting library as place: Balancing space planning priorities by focusing on core purpose. References &
User Services Quarterly, 55(2), 84-86.
Hyman, S. C. (2014). Planning and creating a library learning commons. Teacher Librarian, 41(3), 16-21.
Johnston, M. P. & Bishop, B. W. (2011). The potential and possibilities for utilizing geographic information systems to inform school
library as place. School Libraries Worldwide, 17(1), 1-13.
Kelley-Mudie, S. (2014). Books and mortar and beyond. Knowledge Quest, 42(4), 54-57.
Limberg, L. & Alexandersson, M. (2003). The school library as a space for learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 9(1), 1-15.
Malone, K. (2007). The bubble-wrap generation: Children growing up in walled gardens. Environmental Education Research, 13(4),
513-527.
Mi, M. (2015). Expanding librarian roles through a librarian initiated and facilitated faculty learning community. Journal of Library
Administration, 55(1), 24-40.
Place. (n.d.). Retrieved Wednesday, October 12, 2016 online from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/place.
Raftse, E. T. (2005). A place to learn or a place of leisure? Students’ use of the school library in Norway. School Libraries
Worldwide, 11(1), 1-16.
Rasmussen, K. (2004). Places for children - children’s places. Childhood, 11(2), 155-173.
Reid, B., & Roulston, S. (2013). Supporting the personal and the inter-personal of global citizens through fiction. In Conference
Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship (pp. 327-33), Sanur, Bali,
Indonesia.
Sanacore, J. (2006). Teacher-librarians, teachers, and children as cobuilders of school library collections. Teacher Librarian, 33(5),
24-29.
Soeiro, L. P. (2016). Loud in the library: Creating social activists at school. The Horn Book Magazine, 92(3), 42-45.
Space. (n.d.). Retrieved Thursday, October 13 2016 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/space.
Strong-Wilson, T. & Ellis, J. (2007). Children and place: Reggio Emilia’s environment as third teacher. Theory into Practice, 46(1),
40-47.
Sturm, B. (2008). Imaginary geographies of childhood school libraries media centers as secret spaces. Knowledge Quest, 36(4), 46-53.
Tupper, J. A., Carson, T., Johnson, I., & Mangat, J. (2008). Building place: Students’ negotiation of spaces and citizenship in
schools. Canadian Journal of Education, 34(4), 1065-1092.
Wernick, L. (2011). Changing spaces. American School & University, 83(9), 24-27.
Wexler, A. (2004). A theory for living: Walking with Reggio Emilia. Art Education, 57(6), 13-19.

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Teacher-Librarians Becoming and Being Instructional Partners
This section explores the important role of teacher-librarians as instructional partners in schools and when
engaged in inquiry-based learning. Chapter 7 by Laura Dempsey explores research and practice related to
collaboration, including opportunities and barriers. It also presents recommendations to foster and build
collaboration in a school. In Chapters 8 and 9, Rachelle Buch Goncalves and Aleasha Kachel dig into
experiences with inquiry-based learning and inquiry leadership and the important role of the teacher-librarian
in building a culture of inquiry in a school and school district.

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Chapter 7

TEACHER-LIBRARIAN AND TEACHER COLLABORATIVE

PARTNERSHIPS
Laura Dempsey

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

Picture a school where collaboration is expected and valued by staff. Where quick and informal planning
conversations happen on the fly before school, during breaks, and at the end of the day. Where deeper, more
meaningful collaboration sessions occur on a weekly basis and further work is done by each member of the
team at home on a shared cloud document such as Google Docs or Microsoft 365. Where students expect to
work with both their teacher and the teacher-librarian on a new unit of study, and administrators consistently
join in and inquire about collaborative efforts. These examples need not be exceptions. The face of education
is shifting away from teachers working in isolation in their classroom to opening their doors and working
alongside others. The teacher-librarian is a catalyst for this change to occur.

So why is collaboration so crucial? Teachers cannot individually be experts on every topic, they do not have
enough time working one-on-one with students to truly give them all the help they need and deserve, and they
may not have time to find the best resources to support their teaching. Teacher-librarians can help with
finding appropriate resources, but collaboration has the potential to go much further. Teacher-librarians can
help students become the best users of the information they encounter. They can become an equal teaching
partner, not just by teaching the occasional lesson, but by truly supporting the teacher through all lessons,
taking on an active teaching role, providing help to students and assessing student work. Certainly the
benefits to teachers are apparent--teacher-librarians can become another person with whom teachers can
discuss ideas, an extra helper to work with students, and another set of eyes when determining whether or not
students are meeting expectations. In addition, the advantages to the students are immense as they have the
opportunity to learn from and interact with another teacher.

Unfortunately, this ideal collaborative setting is not happening very often. Teacher-librarians are becoming
more vocal while advocating for their role, yet many educators still do not understand the potential of team-
teaching with a teacher-librarian in an equal partnership. Rigid schedules further close the doors to the
possibility of true collaboration. Budget cuts can reduce or remove teacher-librarian positions altogether. I
believe that if all school leaders are made aware of the importance of the role of teacher-librarians first and
foremost as teachers, the threat of program downsizing and budget cuts by school boards would be lessened.

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Despite the clear benefits of collaboration, beginning collaborative relationships isn’t easy. There are many
roadblocks to its development: lack of knowledge about how it works, limited time, and fixed schedules are a
few of the more common obstacles which we face when we try to find time to collaborate with others.
Personally, my biggest barrier as a newer teacher has been finding the opportunity to build relationships. I
have spent two years working as a teacher-librarian--each year at a different school, and one of the years
starting in the middle of the school year and ending in the middle of the following year. The schools that were
brand new to me, so I did not know any of the teachers when I came into the role. Previously the schools did
not have strong teacher-librarian involvement in teaching so staff wasn’t used to collaborating with this
colleague; rather, they merely accompanied their class for a weekly library lesson and book exchange. A
further challenge was my contracts only had me in the school for two days a week, making it especially hard
to find time to collaborate. Husid (2013) acknowledges that true collaboration can take three to five years to
develop (p. 44). With short-term contracts and limited time at schools, one can understand how difficult it is
to get collaboration underway.

Although research continues to show the value of the teacher-librarian, the position unfortunately remains
vulnerable in our schools. Teacher-librarians must make themselves known as strong educational partners
who can help to increase student achievement, particularly in areas of information literacy. They must know
how to promote collaboration with teachers, acknowledging, of course, that it takes time to build
relationships, but getting started anyway with small projects with those who are willing. Collaborative
partners need to find ways to share these experiences with administrators and other members of the school
community to be able to explicitly show how teacher and teacher-librarian collaboration positively impacts
student achievement. More than anything, however, teacher-librarians should endeavour to teach
collaboratively with a colleague who is invested and committed to team teaching in order to provide an
environment where students can effectively learn and grow. Teacher-librarians must be seen as more than the
“keeper of the books.” It is well beyond time that teacher-librarians’ positions are properly understood and
that libraries are utilized to their fullest potential. This chapter will explore why collaboration between
teachers and teacher-librarians is a necessity, how it can be fostered, the roles of those involved in
collaboration, and the potential impact for students.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

What is collaboration?
In order to fully understand collaboration, we must approach the definition from a teaching angle, as it has a
much deeper meaning than simply working with someone to create something. According to Montiel-Overall
(2008), “collaboration is a trusting, working relationship between two or more equal participants involved in
shared thinking, shared planning and shared creation of integrated instruction” (p. 150). Loertscher and
Koechlin (2015) refer to this type of collaboration as “coteaching,” which they succinctly define as “the art of
two or more mentor adults who plan, teach, and assess a learning experience together” (p. 12). Buzzeo (2008)
agrees that true collaboration is when “partners have a prolonged and interdependent relationship. They share
goals, have carefully defined roles in the process, and plan much more comprehensively. Units and projects
are team-planned, team-taught, and team-assessed” (p. 30).

While these definitions suggest an ideal form of collaboration, the collaboration that most often occurs in our
schools is actually more likely to be coordination or cooperation (Montiel-Overall, 2006). These lower levels
of collaboration are acceptable too, as they are stepping stones to an ultimate goal of fully integrated
instruction and planning. In fact, coordination and cooperation are thought to be necessary between
colleagues in order to build trust and develop a relationship where higher level collaboration can thrive
(Montiel-Overall, 2005a).

Montiel-Overall (2005a) developed a model describing four levels of collaborative relationships, which she
references frequently throughout her work, and what she later refers to as “The Teacher and Librarian
Collaboration Model” (Montiel-Overall, 2008, p.146). At the lowest level is coordination, where little
communication occurs between teachers and teacher-librarians. The interactions that do occur are generally
geared towards planning efficient use of time and/or space, often coordinating an event or activity for

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students. This level is unlikely to impact student learning. Next is the cooperation stage: more involvement
does occur between the two parties, but often it is planned independently and shared later. Roles can be
assigned, but one partner may take on more work than the other. Ultimately, cooperative partners have a
common goal of helping students. The third level is where more of a true collaboration occurs, what Montiel-
Overall deems integrated instruction. At this stage partners share responsibility, planning and creation of
materials with the objective of promoting academic achievement and creating meaningful learning
experiences. “[T]eachers and [teacher-librarians] expand their individual potential and create jointly what
would be beyond their capacity individually” (p. 15). The final level is integrated curriculum where
integrated instruction occurs throughout the entire curriculum, and teachers are involved in collaboration with
the teacher-librarian. The principal plays a key role at this stage by promoting collaboration and establishing
a school-wide culture of shared learning.

Similarly, Loertscher (as cited in Buzzeo, 2008) has suggested a taxonomy for teacher-librarian collaboration,
using a scale from 0-10. At the low end of the scale (0-4), the library is essentially bypassed or is used
minimally for reference gathering and as an information source. At levels five and six, some informal
planning begins between teachers and teacher-librarians, and materials are sought out more frequently to
support lessons. Levels seven and eight see promotion of the library as a learning space and contributor to
academic achievement. Finally, levels nine and ten consist of a mature library program where curriculum is
developed collaboratively and where teacher-librarians are fully involved in school-wide planning to support
student learning.

In an ideal setting, collaboration between teachers and teacher-librarians would be occurring on a regular
basis, principals would widely encourage its use, and students would benefit from the rich learning
experiences created.

Why does collaboration matter?

Student achievement is ultimately the bottom line. If school leaders are able to show that collaboration
between teacher-librarians and teachers positively impacts student achievement, collaboration becomes much
easier to promote. When schools are willing to give collaboration a try, the advantages should become
quickly apparent. Roberts (2015) suggests that those involved in collaboration should consult student test
results and/or “observ[e] dispositions developed after students participate in a collaborative library lesson” (p.
32). These results may be able to indicate the success of the collaborative experience. Integration of subjects
and information literacy help students become more effective users of information (Montiel-Overall, 2005a;
Montiel-Overall, 2005b). Specifically, their ability to evaluate information found in print or online is
enhanced, and their writing, critical and creative thinking and inquiry skills are enhanced (Montiel-Overall,
2005a, p. 6). Also, we know that students learn in a variety of ways. Learning from multiple teachers can
enable students to develop a deeper meaning since they are hearing diverse opinions and are exposed to a
teaching style potentially different from that of their classroom teacher (Montiel-Overall, 2005a). It is more
likely that when teachers collaborate, they are able to produce lessons of a higher standard than what they
would have been capable of producing independently. This should also aid in student understanding,
meaning, and engagement (Montiel-Overall, 2008).

Loertscher and Koechlin (2015) suggest that collaboration between teachers can have a tremendous impact
on encouraging a collaborative and participatory culture among the entire school community as students
become aware of how effective working alongside others can be (p. 12). Buzzeo (2008) outlines the
advantages of collaboration for teachers, teacher-librarians and administrators. Teachers gain the opportunity
to plan with a teacher-librarian who is an expert on available resources and technology, saving the teachers
time trying to locate these. As well, they gain an instructional and assessment partner and may be able to pick
up new teaching methods and ideas based on watching another teacher in action. For the teacher-librarian,
having the opportunity to work with colleagues and positively impacting student achievement is very
rewarding. Administrators have the opportunity to observe the influence of collaboration on meeting school
goals and on student engagement, as well as the positive effect on school culture.

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Barriers
Despite the obvious benefits of collaboration, several barriers impact its occurrence. Most commonly listed as
roadblocks to collaboration are a lack of time, a lack of administrative support, and a lack of awareness of
how collaboration can positively impact teachers and students (Loertscher, 2014; Montiel-Overall, 2008;
Wolcott, 1994). Wolcott (1994) recommends that the teacher-librarian approach planning from the teacher’s
perspective, and keep in mind that teachers may be reluctant to co-plan because it is unfamiliar territory to
them (p. 6). Teachers may have very low expectations of the teacher-librarian and the library program; a
teacher-librarian who takes the reins and shows teachers what is possible through collaboration is the best
form of advocacy (Montiel-Overall, 2008; Wolcott, 1994).

Teacher education programs seem to do little to help preservice teachers understand the role of the teacher-
librarian (Hartzell, 2002). Kovalik, Jensen, Schloman, and Tipton (2010) found “that there is an
overwhelming perception that teachers who are recent graduates are not aware of the role the library can play
in teaching information literacy fluency and that K-12 teachers themselves may lack knowledge of
information literacy skills” (p. 150). Not only is it problematic that teachers often don’t understand the role of
the library and teacher-librarian, but it is even more concerning if they aren’t familiar with how to teach the
important skills in which the teacher-librarian is an expert. Montiel-Overall (2005a) recommends that student
teachers spend time with the teacher-librarian during their practicum placement so that they are able to get a
sense of how the teacher-librarian can support them and collaborate with them to teach students.

As mentioned above, administrators are vital to support collaboration in schools. Hartzell (2002) claims that
principals don’t always have the understanding of exactly how a teacher-librarian can support teaching staff
and positively impact student learning. As in teacher education programs, administrative preparation
programs rarely focus on the role of the teacher-librarian. He suggests that the teacher-librarian put great time
and effort into communicating with the principal to ensure that he or she is able to fully understand the
benefits teacher-librarians are able to provide to the entire school community through collaboration with
teachers.

Another frequently cited barrier is lack of time (Brown, 2014; Loertscher, 2014; Montiel-Overall, 2005a;
Wolcott, 1994). Collaboration functions best on a flexible schedule; however, many elementary libraries have
fixed schedules, making it challenging for collaboration to occur. Brown (2014) suggests that without
specific time set aside for collaboration, teachers tend to work independently. Administrators can be a huge
support with this, advocating for schedule flexibility, providing release time for planning sessions, and
organizing professional development opportunities to promote collaboration. Additionally, time is a necessity
to build trust and relationships between teachers. Montiel-Overall (2005a) acknowledges that long-term
planning and deep level collaboration can take three to five years to fully develop. In spite of these common
challenges to collaboration, Montiel-Overall (2006) maintains that “barriers become insignificant in light of
the positive student achievement that results from collaborative planning” (p. 29).

What is necessary to foster collaboration?

Support from the principal is likely the most vital way to encourage collaboration in schools (Montiel-
Overall, 2008; Morris & Packard, 2007; Williamson, Archibald, & McGregor, 2010). Loertscher (2014)
recommends that principals provide professional development opportunities where collaboration between
teachers and teacher-librarians is promoted (p. 14). As much as possible, these professional development
sessions should demonstrate the positive impact collaboration has on student achievement (Morris &
Packard, 2007). It is beneficial to have the teacher-librarian assist in leading these sessions. The principal sets
the tone for the school; when he or she promotes collaboration among staff, it is much more likely that this
will become standard practice (Montiel-Overall, 2005a). As well, the principal can help to ensure availability
of flexible scheduling, and time for teachers to meet, in addition to ample professional development
opportunities (Montiel-Overall, 2005a;). Although administrators are hugely important to fostering
collaboration in schools, Montiel-Overall (2005a) maintains that the principal need not be present for all parts
of collaboration and in fact, partnerships may thrive without his or her direct involvement. However, it is
crucial that the administrator be aware that collaboration is occurring and be able to share successes,

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challenges, and results with other staff and key figures (p. 22). Therefore, the teacher-librarian needs to
ensure strong communication with the principal in order to have the strongest effect on collaboration (Morris
& Packard, 2007).

In order for collaboration to occur, certain attributes must be present. First of all, potential collaborators need
to have a relationship built on trust and mutual respect. They must share an equal partnership in their efforts--
it is acceptable for one partner (likely the teacher-librarian) to be the instigator and ‘manager’ of
collaboration, but ultimately, both need to be equals in planning, teaching and assessing roles (Montiel-
Overall, 2005a). Another necessity for collaborative partners is a shared vision in what they are attempting to
achieve. Communication must be strong prior to beginning coteaching so that both parties understand their
goals and objectives for the experience (Brown, 2014). The teacher-librarian is in a great position to be a
collaborative leader as he or she works with all members of the school community, therefore having
opportunities to develop relationships and to promote and instigate collaboration (Montiel-Overall, 2008).

Teacher-librarians must seize the opportunity to work with student teachers when they are present in their
schools. Being able to show these future teachers the power of the school library and how the teacher-
librarian is able to support their teaching is likely to have resounding benefits (Milbury, 2005). Additionally,
newer teachers should also be approached as they may not have been exposed to teacher-librarians during
their teacher training. Finding willing participants to collaborate with is hugely effective in promoting
collaboration to other teaching staff once they hear about these relationships. Newer teachers may be more
likely initial participants in the collaborative process and are therefore a worthy investment of a teacher-
librarian’s time.

Although more research on collaboration is necessary to truly emphasize its importance in every school,
studies done to date have displayed overwhelmingly positive results. Collaboration between teachers and
teacher-librarians can have a positive impact on student achievement and school culture. Buzzeo (2008)
recommends talking to students and teachers and determining areas within the school that the teacher-
librarian could help to improve. She suggests that teacher-librarians shift their question to teachers from
“What can I do FOR you” to “What can I do WITH you?” (p. 101).

What can School Leaders do about…?

Reading the research about how to make collaboration happen in schools is a great first step. However, how
to actually apply the information and get others on board can be an entirely different matter. Ensuring that
teachers understand the teacher-librarian role and what collaboration could look like is a good place to start.
Many teachers are unaware of the training teacher-librarians have received and may not think that they are
willing educational partners. Taking time to meet with school administrators and to communicate the desire
to collaborate is another important piece. If administrators are able to advocate for teacher-librarians as well,
this may help teachers to understand how it can positively affect their teaching and impact their students.

It is also critical to keep in mind that high-end collaboration takes time to develop. Starting small is
completely acceptable and often necessary. It may be useful to look at models such as Loertscher’s (as cited
in Buzzeo, 2008) or Montiel-Overall’s (2005a) to determine current levels of collaboration and to make a
reasonable goal of what level of involvement in collaboration could be strived for within a school year.
Building relationships should always be the first step, and can be worked toward doing something as basic as
finding resources that might be of interest to teachers and/or support their teaching. Perhaps relationships
may already be established if one has worked in a school for some time. Conversely, it may be more of a
challenge if one is a newer staff member in the school. It may be easiest to seek out other new faculty or
newer teachers in general, as these colleagues may be more willing to try something new or take what may
feel like a perceived risk.

Wolcott (1994) advises not to wait to be approached about collaboration. Many teachers won’t be familiar
with the full extent of the teacher-librarian role, and thus they may never ask to work in collaboration.
Instead, the teacher-librarian should look for opportunities to plan with teachers, suggesting appropriate

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activities based on what they feel is the comfort level of the individual. Also, expecting full collaborative
partnerships from the beginning would be a mistake. The teacher-librarian should be prepared to take on a
bigger role when starting these collaborations, all the while ensuring they are working within the comfort
zone of the teacher. For example, the teacher-librarian may need to initiate creation of online documents,
gather resources and lead meetings in the early stages of collaboration until the teacher is ready to take on
more control. Eventually in high-level collaboration, teachers and teacher-librarians can expect to have an
equal seat at the table.

A teacher who is comfortable with using technology would be an asset in a collaborative partnership. Using
an online program that can be shared between parties such as Google Docs or Microsoft 365 are incredibly
helpful as a way to take part in planning together but on one’s own schedule. Time is most always listed as a
major barrier to collaboration, so being able to access a document to plan at one’s convenience is beneficial
and may perhaps be more useful for one’s planning, rather than trying to meet over a lunch break or after
school.

When schedules for library use are fixed (as is common in elementary schools), it can challenging to find
times to collaborate. Being creative with ways to work around these schedules should be attempted. Talking
to administration and explaining the difficulties of working within these rigid schedules is also necessary.
Perhaps administrators can find ways to make adjustments, provide release time, or consider more flexibility
for coming years.

How to be seen as a school leader

Teacher-librarians need to take initiative when it comes to collaboration; otherwise, they may find that they
are never asked about it. Advocacy is essential. Communicating with staff is so important, either through
sending out emails or speaking for a few minutes during a staff meeting. When collaboration does occur, the
successful experience should be shared with colleagues. Once others see how effective collaboration has been
for both staff and students, they will likely become interested in getting involved. Additionally, asking
administration to have involvement in professional development is another way to provide leadership in the
school. Even if only for a short session, teacher-librarians should seize the opportunity to demonstrate their
role as curriculum specialists. As a presenter, teacher-librarians can show how they can work with teachers to
support students, and remind teachers of the vast amount of resources available to support their teaching.
Morris and Packard (2007) suggest delivering a workshop or “planning activities that cultivate trust and
mutual respect between media specialists [teacher-librarians] and teachers by making it clear that student
achievement can be greatly improved when they collaborate” (p. 53).

Additionally, teacher-librarians should strive to be seen in a teacher role as much as possible. Administrative
tasks are a necessary part of the position, but in order to be seen as a teaching equal, it is best to limit working
on these duties when others are around.

While teacher-librarians likely have many of the attributes of a collaborative partner, it is vital for others to
see these qualities on a regular basis. Williamson et al. (2010) suggest that showing mutual respect, trust,
empathy, flexibility and a willingness to share will help to build collaborative relationships (p. 24). Similarly,
Montiel-Overall (2006, p. 31) highlights essential attributes for collaborative partners such as: good listening,
being open to new ideas, believing in equal participation and sharing responsibility. Further, Williamson et al.
(2010) remind us that “teachers and teacher librarians have the personal characteristics for building trusting
relationships and that they are prepared to devote the time to communicating effectively” (p. 19). This is
echoed by Morris and Packard (2007) who state that collaboration is promoted by “good communication and
a harmonious working environment where there is a feeling of trust and mutual respect” (p. 38). Brown
(2014) recommends that the teacher-librarian strive to attend all critical school meetings in order to
understand school goals and to be able to offer support. She suggests that the leadership role of the teacher-
librarian is most important because it encompasses all of the other parts of a teacher-librarian’s job (p. 32).

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What does this Mean for School Leaders…?
The face of education continues to shift in a direction where isolated classrooms and traditional assignments
are not enough. Collaboration with teacher-librarians can fill in what is missing when teachers exclusively
work independently. Student engagement is much more likely to increase when two teachers are working
together to deliver lesson plans and assist with their learning. Russell (2002) explains the advantage of
collaboration with the teacher-librarian as, “the teacher brings to the partnership knowledge of the strengths,
weaknesses, attitudes and interests of the students and of the content to be taught. The media specialist
[teacher-librarian] adds a thorough understanding of information skills and methods to integrate them” (p.
35). Further, Montiel-Overall (2005a) reports that studies have shown an increase in students’ achievement
when they receive support from teacher-librarians, especially when that support has come along with a
collaborative relationship with their teacher (p. 4).

New curriculum documents certainly indicate the positive role collaboration plays in a 21st century learning
environment. British Columbia’s new curriculum (2015) hopes to “[provide] high-quality and engaging
learning opportunities that meet the diverse needs of all students” (p. 2). The new curriculum highlights
collaboration as an important skill for students to develop. In addition, the flexible nature of this new
curriculum certainly allows possibilities for teacher collaboration. What better way to encourage
collaboration between students than to see their teachers engaged in these partnerships? When teachers
participate in collaboration/coteaching, they are able to create learning experiences and units that engage
students as active learners. This, in turn, guides students in developing the competencies necessary to become
effective learners and citizens throughout their school years and beyond (Loertscher & Koechlin, 2015, p.
14).

The future of education has exciting potential. Makerspaces, STEM/STEAM education, and technology
advances are enabling our students to be involved in creative learning opportunities where they can develop
skills that will assist them throughout their schooling and into adulthood. When teachers come together in
collaborative relationships, students’ opportunities for growth become even greater. Teacher-librarians are
obvious partners for these collaborative relationships because they work with all members of the school
community, have a solid understanding of the entire curriculum, and are information literacy specialists.

Collaboration won’t be as beneficial if both parties aren’t fully invested in the process. At first, it may be a
challenge to get collaboration underway, but as individuals become more comfortable and experience success
from it, the process will become easier. Teacher-librarians should focus their efforts to collaborate with
teachers who are eager and willing to spend the time necessary to make these partnerships effective. A shared
commitment to creating engaging lessons and unit plans that will motivate students and help them grow as
learners is essential. After successful collaboration, those involved should take the time to share with others
in an attempt to promote future opportunities.

“When collaborative endeavors reach their maximum capacity, individuals engage in intellectually
challenging endeavors where they jointly create something that is greater than what either could create alone”
(Montiel-Overall, 2005b, p. 29). This is an ultimate goal of collaboration, for partners to feel that what they
have produced was worth their efforts by strengthening their practice as educators and by engaging their
students in ways they couldn’t have done otherwise. Eventually, collaboration should feel like second nature;
the more it occurs, the easier it becomes as partners grow more comfortable with each others’ planning and
teaching styles. As collaboration is normalized and teacher-librarians are sought after as true leaders in the
school, we can celebrate in knowing that our teachers, students and entire school communities are being
better served, more strongly supported and receiving consistent opportunities to grow.

References
B.C. Ministry of Education (2015). Introduction to British Columbia’s redesigned curriculum.
Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/curriculum_intro.pdf
Brown, C. (2004). America’s most wanted: Teachers who collaborate. Teacher Librarian, 32(1), 13-18. Retrieved from
http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/
Buzzeo, T. (2008). The collaboration handbook. Columbus, OH: Linworth.

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Hartzell, G. (2002). The principal’s perceptions of school libraries and teacher-librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, 8(1), 92-110.
Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.542.1702&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Husid W. (2013). Collaboration: Make it happen in your school. Library Media Connection, 31(4), 42-44. Retrieved from
https://alocke1.wikispaces.com/file/view/A+4.3+article+HUSID.pdf
Kovalik, C., Jensen, M., Schloman, B., & Tipton, M. (2010). Information literacy, collaboration, and teacher education.
Communications in Information Literacy, 4(2), 145-169. Retrieved from
http://www.comminfolit.org/index.php?journal=cil&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=Vol4-
2010AR6&path%5B%5D=121
Loertscher, D. (2014). Collaboration and coteaching: A new measure of impact. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 8-19. Retrieved from
http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/
Loertscher, D., & Koechlin, C. (2015). Coteaching and the learning commons: Building a participatory school culture. Teacher
Librarian, 43(2), 12-16. Retrieved from http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/
Milbury, P. (2004). Librarian collaboration with student teachers via technology: Ten important reasons to take it seriously. CSLA
Journal, 28(1), 19-21. Retrieved from http://csla.net/publications/journal/
Montiel-Overall, P. (2005a). Toward a theory of collaboration for teachers and librarians. School Library Media Research, 8, 1-31.
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr
/vol8/SLMR_TheoryofCollaboration_V8.pdf
Montiel-Overall, P. (2005b). A theoretical understanding of teacher and librarian collaboration (TLC). School Libraries Worldwide,
11(2), 24-48. Retrieved from http://murraylib604.org/TheoreticalUnderstanding.pdf
Montiel-Overall, P. (2006). Teacher and teacher-librarian collaboration: Moving toward integration. Teacher Librarian, 34(2), 28-33.
Retrieved from http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/
Montiel-Overall, P. (2008). Teacher and librarian collaboration: A qualitative study. Library & Information Science Research, 30,
145-155. doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2007.06.008
Morris, B., & Packard, A. (2007). The principal’s support of classroom teacher-media specialist collaboration. School Libraries
Worldwide, 13(1), 36-55. Retrieved from http://www.iasl-online.org/pubs/slw/jan07.htm
Roberts, K. (2015). Collaboration: The essential role of library leaders. Library Media Connection, 33(6), 32-33. Retrieved from
http://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx
Russell, S. (2002). Teachers and librarians: Collaborative relationships. Teacher Librarian, 29(5), 35-38. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED444605.pdf
Williamson, K., Archibald, A., & McGregor, J. (2010). Shared vision: A key to successful collaboration? School Libraries
Worldwide, 16(2), 16-29. Retrieved from http://www.iasl-online.org/publications/slw/public.html
Wolcott, L. (1994). Understanding how teachers plan: Strategies for successful instructional partnerships. School Library Media
Quarterly, 22(3), 1-9. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/edchoice/SLMQ_UnderstandingHowTeachersP
lan_InfoPower.pdf

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Chapter 8

INQUIRY: LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING

Rachel Buch Goncalves
rgoncalv@sd53.bc.ca

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

It is the start to a new school year and excitement is in the air. Teachers have come back to school with
enthusiasm and energy to start afresh. As the teachers congregate in the Library Commons, the hub of the
school, the energy is palpable. Suddenly, the energy shifts as the principal begins to speak; there is a new
direction for professional learning that is going to shape the district vision. For those who have already been
introduced to this new, visionary approach to professional learning it is an exciting announcement, while for
others it feels that this announcement has completely derailed their autonomy. The teachers thoughts of “yet
another top-down decision that is going to impact their daily work, but with no consideration or say in the
matter” is apparent in their body language. The side conversations begin to ramp up as teachers voice their
frustration, anger, and, ultimately, their resignation from the entire decision. Yet, in this crowd there is a
teacher librarian who will be an influential leader within the school, across the district, and in time, across
the province.

Leadership is defined as “the office or position of a leader” (Leadership, [Def. 1] 2018) which places the
traditional attributes of authority on those we recognize in a position of power: our school district
superintendents and school principals. But what might happen if the education system decided to focus on
the second definition provided by Merriam-Webster; the one in which leadership is defined simply as the
“capacity to lead” (Leadership, [Def. 2] 2018) or “the act or instance of leading” (Leadership, [Def. 3] 2018)?
Who could fill the role of leader when, by definition, leadership can be removed from a hierarchical model
and shared by those driven by passion?

When the notion of leadership arises there is often a vision of hierarchy. Society traditionally sees authority
sitting atop the triangle, observing and directing from above. Traditionally the example sees the
superintendent, administration, and teachers building the triangle in a top-down design. What is changing in
our world is the urgency for a flattening out of this triangle and shifting to a model of shared leadership. The
term guanxi, originating from China, is loosely translated to mean “connections, networks and community
relationships” (Pontefract, 2016, p. 136). Perhaps these relationships are the key to meaningful and
sustainable change in our schools.

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This chapter shares the journey of a rural school district in British Columbia, but it could be the same story in
your very own school district. The superintendent had a vision of transformational change that was systemic
and meaningful, and she made a decision that introduced the vehicle for innovation for everyone’s learning.
One could argue that this decision was made from the top of the triangle, as many decisions are made in
traditional leadership models, but it was this initial, bold move that set change in motion.

Change needs to be continuous to keep learning in schools in line with the changes in our world. What, then,
is the critical element to this learning? Inquiry. In the rural district mentioned above, the superintendent’s
introduction of an inquiry model meant there was a platform for the entire district. Specifically, the Spirals of
Inquiry model developed by Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert (2013) was about to change the professional
learning and leadership culture across the district. The superintendent, principals, vice-principals, teachers
and education assistants were all introduced to the framework for professional learning.

There is no doubt that there are different levels of leadership and that within any given school there will be
individuals who have characteristics of a traditional leader, but it is the the emerging leader, the influencer,
that takes center stage in this story. Whether informal or formal, the opportunity for leadership and learning
through inquiry, can have a powerful influence. We often hear how critical lifelong learning is and that
learning something new keeps us alive and thriving. In fact, changing our mindset to embrace challenge and
to approach our learning with a growth mindset (Dweck, 2006) is an opportunity in itself. The important
takeaway is that opportunity can appear in many forms. Intentional professional learning has been a critical
component to transformation for this district.

Who grabbed onto this opportunity to lead the way? Who is this emerging leader? The teacher-librarian. In
a small, rural district with only three secondary schools, there has been impressive innovation in leadership
through inquiry. One of the first steps was making the position of teacher-librarian a priority across the
district where the role included building a vision of library commons and inquiry driven learning. It cannot
be denied that the culture of professional learning, and the driving force of inquiry is embraced by the
teacher-librarian. In fact, the unassuming bookworm is no longer sitting idle. This chapter, Inquiry:
Leadership and Learning, will consider the influence that a collaborative inquiry model can have on
professional learning, a shared leadership model, and the role that the teacher-librarian can play in
transforming professional learning through inquiry.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

Why is it that the education system, and its leadership, remain exactly the same when the world is changing
so rapidly? It is no longer acceptable for the education system to provide reproducible knowledge (OECD,
2015) when learners require the skills to create and add value to the world in which they live. One could
argue that this knowledge creation can also be coined innovation, with education providing the opportunity
for modelling these requirements and supporting their development (Katz, Earl, & Jaafar, 2009a).

Innovation in education, however, is not a new or novel concept. In fact, professionals in the education field
are continually presented with the next best strategy or newest pedagogical shift that will revolutionize their
learning and the learning of their students. Why is it, then, that these innovative practices are still grappling
to take hold, even decades after they are first introduced? Simply put, leadership. How these innovative
practices are brought forward and implemented make an incredible difference in the level of acceptance
within a school or school district.

Education is notorious for being an “innovation hostile environment” where innovative learning practices are
typically the exception to the rule rather than the norm (OECD, 2015, p. 6). Despite the fact that there are
many areas within a school where this innovation is resisted, the school library commons, and teacher-
librarians specifically, embrace innovation and act as school leaders, change agents, and catalysts for school
improvement (Oberg, 2009). Hord, Rutherford, Hulling, and Hall (2006) define a change agent’s role as
supporting, assisting, nurturing, encouraging, persuading, and pushing people to change, to adopt an
innovation, and to use it in their daily work. This profile of a change agent succinctly describes teacher-

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librarians and their daily work, and demonstrates that teacher-librarians are excellent candidates for bringing
about learning innovations and change in leadership.

What is the critical element, then, for this innovation to begin taking hold? The Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) outlines three innovation dimensions in their paper Schooling
Redesigned, which include strong learning leadership, strong design with vision for transforming systems,
and leadership which is informed by reflective practice (2015). School leaders need to take note of the power
of developing leadership capacity within their schools, the importance of a district vision and model for
transformation, and the influence of professional learning networks for continual growth.

Leadership Capacity: Action vs. Title

Fundamentally, leadership is a verb which implies action, therefore, a title without action is meaningless.
Often, to clarify leadership roles, we add adjectives to the title such as instructional, transformational,
distributed, or teacher, but these adjectives can add to the confusion. No matter what is added, however, it
can be argued that the one adjective that is not welcome in the leadership role is one of a heroic leader
(Mulford, 2008). The leader who comes in to save the day, ready to bless the organization with their wisdom,
is seldom welcome or accepted. For this reason, rather than recognizing a singular leader in a traditional
leadership hierarchy, the model should be one of collective leadership as we move away from heroic
constructs and recognize the benefits of distributed, shared leadership (OECD, 2015, p. 26). In fact, those
that are most effective are the individuals who are not only called leaders, but actually lead (Couros, 2018).

Does effective leadership, then, even require a title? Or can teachers who formally, or informally, take on
leadership roles make change happen? Lieberman & Miller describe teacher leadership as “the development,
support, and nurturance of teachers who assume leadership in their schools” (2004, p. 154). The OECD
Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (2015) suggests that “what counts increasingly are the
versatilists who are able to apply depth of skill to a progressively widening scope of situations and
experiences, gaining new competencies, building relationships, and assuming new roles” (p. 3). These
emerging leaders are constantly learning and growing, by positioning and repositioning themselves in a fast-
changing world (OECD, 2015, p.3) which is precisely what we hope for our learners. Teacher-librarians,
who already play a pivotal role in their schools, are among the risk takers who are leading this transformation
of leadership.

Risk vs. Reward

Stepping up and taking on a leadership role, whether formal or informal, can be intimidating. This risk exists
not only for the teachers who are involved, but also for those in traditional hierarchical leadership roles such
as school administrators and district staff. Gardner, a notable researcher in the education field, surmises that
one of the reasons people stop learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure (1995). The
potential risk of failure while embracing an innovative idea, or alienation from colleagues while jumping in
enthusiastically, is very real. Yet, those who are interested in making meaningful change must be willing to
take these risks (Education N.Z., 2017; Oberg, 2009; OECD, 2015). Further, as everyone involved is
experiencing a degree of risk, there needs to be a safe environment created to provide support and
encouragement to take on new roles and, in turn, new risks. For this reason, building leadership capacity is
critical on all levels. Just as teachers model and encourage their students’ learning process, administrative
and district staff also need to model the process and encourage teachers (Couros, 2015). Ideally, learning
leadership is happening on all levels with everyone taking risks and therefore receiving support. As
educators, we must ask ourselves: what risks are we willing to take to continue our learning or to enhance the
learning of our students? The potential risk of failure is daunting and so, there needs to be a culture of
acceptance: acceptance of taking risk, acceptance of failing, and a celebration of failing forward.

Shared Leadership
Andreas Schleicher explains in The OECD Handbook for Innovative Learning Environments that “if there
has been one lesson learnt about innovating education, it is that teachers, schools and local administrators
should not just be involved in the implementation of educational change but they should have a central role in

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its design” (OECD, 2017, p.3). This is not to say that a shift towards shared leadership is about mutual
decision making, rather teachers “become more engaged, productive, connected and collaborative so that
[they] feel part of the equation and not simply a number in a database” (Pontefract, 2013, p. 169).
Ownership, and the involvement of all stakeholders, plays an integral role in leadership and innovation.
When those involved in leadership, formal or informal in capacity, shift their mindset from ‘everyone else but
me’ to ‘everyone including me’, the collective efforts begin to make a difference for our learners (New
Zealand Ministry of Education, 2018; Timperley, 2012).

When characterizing an effective change agent Harada & Hughes-Hassell (2007) include moral purpose,
personal vision, commitment, capacity for inquiry, high abstract thinking skills, knowledge and mastery,
collaboration, resiliency, and interpersonal skills. Regardless of the role, or the title that holds their place on
the hierarchical structure of leadership, leaders are curious. Leaders want to contribute; they will find a way
to do so, and they are “key to creating and sustaining momentum for system change” (Harris, 2017, 51). As
Couros (2018) says, “We can all do better, but when in positions of leadership, legacy is created by what the
people you serve do”. This is the goal we strive for, innovative practice to empower our leaders and learners
“to make informed leadership decisions and to engage in design constantly informed by evaluative thinking”
(OECD, 2015, p. 21).

District Vision/Model
In addition to risk taking, Schleicher (OECD, 2017) explains that there also needs to be robust frameworks
and sound knowledge about what works to empower effective innovators and game changers (p. 3).
Timperley (2011) further suggests that a key to effective professional learning lies in the need “to be
motivated by a need to know, not someone else’s desire to tell” (p. 14). A framework which provides a
common structure for professional learning and transformational change, while providing autonomy and
ownership, can be a game changer.

Leading educational players provide academic research to support those looking to innovate educational
practice and leadership. An ethnographic study of 25 teacher leaders across five schools suggests that
support for teachers as leaders is critical. In fact, Beachum and Dentith recommend “specific school
structures and organizational patterns, particular processes and identities and deliberate use of outside
resources with consistent, strong community relationships” (2004, p.1) as the foundation for creating a
culture of teacher leaders and school transformation. Each of these recommendations are recognized as
pillars of success in the inquiry leadership frameworks in this section.

Action research points to inquiry as a viable model for transforming education and teacher leadership (Gajda
& Koliba, Kaser & Halbert). Research from Vermont utilizes a teacher collaboration improvement
framework, and two independent initiatives, to establish and support school improvement, student
achievement, and teacher collaboration at the secondary level (Gajda & Koliba, 2008). Between these two
initiatives eight school districts, 11 school leadership teams, 22 school and district level administrators, 850
teachers and 3,700 students were involved in the research surrounding professional learning communities
(Gajda & Koliba, 2008, p. 135). The key to educational leadership and improvement is support for those
asked and willing to lead. The work in Vermont suggests that the Teacher Collaboration Improvement
Framework is a valuable model for innovation and change in their varied contexts.

Another framework, the Spirals of Inquiry, is an action research based model from Kaser and Halbert (2013).
Ziegler defines action research as “an intentional systematic method of inquiry used by a group of
practitioner-researchers who reflect and act on the real-life problems encountered in their own practice"
(2001, p. 3). Education New Zealand (2017) explains that, “inquiry as a process is all about being willing to
take risks, to be wrong, to fail in your endeavours and then change direction and start again” (para. 3).
Teachers can often be heard declaring that their ‘professional autonomy’ is of great importance and needs to
be protected. Inquiry provides this opportunity for all staff by allowing them to identify a focus in their
everyday work, create a sense of agency, and lead to change by placing the ownership and responsibility in
their hands. In fact, “engaging in an evidence-informed inquiry process puts responsibility on the

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professionals to work collaboratively towards change and improvement in teaching practice” (Education New
Zealand, 2014, p.17).

In addition to the discussion surrounding leadership in the previous sections, the New Zealand Ministry of
Education Educational Leaders (2018) surmises that “by doing the work, by engaging in the spirals of
inquiry, the whole process becomes the leadership of change” (para. 2). Having this common framework for
professional learning across the school district, for all levels of staff, including support staff, teachers,
administrators, and district staff, develops a common language and understanding of the process which
creates community on a new level.

Where then does a district, school, or leader begin if this transformation has not begun to take root in their
work? Regardless of what framework is at the heart of the learning, Harris (2017) hypothesizes that structures
and support can follow initiative rather than drive it. For example, in British Columbia, systemic change is
occurring with new foci for student learning and assessment (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2015)
as well as professional learning. As leaders in inquiry in British Columbia, Kaser and Halbert founded The
Networks for Inquiry and Innovation (NOII), an inquiry-based network of schools established in 2000 and
funded by the BC Ministry of Education. NOII is designed to improve the quality and equity of education in
BC through inquiry, teamwork across roles, schools and districts (Networks of Inquiry and Innovation,
2018b). At the heart of this work is the value of community, connections, and networks.

Community, Connections and Networks

For those individuals or groups who choose to learn only from ‘experts’ or ‘institutions’ there is no doubt
that they are missing out on some of the best learning that can be garnered: that of learning from a network.
When, as education professionals, we open ourselves up to learning from our network, the possibilities are
endless. In Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization businessman Charles Lee
explains that he “store[s] [his] knowledge in his network” (Pontefract, 2013, p. 136). As educational
leaders, our knowledge also needs to be stored in a network and educational transformation needs to
harness the energy and intellect that is found in the community connections of these networks. As learning
is dependent on the motivation of the learner, it is imperative that there is a common purpose amongst a
network (OECD, 2015, p. 21) for engagement to occur.

In keeping with the shared leadership model that has been discussed, it is important to consider how these
learning networks, or inquiry networks, will develop. This is a process which requires time and genuine
interest from those involved. The truth of the matter is that “relationships, connections and trust take time;
the interaction of networks and communities unfold in time; it takes time to learn, no matter who is doing the
learning” (OECD, 2015, p. 21). If this process is rushed, there is the likelihood that the engagement of those
involved will be extinguished, and the innovation stopped dead in its tracks. Innovative learning networks
need to develop organically.

Innovative Practice
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2015) explains that “innovation, too, is
now rarely the product of individuals working in isolation but an outcome of how we mobilize, share and
link knowledge” (p.4). It could be suggested, then, that without networks, innovation will not occur.
Through connecting inquiry learning with the strength of networks, the potential for innovation is revealed.
By combining inquiry learning and networks, the collaborative process allows deep learning from one
another and recognizes that the inquiry spiral is a “team sport, not an individual endeavour” (New Zealand
Ministry of Education, 2018, para. 6). The power of this mindset is evident as Harris describes that “one of
the mantras of the inquiry networks is that when entering a network meeting, everyone leaves their formal
role at the door and enters simply as a learner” (2017, para. 51 ). To be open to learning regardless of your
official title or role, and to simply embrace collective, and growing, knowledge is the true power behind
inquiry and innovation networks.

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Research shows that leadership plays a significant role in changing the culture of a school. In fact, “changing
the organizational culture of the school constitutes the key role and goal for the school library professional”
(Oberg, 2009, p. 10). Recognizing the leadership characteristics and capacity of teacher-librarians is a key
piece to the equation when mapping out innovation through leadership, inquiry, and networks. To simplify
the key elements of transformation and innovation, the OECD summarizes design features which we can ‘c’:
culture change, clarifying focus, capacity creation, collaboration and co-operation, communication
technologies and platforms and change agents (2015, p. 20). It is time we acknowledge the power of
leadership and inquiry in the quest for innovation in education.

What can School Leaders do about…?

When looking at systemic transformation in education it is advisable to look towards the modest leaders who
are capable of creating such change. It matters not what role a person holds in the education system, nor
whether or not there is an official title which signifies their authority. Instead, the focus must shift to
fostering qualities, capabilities, and opportunities for all leaders. Although all educational contexts will have
their own identity, research clearly points to the implementation of a framework and the importance of
support for successful transformation to take hold. An example of such educational transformation for
students, professional learning, and leadership can be found in the Okanagan Similkameen School District
(SD53) in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.

In SD53 a shift in culture has begun; collaborative work is leading to a change in leadership opportunities, in
professional learning through inquiry, and in networks which support and foster transformation which is
ultimately focused on the students. Implementing a common framework for professional learning has been a
major focus for all staff. This framework, Spirals of Inquiry, encourages inquiry learning and processes with
the goal of ultimately becoming “teachers’ core business of thinking as professionals” (Timperley, 2011,
p.xviii). This is a critical step for this systemic change. Research suggests that supporting these school
leaders in fostering a culture of inquiry across their school, and their district, by “providing space, time, and
mentorship to inquire and reflect on their practice” (Education New Zealand, 2017, para. 15) is essential to
the change process and can be established by supporting inquiry networks to grow and share ideas. This
work is underway in a small rural district (SD53) and is well worth exploring in more detail.

Informal Leadership Opportunities

The initial vision of transformation and shared leadership began with the superintendent in this district, and
has been growing organically since its inception nearly four years ago. In fact, as it is suggested in the
OECD Handbook for Innovative Learning Environments (2017), a strong focus “on the nature and
organisation of learning means to widen the focus so as to include but also go beyond those at the top of the
management hierarchy in the organisation” (p. 73). This leadership approach is central to the work of School
District 53. For example, during a recent district visioning process, school staff were provided with an
opportunity to engage in informal leadership. At the onset of this visioning process, teachers, administrators,
school board members, and parents were invited to a workshop where the focus was to hear from all involved
and determine what values would be at the heart of the district vision. After the initial workshop, a smaller
group of interested stakeholders were consulted further for feedback and final edits on proposed actionable
statements and goals. This informal opportunity provided teachers, without titles of leadership, to be
included in a process of great value to learning in the district.

Network Leaders
At a district level Network Leaders were introduced to help develop the capacity of networks within the
district. Positions were created to represent Aboriginal Education, Technology Integration in Elementary and
Secondary, Student Engagement, Social Emotional Learning and Early Learning. Teachers were then
encouraged to join a network to develop their practice and extend networking within the district. Each
network leader was provided with a budget to manage professional learning and networking as deemed most
appropriate for the specific network. The structure required accountability, fiscally and with evidence of
growth, and varied in identity with budgets used for resources, teacher coverage, collaborative time, etc.
Most networks met outside of the school day to extend the budget as teacher time is the most costly factor;

87
however, school visitations from the network leader and meetings during the school day were not uncommon.
Regardless of how the network was formalized, the ultimate outcome was increasing interest and capacity
within the district.

The network leaders played an important role in the development of these networks in the district, which as
Katz, Earl and Jaafar (2009b) suggest, is one of seven key enablers of Network Learning Communities. Once
these networks were developed, the network leaders were then tasked with facilitating each of the remaining
seven components including: “purpose and focus, relationships, collaboration, inquiry, leadership,
accountability, and capacity building and support” (Katz, Earl, & Jaafar, 2009b, p. 12). Utilizing these
components as a framework, the learning was intended to reach beyond the network leaders and facilitate
learning for the district as a whole. Developing network capacity was a critical step in the early stages of
transformative change.

The initial reach of the network was limited; however as Katz, Earl and Jaafar (2009b) explain:

Building capacity depends on intentionally fostering and developing the opportunities for members to
examine their existing beliefs and challenge what they do against new ideas, new knowledge, new skills,
and even new dispositions. When networks are focused on learning, they intentionally seek out and/or
create activities, people, and opportunities to push them beyond the status quo (p. 15).

In SD53, this deliberate action, and perseverance by the superintendent, has created a flourishing network of
professionals who are empowered to lead, regardless of role or title. Leadership is transforming as teacher
leaders are recognizing the value of their voice in shaping what truly matters in education: learning for their
students and learning for their own professional growth.

External Expertise
In an effort to extend the reach of the developing networks, the next step was to invite all staff to participate
in the learning. Introducing the framework to all staff at every school in the district acknowledges that shared
knowledge is more powerful than knowledge created in isolation. However, sometimes it is also necessary to
expand the network beyond those in the district, and SD53 committed to this as well. A report by the
Professional Development Advisory Group out of New Zealand stresses the “importance of internal and
external expertise working together” and the importance of “teachers and leaders having access to both
internal and external expertise” (Education N.Z., 2014, p. 19). The Spirals of Inquiry framework, adopted by
SD53, is the work of Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser, leaders in inquiry learning in British Columbia, New
Zealand, Australia, and England (Networks Of Inquiry and Innovation, 2018b) and continuous efforts have
been made to have these ‘experts’ visit the district for work with emerging leaders. For example, at the onset
of introducing the framework there was opportunity for learning leaders to work with Halbert and Kaser to
understand the process and value of inquiry for professional learning. By providing the framework, guidance
and expertise from the creators of the Spirals of Inquiry the district has harnessed the external expertise while
developing its own internal capacity.

Inquiry Days
When asked what they need more of, teachers will more often than not respond with ‘time’. To illustrate the
commitment to inquiry, and a resulting shift in leadership across the district, the superintendent has provided
time for staff to work collaboratively on inquiry questions that ultimately focus on professional learning,
student engagement, and, in turn student achievement. With early release time for students once a month, for
a total of seven months in the school year, support staff, teaching staff, and administration come together to
engage in focused inquiry. As noted in Teaching as Inquiry: A Refresher, “the key to effective inquiry is that
it happens in a systematic and continuous manner, and that it leads to changed and improved thinking and
teaching” (Education New Zealand, 2017, para. 5). With dedicated time and resources allocated to the
inquiry process there is clear commitment from the district.

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The second half of the equation certainly rests on those individuals who, as previously mentioned, are
resistant to change. To be effective, “professional learning requires teachers to be seriously engaged in their
learning” (Galileo Educational Network, 2015, para. 6). For those quiet leaders who have taken their place in
the transformation, this engagement is simply part of the process, part of the learning, part of the systemic
change. However, this is certainly not the case for all staff. There has been pushback from some and quiet
mutterings from others. Regardless, data from the district, most recently collected in a survey by the South
Okanagan Similkameen Teachers Union (February 2018), illustrates that the inquiry framework is taking
hold across the district and systemic transformation is emerging in SD53 and is valued by those involved.

District Networking
As the Network Leader role evolved, the vision of transforming leadership on a systemic level became more
visible. Encouraging professional learning among staff across the district increased sharing between teachers,
subject areas and schools. One example of such networking is found in the library learning commons. An
increase in teacher-librarian time has been a focus in the province of British Columbia and SD53 has taken
this pedagogical shift seriously. Prior to this commitment there were two teacher-librarians in the district and
now every school in the district, at elementary and secondary levels, has a teacher-librarian. The importance
of professional learning is evident as the district requires teachers to have, or be undergoing, coursework,
specific to teacher-librarianship. The network framework, and an influx of district support, has contributed to
networking across the district for professional learning for the teacher-librarians, a sharing of expertise, as
well as a focus on inquiry-based learning for students.

The next level of district networking was established in an effort to reach ‘deeper learning’ for teachers and
students. Originally an extension of reflection and sharing of experience and practice surrounding a shared
visit to High Tech High in San Diego, California, the network has become a permanent and growing network
of professional learners across the district. The members, including teachers, administration and district staff,
are passionate about creating innovative learning in the district and sharing within their network to help the
entire district network. Katz, Earl and Jaafar (2009b) explain that “once new knowledge is created and
shared, the expectation is that the new learning will influence practices” (p. 11). Ultimately it is this
expectation that permeates the culture of professional learning and practice in the district and enables the
extension of these networks. This sharing of newly uncovered local expertise enables a thriving network.

Inquiry Leaders
A pivotal step in the journey for the Okanagan Similkameen School District has been the rebranding of
network leadership. Systemic change is evident in the district as department heads, which have historically
been associated with leadership, were eradicated and replaced with Inquiry Leaders. This shift demonstrates
the value placed not only on the inquiry process, but also on the shared leadership that can be utilized in a
school structure. Inquiry Leaders are accountable to help support and facilitate inquiry at the school level for
staff. Focused inquiry questions are tied to the school plans at each school and the inquiry that takes place
then becomes actionable and meaningful in reaching school plan goals for the year. A school inquiry is the
focus for all, but Inquiry Leaders are there to help guide and facilitate inquiry at a more personal level for
each staff member.

At Southern Okanagan Secondary School, one of three secondary schools in the district, the Inquiry Leaders
support networks in Assessment, Indigenous Education, Cross-curricular Learning, and Social Emotional
Learning. All staff self-select the network of interest and create an inquiry question to guide their own
practice. At this point the school plan, monthly inquiry sessions, collaboration, and teacher and
administration professional growth plans are all tied to the inquiry work which is transforming district
learning. The framework supports the inquiry, the network supports the inquiry, and the inquiry supports
learning.

Networking Beyond the District

As capacity builds, and staff become more confident in their work, the potential to share with a larger
audience can be a critical piece to this transformation. The benefits of sharing beyond the comfort of the

89
classroom or school can be an unnerving, yet valuable experience for many people. The Okanagan
Similkameen School District has not only encouraged and supported networked learning within the district,
but has also moved beyond the district by sharing experiences with other districts in the area and around the
province. Although the teachers do not necessarily feel like ‘the expert,’ the reality is that they are building
capacity in an area that is innovative and making change happen. The unassuming leaders, including the
teacher-librarian, are transforming what learning and leading look like and the work is worth sharing. A
network teacher explains the importance of the shared leadership:

The network brings together educators of all levels and then puts them all on the same level, making us
teaching and learning resources for each other. We are all learners; we are all drivers of change; we are all
important in the system. (Harris, 2017, para.52)

It is this recognition of value, regardless of title, that is so critical to share. Going beyond the theory and
providing examples of what all this means on a practical level is a necessary step towards transformation.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

Transformation is not easy, seamless or fast. Making a commitment to such change is not an easy decision to
make, but the benefits far outweigh the risks. Oberg notes that “since the 1970s, some important lessons have
been learned about planned change— change is a process, it is personal, and it takes time” (2009, p.14). To
suggest that the Okanagan Similkameen School District profile is ‘the way’ to embark on the journey to
systemic change would be simplifying the importance, and intricacies, of the process. However, what should
be noted from this profile is supported by research; a framework, ample support, and flourishing networks are
essential to transformative systemic change for all learners.

What does this mean for school leaders? That really depends on their notion of leadership. Is the leadership
model one of an antiquated vision, with a hierarchy continuing to dictate from the top? Or should the
leadership model be flattened out to recognize that leadership can be harnessed in a variety of capacities? As
Geoff Southworth suggests:

Leadership needs to be exercised at all levels. If we seriously think that it is leadership which matters, rather
than the leader, and that leadership is distributed and shared rather than centred on one person then we must
encourage not only a team-based approach to leadership, as we can see in many schools today, but also a
greater appreciation of what team-based leadership adds up to. What matters in schools is what the whole
team of leaders do. (Mulford, 2008, p. 6).

When there is a willingness to take risks there are bound to be rewards. In the featured school district,
Okanagan Similkameen, the doctrine that has emerged is one of risk taking, failing forward, and learning
from all experiences. It is a bold move, but providing a framework for professional development, the
necessary support to build capacity, and a network for knowledge creation and sharing are the critical
components to systemic change and transforming educational practice for the world we live in.

This chapter has explored the research, theory and practice concerning systemic change and transformation in
educational practice. The focus that needs to remain at the forefront of all of this work is the best interests of
the students; students are the heart of our work. Regardless of the framework that is decided upon, there
needs to be a common structure to guide professional learning. Within such a framework the second critical
piece is supporting the process. Without support, even the most impressive framework will fail to initiate
transformation. The final piece of the equation is removing barriers. Whether it is coined a Professional
Learning Network, a Network Learning Community, Spirals of Inquiry or not, these networks are in the
process of knocking down the barriers that have traditionally slowed the process of innovation. As leaders of
all descriptions forge ahead in the pursuit of innovation in education, a critical component is the sharing of
knowledge at local, provincial, national and international levels. By sharing the things that work,
transformation can proceed at a faster pace. Everyone wins.

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Each reader has their own context to which this chapter can be applied. Whether their role is district staff,
administration, teacher, teacher-librarian, support teacher or support staff, their place in leadership is
undeniable. Stepping up and taking on that role as a leader is up to the individual who in turn builds the
collaborative network.

Considerations
❏ Go with the goers. Change is difficult enough to initiate so start by working with those who are open
to change.
❏ Fail forward. Accept and embrace failure as a means of moving ahead; some of the greatest work
comes out of persistence.
❏ Be patient. Change takes time, it is not going to happen overnight, but it is well worth the effort.
❏ Support the work. Actions are stronger than words; engage in the work, fund the work, and provide
time for the work.
❏ Trust the process. Do not give up on the framework too quickly; refer to considerations two and
three.
❏ Share. Create networks, create and share knowledge, become the expert.

Additional Resources
Couros, G. (2015). The innovator’s mindset. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
This resource has been used for a professional series of workshops to support Inquiry Leaders in our district
to guide innovative practice and mindset. Full of relatable stories from Canadian schools this book provides
encouragement for teachers and leaders to cultivate innovative work and thinking in their daily practice.

Katz, S., Dack, L. A., & Malloy, J. (2018). Intelligent, responsive leader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Leadership is tackled from a variety of different levels. Are you a teacher, school administrator, or
superintendent? This book will seek to guide you in understanding how to lead leadership and transform the
notion of leadership into one of influence and purposeful practice.

Katz, S., Earl, L.M., & Ben Jaafar, S. (2009). Building and connecting learning communities. The
power of networks for school improvement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
The importance of networks and learning communities is the focus of this book and is an excellent starting
point for teacher leaders, school administration or district leaders looking to lead district level change.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2018). OECD: Centre for educational
research and innovation. Innovative pedagogies for powerful learning-networks. Retrieved
http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/innovative pedagogies-for-powerful-learning-networks.htm
A look at the innovative pedagogical practices emerging from educational networks around the globe.
Included as the first network is the Networks for Inquiry and Innovation as well as Galileo from Canada.

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Timperley, H. (2011). Realizing the power of professional learning. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
Timperley, H. (2012, March 5). Building professional capability in schooling improvement. Retrieved from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download? doi=10.1.1.1011. 9201&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Ziegler, M. (2001). Improving practice through action research. Adult Learning, 12(1), 3-4. Retrieved from
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/104515950101200102

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Chapter 9

Teacher-Librarians As Inquiry Catalysts

Aleasha Kachel
akachel@sd73.bc.ca

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

It was a couple of weeks before winter break, and a colleague and I were discussing our day at the end of a
particularly long week. Even though we had only worked together for a few months, this became fairly
routine for us; I’d pack my bag and make my way to the parking lot by first stopping by her room to chat. On
this particular day we bantered as usual but ended up ultimately focussing on her psychology class, a group
she was finding difficult as they were sometimes not as engaged as she would like. I tried to offer advice, as I
had given up that position in order to become the teacher-librarian (TL) at my school a little over a year
before, but none of my suggestions seemed to offer any real solutions. Casually, I suggested that we could try
an inquiry based learning (IBL) project together. I cautioned that it would take a lot of planning and we
would have to give up a lot of control but she trusted in my vision and enthusiastically agreed to undertake
the project. I left that day inspired but also wondering what I was truly in for.

Over the next two weeks we met to plan the project together. We discussed timing, assessment, materials
needed, and who would be responsible for teaching mini-lessons. However, I couldn’t have imagined that the
most important material either of us needed was each other. As the start date approached, both my colleague
and I almost backed out but we reassured each other and began the project as planned.

The first few days of the project were exhilarating yet challenging. First, students were skeptical. They
wondered why they weren’t being given a worksheet. Some of the students wanted us to tell them what we
wanted them to research. One student in particular fought the process the whole way. The project took longer
than we thought, meaning we ran out of time to have students share projects with each other. On top of that,
we had learn to shift to a more facilitative role and admit that we didn’t know all the answers. In fact, we had
to admit that we knew nothing about some of the topics that students chose.

It was important that, throughout the project, my colleague and I supported each other and made adjustments
as the process unfolded. Although it wasn’t a perfect first IBL attempt, we both felt elated. Most students
enjoyed the process, many pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones, everyone was able to access
materials at their level, and the students enjoyed discussing what they had learned with us. Plus, because we
worked together, we were able to share the marking load, reflect together, and discuss how we could improve

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for the next project. At that point I realised that IBL was powerful and it was something I wanted to champion
at my school even though I still felt nervous about leading it.

I didn’t come to Inquiry-Based Learning by chance; it was a required course for my master’s program in
teacher-librarianship. At the outset of the course we spent time discussing the foundations of inquiry but it
turned out to be much more than just theory. In fact, I was required to undertake my own inquiry on a topic of
my choosing. It was terrifying. I recall wondering what I should choose, how much I should include, and if I
was straying off task. Eventually I did decide on a topic, realised that I knew when I had included enough
detail, and, knew that I was on track.

During this time, I was comforted by Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process as it detailed the feelings
and thoughts one experiences when searching for information (Kuhlthau, Caspari & Maniotes, 2015). This
model proved that my experience was not unique; researching can be a difficult, a recursive, and an
emotional process for those who undertake it. As a result, I began to reflect on my own teaching. I understood
that I would need to offer more support to students and would also need to reassure them throughout the
process. I also recognized that students required real freedom to choose topics they were truly interested in
and passionate about instead of a list of teacher-generated topic choices. Upon completion of my own project,
I reflected on the product I had created through the use of IBL. It was valuable and something I
enthusiastically shared with my colleagues. I realised that if students were given IBL opportunities, they
could also create products to confidently share beyond the classroom, making their learning truly authentic.

These epiphanies invigorated and excited me but I asked myself: Would I have undertaken IBL if I hadn’t
taken an entire course on it? How would teachers who have had not had the opportunity to experience IBL
themselves be inspired to incorporate this in their classes? How can teachers be supported in implementing
IBL? What kinds of professional development might be needed for IBL to become part of school culture?
Finally, I wondered, who can lead this type of change?

I realised for IBL to truly take root in my school, I would have to be the catalyst. As a TL, I have training in
IBL, access to resources, a mandate to collaborate, and the flexibility to support IBL. In the following pages
I will explore in depth why IBL is important, what barriers exist to its implementation, and how TLs can be a
catalyst to infuse inquiry in their schools.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

Why IBL?
IBL is a constructivist approach based on John Dewey’s theory that children learn best through experiences
and explorations of topics of interest to them, and that a child’s growth and development should take
precedence over curriculum content (Wallace & Husid, 2012). Importantly, IBL creates a ‘third space’ where
the curriculum and students’ experiences meet (Kuhlthau et al., 2015), offering a learning experience that is
highly engaging and motivating for students (Carruthers & Lampe, 2011; Stubeck, 2015; Wallace & Husid,
2012) as well as teachers (Doering & Henrickson, 2015). IBL also differs from traditional teaching methods
as it focuses on big ideas and skills rather than smaller pieces of curriculum (Carruthers & Lampe, 2011)
allowing students to wonder, ask their own questions, investigate, collaborate, think, build knowledge and
share (Alberta Learning, 2004; Harada, Ezaki Chun, Louis & Okemura, 2017).

To illustrate, using a case study approach involving observations, focus groups, and interviews, Doering and
Henrickson (2015) looked at how creativity was fostered through inquiry as students created online adventure
learning projects. In their qualitative study of 1 teacher and 95 students in the United States, Doering and
Henrickson (2015) concluded that students’ creativity was influenced by technology, the support they
received in the classroom, the availability of a constructivist learning environment, and a supportive teacher
who trusts and inspires them.

Zafra-Gómez, Román-Martinez, and Gómez-Miranda (2015) also found IBL both increases student
achievement and leads to greater student satisfaction. In a four-year longitudinal study involving 515

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university students who were exposed to either traditional teaching methods or traditional methods blended
with IBL, Zafra-Gómez et al. (2015) found that students’ grades increased when they were taught using IBL
methods. They also discovered, through analyzing course grades and questionnaires, that students were
satisfied with IBL methods and that those who reported higher satisfaction also had higher grades (2015).
However, the importance of using IBL methods does not rest in school success alone; the skills developed
through the process are necessary to ensure success in all areas of students’ lives, including their personal and
work lives (Maniotes & Kuhlthau, 2014), as they navigate the information-rich and ever-changing landscape
of an increasingly digital world.

Teacher-Librarians as IBL Professional Development Leaders

Why, when IBL is connected to high impact learning through critical studies, has it not been implemented
more widely? Fundamentally, teachers may lack a foundation in IBL because they may not have had IBL
training in their teaching programs or may not have had experience with teaching in this style (Coatney,
2013; Fontichiaro & Hamilton, 2014; Gutierez, 2015). Training and experience are necessary as IBL requires
teachers to make a shift from the traditional role of teacher as expert, to one of teacher as facilitator (Chu,
2008). Importantly, IBL requires teachers to allow students to ask questions that they do not know the answer
to, and encourages teachers to accept the idea that they do not know the answers before beginning (Coatney,
2013). Thus, even though teachers have good intentions to support inquiry, those who lack a background in
IBL may actually be encouraging students to use limited resources and simply copy information (Maniotes &
Kuhlthau, 2014). For example, Voet and De Wever (2016) interviewed 22 teachers working with adolescents
in Belgium to discover how their views of IBL informed their practice. Findings were that the teachers’
conceptions of IBL did not extend beyond critically evaluating information and thus, did not extend to true
inquiries into the past (Voet & De Wever, 2016). Voet and De Wever explained that barriers to inquiry
included feelings of pressure from colleagues, the need to address required curriculum content, limited time,
student ability, and lack of pedagogical knowledge in IBL. They concluded that mentoring programs should
be developed in schools to support teachers in carrying out IBL (Voet & De Wever, 2016).

What conditions are necessary for teachers to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue IBL
confidently? While traditional professional development can offer some knowledge of IBL practices, it is
often only delivered as a single session. Unfortunately, single-session professional development is ineffective
for learning, meaning IBL support for teachers should be on-going and embedded in their practice (Harada,
2016). Gutierez (2015) asserted that even with professional development, teachers found it difficult to
continue with their IBL practices and, that in order to maintain these practices, teachers needed assistance
through collaborative planning with a knowledgeable colleague (Mazella & Grob, 2011). TLs are ideally
positioned to offer this support and lead in the area of inquiry as they have the skills and mindset to model
and support the process (Gordon, 2010; Harada, 2010; Harada, 2016). TLs are also in the unique position of
working with the entire school (Harada et al., 2017). Harada, Ezaki Chun, Louis, & Okemura (2017) noted
that TLs can act as servant leaders with the “expertise and willingness to support their colleagues toward
meeting a common goal” (p. 18). In addition, TLs have the responsibility and opportunity to keep abreast of
current research and share it with colleagues (Harada et al., 2017). As a first step to engaging colleagues in
inquiry, Coatney (2013) suggested that TLs can begin a study group with colleagues for the purpose of
learning more about the process, meaning that even TLs with little inquiry experience can offer important
professional development to their colleagues.

Teacher-Librarians as as Collaborative Support for Teachers and Students

A fundamental difference between IBL and traditional instruction is that it is non-linear, recursive, and messy
(Block, 2014; Coatney, 2013; Harada et al., 2017); even the simplest iterations of IBL are complex (Ekdahl,
Farquharson, Robinson, & Turner, 2010) and require supportive, collaborative relationships. In fact, IBL is a
process where teachers, TLs, and students learn together, everyone participates in researching (Gordon, 2010;
Harada, 2016), and the TL works collaboratively at various levels with teachers and students (Gordon, 2010).
For example, as students engage with research, they go through a process known as the Information Search
Process (ISP), during which they experience feelings ranging from uncertainty and confusion to confidence
and satisfaction; however, when they are supported through the ISP, they avoid feeling overwhelmed

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(Maniotes & Kuhlthau, 2014). In the same fashion, teachers can also experience similar emotions and require
the same support as they plan and execute IBL. In a study of TLs and teachers working together to support
students in completing a capstone project, Harada (2016) found that teachers not only valued TLs’ knowledge
of how information was used, but they also valued the emotional support provided by the collaborative
relationship with the TL. One teacher noted, “the academic and personal support that I received from my
librarian created a vehicle for my own growth as a writer, and as a teacher” (Harada, 2016, p. 22). This
collaborative relationship also encouraged teachers to take risks, to try out new things, and to make changes
mid-project (Harada, 2016).

Collaboration between a TL and teacher has been found to be rewarding, have the ability to increase
confidence in future planning of IBL (Stubeck, 2015), and can help both teachers and TLs feel more effective
in their teaching (Loertscher, 2014). It is also practical in that it enables teachers to share the workload with
TLs (Kuhlthau et al., 2015; Pihl, Skinstad van der Kooij & Carlsten, 2017) as each person in the collaboration
can use their own expertise, with teachers bringing subject knowledge and TLs bringing process knowledge
(Harada, 2016). In these partnerships TLs and teachers can plan collaborative lessons, work together to
develop formative and summative assessments (Todd, 2011), and partner to evaluate and conference with
students (Harada, 2016).

TL and teacher collaborations have real benefits for students. For instance, in a study in Idaho, Lance,
Rodney & Schwarz (2010) concluded that students were more likely to experience academic success when
TLs partnered in instruction with teachers. Similarly, Loertscher’s (2014) study, involving questionnaires
administered to teachers and TLs in sixteen American schools, found that approximately 50% of students met
or exceeded expectations when teachers taught alone but when they co-taught with a TL, they reported that
70-100% of students met or exceeded their expectations. In addition, Carruthers and Lampe (2011) found that
student discussions were much richer when a TL and classroom teacher collaborated, while Kuhlthau,
Maniotes, and Caspari (2015) found that teachers reported they were “particularly pleased with student
engagement and achievement” (p. 125) when working on collaboratively planned and delivered IBL projects.

In a study of 141 grade four students, 11 teachers, and 27 parents in Hong Kong, Chu (2008) concluded that a
collaborative approach involving both classroom teachers and the TL worked effectively in conducting IBL
projects. Chu noted that rote learning is a dominant practice in Hong Kong and found that, when undertaking
IBL, classroom teachers should instead take a “supporting role as facilitator, advisor, and guide in students’
learning process” (p. 26). Based on data collected from surveys, self and peer evaluations, and student marks
and interviews, Chu found that this collaborative approach to teaching IBL resulted in student improvement
in information gathering, evaluating sources, communication skills, and information technology (IT) skills
over previous years.

Ainsworth (2016) also observed that, in a collaborative inquiry project involving a TL and teacher, students
benefited from a decreased teacher to student ratio, allowing smaller groups to work with the teacher-
librarian on one aspect of the project while the teacher worked with the rest of the class. This partnership also
allowed for increased opportunity to work with struggling students, to differentiate instruction depending
upon the students’ needs, and to provide real-time feedback during the IBL project work (Ainsworth, 2016).
While IBL taught by a single teacher is proven to increase student’s satisfaction with their learning as well as
improve their achievement (Zafra-Gómez et al., 2015), achievement is increased further through
collaboration with TLs (Chu, 2008).

Teacher-Librarian as Resource Support

TLs provide the necessary resources and spaces that enable inquiry, both inside and outside of the school
(Foote, 2017; Gordon, 2010; Kuhlthau et al., 2015). Indeed the library learning commons itself is a resource
as it is an active space which “hums with collaboration and participation” (British Columbia Teacher-
Librarians Association [BCTLA], 2017, p. 3). Library learning commons allow a place for teachers, TLs, and
students collaborate, innovate, and have equitable access to a variety of tools and resources (BCTLA, 2017;
Canadian Library Association [CLA], 2014; Ekdahl et al., 2010). In addition, the virtual learning commons,

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curated and maintained by TLs, helps support IBL and provides a platform from which students can share
their learning beyond the walls of the school (CLA, 2014). Additionally, through resource curation, TLs
ensure that students have access to a rich variety of resources including “books, magazines, articles, online
encyclopedias, websites, databases, videos, podcasts, newspaper archives, and primary and community
resources” (Wallace & Husid, 2017, p. 108). As TLs have an eye for providing a wide range of materials that
meet the needs and interests of all students, they provide resources that support diversity in that they have the
potential to “engage pupils with very diverse abilities and social, linguistic, historical, cultural and gender
backgrounds (Pihl et al., 2017, p. 9), as well as "help realize important aims of intercultural education and
reduce social inequalities in education” (p. 15).

Therefore, the library learning commons must be rich with resources which support students in their inquiry
investigations. In order to ensure that these resources remain current, TLs need to keep abreast of curriculum
changes and work to update and improve the collection, both print and digital (Kuhlthau et al., 2015).
Interestingly, inquiry projects themselves help TLs select resources that will support further inquiries as the
TL becomes even more knowledgeable about course content (Mazella & Grob, 2011).

Teacher-Librarian as Information Literacy Support

Information literacy instruction for students is a key element of IBL, but these are skills many teachers lack
(Harada, 2016). TLs can offer support in this area as they are experts on information literacy who not only
help students work through the inquiry process, but also teach them how to use information literacy concepts
in conducting their research (Harada et al, 2017; Kuhlthau et al., 2015). In collaboratively planned inquiry,
information literacy skills are taught in context (Ekdahl et al., 2010; Kuhlthau et al., 2015) and when teachers
and TLs collaborate, they can create new opportunities for students to practice information literacy skills
(Pihl et al., 2017). For example, Mazella and Grob (2011) argued that a librarian and teacher collaboration
created opportunities to meaningfully teach students how to search databases, use keywords, and demonstrate
good searching skills. They also found that a collaborative IBL unit afforded opportunities for much richer
information literacy instruction than the commonly delivered one-shot sessions, as it allowed the TL to
provide feedback and follow up in working with these students (Mazella & Grob, 2011).

Thus the TL role is one that is ideally suited to promote IBL. For one, as TLs have access to all students and
teachers in the school, they can create a culture of inquiry by modelling dispositions such as open-
mindedness, curiosity, metacognition, and skepticism in a way that permeates the entire curriculum (Donham,
2016). Additionally, TLs act as an essential member of an IBL collaboration as they can be a “unifying force”
in its implementation (Kuhlthau et al., 2015, p. 125). Finally, as flexible collaborators with training and
access to resources, TLs offer support and mentorship and act as the ideal inquiry catalyst who can be
responsible for “getting it going and keeping it on track” (Kuhlthau et al, p. 129).

What can School Leaders do about…?

When I decided to become an inquiry catalyst at my school I definitely did not feel like an expert. I read a lot
but I had no idea what IBL would look like in action. I was convinced of the benefits though and realised that
I needed to just jump in and give it a try. I believe action is key; if you were to wait to feel like an expert, you
would never begin. While the road to supporting the expansion of IBL at my school has not been without its
challenges, nor has it followed any particular theoretical approach, it has reinvigorated my teaching and sent
me searching for ways to share my enthusiasm with others. This has led to identifying factors that facilitate
successful IBL implementation. These factors include an environment that supports IBL, collaborative
relationships, adequate time, and available job-embedded professional development.

Creating an Environment that Supports Inquiry

How can students and teachers be encouraged to embark on a journey that is messy? Kuhlthau et al. (2015)
described the importance of respect and appreciation for collaborative partners in undertaking inquiry
projects. Importantly, the library can be the place where this culture of inquiry is created (Coatney, 2013). I
unknowingly began supporting these necessary elements as I envisioned my ideal learning commons. Above
all else, I knew that the learning commons needed to be a space that was safe for everyone. In order to be

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safe, I had to show that I was welcoming and caring, and promote the idea that it was a place where it was
acceptable to make mistakes. However, at the end of my first year, I was disappointed that students were still
somewhat reluctant to ask me questions and staff primarily wanted me to come in to do mini-lessons on
citations.

Kuhlthau et al. (2015) stated that systemic change takes time and “a good dose of ‘irrational perseverance’”
(p. 217). I certainly felt like I was undertaking an insurmountable challenge, but I persevered nonetheless. I
decided I had to spend more time investing in relationships before I could advocate for projects that could be
perceived as high risk. So, rather than feeling guilty about having an off-topic conversation with students and
staff, I welcomed these dialogues. I opened my office as an alternate work space for students and staff. I
stocked coffee and tea in an effort to increase dialogue and foster relationships. I admitted to students that I
didn’t know all the answers and I asked them to teach me what they were learning. I was honest with my
colleagues that I wasn’t an expert, but I asked them to let me try something new in their classes and, by
middle of my second year, my first inquiry project was underway.

Oberg (2009) stated that the school library is a place where change can, and should, occur. I found this
sentiment accurate as I was able to support change through utilizing the learning commons space and my TL
role. The learning commons became a place where both students and staff came to try something new and
learn together. Even those who weren’t working on that first IBL project were able to observe it for
themselves when they came to the learning commons for other projects. Thus, when it came time to try again,
more of my colleagues were curious and willing to give it a try.

Finding Time For IBL

In my experience, a lack of time has been a major factor impeding the implementation of IBL; however, a TL
with a flexible schedule can easily mitigate this constraint. For one, it can be difficult for classroom teachers
to find time to collaborate with one another, but TLs without fixed schedules can be flexible in planning with
colleagues (Kuhlthau et al. 2015). This was an important factor as I began collaboratively planning with my
colleagues. They could come to me during their prep times, work with me during collaborative time, or we
could even work together during class time while students were working independently. Additionally, we
could find each other to ask quick questions or to check in at almost any time of the day. In short, because I
have a flexible schedule as a TL, there is a great deal more time available to plan effectively, which has
helped support IBL’s use at my school.

Nonetheless, without a variety of resources, successful IBL can present as a challenge. Finding and curating
these resources can be time consuming for teachers but as TLs are expert in locating and providing access to
a wide range of resources, this major time constraint can be overcome (Foote, 2017; Gordon, 2010; Kuhlthau
et al., 2015; Wallace & Husid, 2017). For example, during a recent grade eight Social Studies unit, I curated a
list of websites and databases for students to use, pulled a number of print resources from our collection,
borrowed from other libraries, and purchased new resources to support the project. When my colleagues and
students arrived, the links were available on the school website, and a cart of print resources were at the
ready. I then gave the students instruction on how to use the print and digital resources before they began
searching. When I was a classroom teacher I recall that I simply didn’t have time to curate resources, or know
the available collection, but now as a TL I had the time and knowledge to do so.

In addition, as TLs have knowledge of both pedagogy and curriculum (Oberg, 2009), they can support
teachers in finding time for IBL and supporting change. When I was a classroom teacher, I often felt
pressured to cover curriculum and I was unwilling to undertake many projects as a result. Now, as I TL, I can
identify areas where IBL can address a number of learning standards through a single project, thus alleviating
the feeling of pressure from the curriculum. Fortunately, in British Columbia, a new curriculum is being
implemented that has decreased the number of learning standards to be attained in favour of more broad and
transferable skills and which specifically identifies IBL as a preferred pedagogy (British Columbia Ministry
of Education, 2015). While the new curriculum offers a great deal more flexibility and choice, in my
experience, the change in methods and content is causing many teachers to feel apprehensive. The school

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library also supports teachers in this regard as the learning commons “must be in beta-mode” in order to
support changes in curriculum (Foote, 2017, p. 13). As these changes have been implemented, my school
library has been a place for teachers and students to try the new curriculum and IBL out. Thus, it is
imperative that TLs ensure they are knowledgeable of the whole curriculum and ensure the learning
commons promotes risk taking in order to support their colleagues in making the pedagogical shift to IBL.

Transitioning to IBL
IBL is fundamentally different from traditional research projects and, as a TL, I have the opportunity to
support my colleagues in making this transition. Coatney (2013) asserted that teachers do not need to know
all the answers which is a key understanding for anyone implementing IBL. I can often be heard advocating
for assignments that allow students to ask questions that we do not know the answers to; this has not only
helped me broaden my thinking about research, but it has also given me permission to model for students that
I do not know everything. In addition, it is a relief to drop the pretense of knowing everything, which is both
empowering and invigorating. I am often approached by students who want to tell me about something
interesting they learned and, when I check in with them while they are researching, our interactions differ
greatly. Rather than making sure they have checked off the facts I want them to research, I ask them about the
“coolest” thing they’ve learned. What is truly exciting is that IBL allows students to become the experts.

While IBL does not require teachers or TLs to hold content expertise in every single topic area that a student
may investigate, it does require expertise in the facilitation of a questioning process. This is significant as
questioning is the foundation of inquiry (Coatney, 2013; Harada et al., 2017; Maniotes & Kuhlthau, 2014).
Asking questions is something that students struggle with and need instruction in (Gutierez, 2015). This is
another area that a TL can support. For example, in a collaborative IBL project, I taught a lesson on how to
ask good questions during which we talked about open ended versus closed ended questions, and which types
of questions allowed us to really dig into research. While this approach could be done by the classroom
teacher alone, in my experience it is much more powerful when it is team taught. Team teaching draws on the
expertise of teacher and TL and allows both to contribute and provide examples for students. As students can
find formulating questions difficult (Gutierez, 2015), the more adult support available, the higher the success
rate in setting up this foundation (Ainsworth, 2016).

Finally, it is important to acknowledge that IBL takes time. When I was a classroom teacher, I recall the
pressures of feeling like I had to rush to make sure I covered the curriculum. Whenever I gave projects, they
rarely lasted more than a few days, and I expected students to pick a topic only minutes after first learning
about them. However, inquiry is fundamentally different. In particular, it is important to allocate time to the
initial stage of the inquiry process as it has the most potential to engage students (Lambusta, Graham, &
Letteri-Walker, 2014). At the outset of each inquiry assignment, in order to build background knowledge and
develop a sense of wonder, I advocate that students take the time to simply explore. For example, in a recent
Social Studies project, students spent a class viewing videos about different civilizations and spent a second
class perusing print resources. I encouraged them to flip through, only taking notes or asking questions about
things they truly found interesting. I found that I often had to reassure my colleagues that it was okay if
students didn’t have a full page of notes at the end of two days. After the initial two exploratory classes,
students spent another two classes preparing and viewing a gallery walk of interesting facts before they
decided on a topic. Maniotes and Kuhlthau (2014) observe that students do not usually develop their question
or thesis until somewhere near the middle of their research and this has also been my experience.

Growing Inquiry in the School and Beyond

When attempting to foster and grow a culture of inquiry within the school and beyond, how can a TL help
inquiry become part of the school culture? In my experience, advocating at all levels and sharing experiences
has been an important element in shifting to an inquiry culture. Even from the first project, it was difficult not
to be excited as we started to see the benefits for the students. They were asking interesting questions, they
were persevering, and they were digging deeper into research than they ever had before. Learning became
something that everyone did, students and teachers alike. As we undertook more projects, colleagues and I
often discussed our projects with other staff, we invited administration to come observe, and we even invited

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district coordinators to share in the learning. Colleagues who were once skeptical started to come and ask
questions about IBL.

However, promoting IBL solely in the learning commons wasn’t enough for it to become embedded in the
school culture. There were steps that I also needed to take beyond those walls. For example, I started offering
support during our weekly collaboration time in order to plan and learn more about inquiry. Also, I
successfully advocated to have IBL as a goal on the school improvement plan. What resulted was an inquiry
block as part of the grade eight mosaic rotation. For six weeks in grade eight, every student has the
opportunity to explore a topic of their choice. They are supported by the classroom teacher and myself with
information literacy lessons including how to ask good questions, how to locate good information, and how
to question the reliability of their sources.

Throughout my own learning experiences with IBL, I have found it is important not to take on this type of
change alone. Kuhlthau et al. (2015) describes the importance of developing networks both in school, and at
the district level, as being an innovator can be isolating. Coatney (2013) also discusses the importance of
establishing a learning community where teachers and TLs can participate in ongoing learning around IBL.
My colleagues and I have formed an informal IBL network at my school, which is invaluable for discussing
and planning future work. I have also found support from other TLs in my district through my local specialist
association. Through discussing inquiry at these meetings, I have also been able to network with district
coordinators, and as a result, I was asked to deliver professional development in partnership with the district
for the past three yearsl. Each year we offer a series on IBL with a different focus to help encourage and
educate teachers in the practice of IBL. This year’s focus is pairing literature circles with research so that
students can practice their inquiry based reading as well as their inquiry based research skills as outlined in
the BCTLA’s Points of Inquiry (Ekdhahl et al., 2010). An unexpected outcome of offering these professional
development sessions has been that the teachers attending have also become part of my network.

To move IBL forward in a sustainable manner, it is important that TLs make IBL a part of their daily work.
Inquiry happens in my learning commons every day, and it is always in the front of my mind when I discuss
projects with my colleagues. It is my hope, and goal, that every student be able to experience IBL in every
one of their classes and that these important skills are transferred to other areas of their lives.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

Any major change in teaching requires both support and a champion who will guide its implementation, and
IBL is no different (Kuhlthau et al., 2015). TLs are ideally positioned to offer this support and act as inquiry
catalysts due to their accessibility, access to resources, knowledge of IBL, and skills in collaboration. They
can also provide a supportive, constructivist environment and encouragement for teachers and students as
they navigate the sometimes murky waters of IBL. In addition, they can offer the necessary professional
development and ongoing support to their colleagues who partner with them. In short, qualified TLs “provide
expertise that is indispensable for learning how to learn in the information age” (Kuhlthau et al., 2015, p.
120).

Consequently, school leaders must inform themselves about IBL, the school learning commons, and the TL
role. If school leaders become knowledgeable in these areas, they can better support IBL by encouraging
teachers to take risks and by promoting collaboration with the TL. School leaders can also support IBL by
ensuring there is a qualified TL with a flexible timetable and the resources needed to support IBL: “It is
illogical to imagine an information age school without a fully functioning library serving as the information
center” (Kuhlthau et al., 2015, p. 121).

Our students need IBL. The world is changing and students require the ability to ask questions, think
critically, be creative, and locate information in order to solve problems and offer solutions. Students need the
skills taught through IBL and I believe in the power of the TL to act as the catalyst of change.

Additional Resources

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Alberta Learning. (2004). Focus on inquiry. A teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning.
Retrieved from http://open.alberta.ca/dataset/032c67af-325c-4039-a0f3-
100f44306910/resource/b7585634-fabe-4488-a836-
af22f1cbab2a/download/29065832004focusoninquiry.pdf
An easy to use guide for teachers to support the implementation of IBL into their classrooms. The appendices
are particularly helpful as they contain a number of reproducible documents that can be used in the
classroom.

Ekdahl, M., Farquharson, M., Robinson, J., & Turner, L. (2010). The Points of inquiry: A framework
for information literacy and the 21st century learner. Vancouver, BC: British Columbia Teacher-
Librarians’ Association. Retrieved from
http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/documents/Points%20of%20Inquiry/PointsofInquiry.pdf
A brief guide, published by the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians Association, showing what inquiry
skills students should be able to master at primary, intermediate and secondary levels. The skills, in point
form, are tied to each of five inquiry stages.

Fontichiaro, K. (2009). Nudging toward inquiry: Re-envisioning existing research projects. School
Library Monthly, 26(1), 17-19.
This is the first in a series of articles from School Library Monthly showing how school librarians can
support their colleagues in nudging towards IBL without starting from scratch. Examples of traditional
projects are given and solutions are provided as to how they can be tweaked into IBL projects.

Harvey, S., & Daniels, H. (2015). Comprehension and collaboration: Inquiry circles for curiosity,
engagement, and understanding. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
A practical resource that gives actual examples of inquiry in action at the primary, middle, and high school
levels. Included in the middle section of the book are a series of lessons designed to support inquiry.

Kuhlthau, C. C., Caspari, A. K., & Maniotes, L. K. (2015). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century,
2nd Edition. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited.
A clear guide explaining IBL and the Information Search Process (ISP) that students experience when
researching. It also discusses the importance of information literacy and ideal inquiry teams.

Guided Inquiry Design [InquiryK12]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://twitter.com/inquiryk12?lang=en

@InquiryK12 is the twitter presence of the authors of Guided Inquiry Design. Great resources are provided as
well as examples of schools that are implementing this inquiry approach.

Maniotes, L. K., & Kuhlthau, C. C. (2014). Making the shift: From traditional research assignments to
guiding inquiry learning. Knowledge Quest, 43(2-), 8-17. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1045936.pdf
A concise article showing the differences between traditional research and inquiry based research and how
the teacher-librarian can support and collaborate with classroom teachers to elevate learning for students.

Wilhelm, J. (2007). Engaging readers & writers with inquiry. Toronto: Scholastic.
A user-friendly book on how to convert learning standards into questions. It includes concrete, classroom
tested examples that can be adapted.

References
Ainsworth, L. (2016). Teacher and teacher librarian collaborative inquiry. Teacher Librarian, 44(2), 28-31. Retrieved from
http://teacherlibrarian.com
Alberta Learning. (2004). Focus on inquiry. A teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. Retrieved from
http://open.alberta.ca/dataset/032c67af-325c-4039-a0f3-100f44306910/resource/b7585634-fabe-4488-a836-
af22f1cbab2a/download/29065832004focusoninquiry.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2015). Introduction to British Columbia’s redesigned curriculum. Building Student Success:
BC’s New Curriculum. Retreived from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/curriculum_intro.pdf

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British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association (BCTLA). (2017). From school library to library learning commons: A pro-active
model for educational change. Retrieved from http://bctf.ca/bctla/info/learningcommons.html
Block, J. (2014). Rewriting the script: Multiple modalities in a high school humanities classroom. Perspectives on Urban Education.
11(2). Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1044075
Canadian Library Association (CLA). (2014). Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada
2014. Retrieved from http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/
Carruthers, C., & Lampe, K. (2011). Taking on inquiry in Iowa. School Library Monthly, 28(1), 14-16. Retrieved from
https://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx
Chu, S. (2008). Grade 4 students' development of research skills through inquiry-based learning projects. School Libraries
Worldwide, 14(1), 10-37. Retrieved from https://www.iasl-online.org/Resources/Documents/slw/v14/14_1chu.pdf
Coatney, S. (2013). Zeroing in on inquiry. School Library Monthly, 29(4), 5-8. Retrieved from https://www.abc-
clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx
Doering, A., & Henrickson, J. (2015). Fostering creativity through inquiry and adventure in informal learning environment design.
Journal Of Technology And Teacher Education, 23(3), 387-410. Retrieved from
http://www.learntechlib.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/p/151571
Donham, J. (2016). Mental scripts for nurturing student dispositions of inquiry. Teacher Librarian, 43(3), 24-27. Retrieved from
http://teacherlibrarian.com
Ekdahl, M., Farquharson, M., Robinson, J., & Turner, L. (2010). The points of inquiry: A framework for information literacy and the
21st century learner. Vancouver, Canada: British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association. Retrieved from
http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/documents/Points%20of%20Inquiry/PointsofInquiry.pdf
Fontichiaro, K. (2009). Nudging toward inquiry: Re-envisioning existing research projects. School Library Monthly, 26(1), 17-19.
Retrieved from https://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx
Fontichiaro, K., & Hamilton, B. (2014). Undercurrents. Knowledge Quest, 43(1), 56-59. Retrieved from
http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/
Foote, C. (2017). School libraries, librarians, and project-based learning. Internet@Schools, 24(1), 12-13. Retrieved from
http://www.internetatschools.com/Articles/Column/Idea-Watch/IDEA-WATCH-School-Libraries-Librarians-and-Project-
Based-Learning%E2%80%93Flexing-Library-Spaces-for-Learning-116125.aspx
Gordon, C. (2010). The culture of inquiry in school libraries. School Libraries Worldwide, 16(1), 73-88. Retrieved from
https://www.iasl-online.org/Resources/Documents/slw/v16/16_1Gordon.pdf
Guided Inquiry Design [InquiryK12]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://twitter.com/inquiryk12?lang=en
Gutierez, S. B. (2015). Collaborative professional learning through lesson study: Identifying the challenges of inquiry-based teaching.
Issues In Educational Research, 25(2), 118-134. Retrieved from http://www.iier.org.au/iier25/gutierez.pdf
Harada, V. H. (2010). Librarians as learning leaders: Cultivating cultures of inquiry. In S. Coatney (Ed.), The Many Faces of School
Library Leadership, 13-28. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Harada, V. H. (2016). A practice-centered approach to professional development: Teacher- Librarian collaboration in capstone
projects. School Library Research, 19, 1-47. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol19/SLR_PracticeCenteredApproach_V19.pd
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Harada, V. H., Ezaki Chun, L., Louis, P. & Okemura, A. (2017). Librarians as learning leaders: Cultivating cultures of inquiry. In S.
Coatney & V. Harada (Eds.), The Many Faces of School Library Leadership, 13-29. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Harvey, S., & Daniels, H. (2015). Comprehension and collaboration: Inquiry circles for curiosity, engagement, and understanding.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Kuhlthau, C. C., Caspari, A. K., & Maniotes, L. K. (2015). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century, 2nd Edition. Santa Barbara,
CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Lambusta, Graham, & Letteri-Walker. (2014). Rocks in the river: The challenge of piloting the inquiry process in today’s learning
environment. Knowledge Quest, 43(2), 42-45. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1045939
Lance, K.C. Rodney, M. J., and & Schwarz, B. (2010). Idaho school library impact study - 2009: How Idaho school librarians,
teachers and administrators communicate for student success. Idaho Commission for Libraries. Retrieved from
http://libraries.idaho.gov/files/Exec%20Sum%20Final.pdf
Loertscher, D. V. (2014). Collaboration and coteaching: A new measure of impact. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 8-19. Retrieved from
http://teacherlibrarian.com
Maniotes, L. K., & Kuhlthau, C. C. (2014). Making the shift: From traditional research assignments to guiding inquiry learning.
Knowledge Quest, 43(2-), 8-17. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1045936.pdf
Mazella, D., and Grob, J. (2011). Collaborations between faculty and special collections librarians in inquiry-driven classes. Portal:
Libraries And The Academy, 11(1), 467-487. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/article/409888
Oberg, D. (2009). Libraries in schools: Essential contexts for studying organizational change and culture. Library Trends, (1), 9.
Retrieved from https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/15293/58.1.oberg.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y
Pihl, J., Skinstad van der Kooij, K. and Carlsten, T. C. (2017) Teacher and librarian partnerships in literacy education in the 21st
century. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Stubeck, C. J. (2015). Enabling inquiry learning in fixed-schedule libraries: An evidence based approach. Knowledge Quest, 43(3),
28-34. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1049071.pdf
Todd, R. J. (2011). Charting student learning through inquiry. School Library Monthly, 28(3), 5-8. Retrieved from https://www.abc-
clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx
Voet, M., & De Wever, B. (2016). History teachers' conceptions of inquiry-based learning, beliefs about the nature of history, and
their relation to the classroom context. Teaching & Teacher Education, 5557-5567. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2015.12.008

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Wallace, V., & Husid, W. (2012). Learning to the second power: Inquiry-based collaboration and learning commons. Teacher
Librarian, 39(3), 25-29. Retrieved from http://teacherlibrarian.com
Wallace, V., & Husid, W. N. (2017). Collaborating for inquiry-based learning: School librarians and teachers partner for student
achievement. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Wilhelm, J. (2007). Engaging readers & writers with inquiry. Toronto: Scholastic.
Zafra-Gómez, J. L., Román-Martínez, I., & Gómez-Miranda, M. E. (2015). Measuring the impact of inquiry-based learning on
outcomes and student satisfaction. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education, 40(8), 1050-1069.
doi:/10.1080/02602938.2014.963836

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Teacher-Librarians Becoming and Being Advocates
This section presents the stories of teacher-librarians and their passions for change in schools through their
work in the school library. Alexa Romilly begins with an exploration of censorship and intellectual freedom
and the important role a teacher-librarian plays in providing access to quality resources that meet the needs of
all of the school community. Chapter 11 by Janet Richards advocates for the importance of building leadership
skills in elementary school children. The chapter presents ideas for teacher-librarians to building leadership
clubs in the school library and beyond.

In Chapter 12, Jennifer Cowley explores issues of cheating and plagiarism and highlights the important ways
that teacher-librarians can support and build a culture of academic honesty in a school. Michelle Harvey
presents issues of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and gender equity and safety in schools and beyond and
presents ideas for teacher-librarians on building supportive collections and spaces for students in the school
library.

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Chapter 10

The Teacher-Librarian’s Role in Protecting Intellectual Freedom within Schools

Alexa Romilly

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

As educators, our primary goal is to educate our students and to help develop them as thoughtful and productive
members of society. At the same time, those of us working with children in the field of education are viewed
by ourselves and the public as gatekeepers of suitable content for students. We try to select materials for our
schools and our classrooms that are age appropriate, that will enhance our students’ learning, and that promote
a love of reading. Sometimes as educators, we select safe or non-controversial materials because we feel that
it is in the children’s best interest, because we want to prevent the public from challenging books to which
children have access, or because we feel that the content of certain materials may be inappropriate for students
due to our own personal biases. While there can be valid reasons for excluding content made available to
students in our schools and our school libraries, there is a fine line between restricting access to inappropriate
materials and censorship. For this reason, every teacher-librarian needs to understand students’ rights to
intellectual freedom, be aware of our own biases when selecting materials for library collections, and, be
informed about the rights of our students to information as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child.

The world in which we live has changed since I was young. Students now live in a world where they have
access to vast amounts information at their fingertips. In our newly-digitized world, we are bombarded with
information from a variety of sources; some of it is accurate and some of it is inaccurate. It is for this reason
that the twenty-first century learner must be taught skills necessary to “select, evaluate and use information
appropriately and effectively” (AASL, 2009, loc. 301). Our jobs as educators, especially as teacher-librarians,
is to help our students become critical thinkers, which is essential in today’s society. For this to occur, the
teacher-librarian must ensure that students have “access to quality information from diverse perspectives,
make sense of it to draw their own conclusions or create new knowledge, and share their knowledge with
others” (AASL, 2009, loc. 227).

Teacher-librarians are leaders in information literacy. They help guide students and teachers to find
information that will enhance their learning and teaching. Teacher-librarians make decisions about resources
that become part of our physical and virtual libraries; sometimes they do this work on their own and at times
through consultation with members of their school community. It is crucial that teacher-librarians lead by
example for their colleagues throughout the school by making a “concerted effort to suppress personal bias”
when selecting materials for the school library (Mardis, 2016, p. 197). Having a well-defined library policy in

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the selection of materials for the library collection can help prevent censorship of materials which Mardis
(2016) defines as when “an individual or group attempt to impose certain values on others by limiting the
availability of one or more items” (p. 197). It is the obligation of the teacher-librarian to provide access to
information to all members of the school community, even if the information and content is viewed as
controversial by some members of society.

My Personal Journey in Recognizing Inadvertent Self-Censorship

As I began my Master of Education program in teacher-librarianship at the University of Alberta, I thought of
myself as a teacher who created an environment free of censorship within my classroom. Through the course
of my work through my master’s program, I have discovered that I have also been guilty of censoring my
students’ access to materials.

I grew up in a household free of censorship. I was free to read anything that I chose to read and watch any
movie that I chose to watch. While my parents closely monitored the content that I read and watched, they
trusted me to make good choices. We often sat down and had meaningful discussions about the books that I
was reading and the media content that I was viewing. My parents also were very clear that not all parents
were as open as they were about their children’s reading and viewing habits, and that I must not try to
influence my friends to read or watch content which their parents would find objectionable. My parents
taught me that every parent has the right to choose the materials that their child is allowed to view. As I
began my teaching career, I brought the lessons that I had been taught by my parents into my classroom, and
it influenced the way that I allowed students to access materials. I allowed my students to read any written
material of their choosing, but I always kept the parent’s right to limit their child’s access to resources at the
front of my mind, and it had a profound impact on the materials that I made available to my students through
my classroom library.

Over the years, I have collected a large classroom library for my students’ use. I prided myself on the fact
that I have consulted with students about the books that I purchase for the classroom library. I always sat
down with my students and asked for suggestions for new books to add to our library, and I would purchase
the books that the majority of the students expressed an interest in reading. For many years, I thought that I
had made good choices as the books in my classroom library collection are well loved and well worn.
However, I have come to realize that while I have chosen books that are of interest to the students in my
classroom, I have been guilty of self-censorship, which can be defined as “not selecting a book or other
resource because of fear that someone may challenge an item on the basis of its sexual content, objectionable
language, or violence, or because of personal bias or religious or political convictions” (Adams, 2010, p. 45).
Whenever I have selected books to purchase for my library, I have always considered whether or not a parent
might object to its content. I have refrained from purchasing Young Adult novels, while teaching lower
intermediate grades. I knew that some of my students would find Young Adult novels of interest, but I feared
parent challenges if I made this genre available to my students. I have also refrained from purchasing books
that I knew parents had challenged in the past. For years, I refused to add the Harry Potter series to my
classroom library for fear that a parent might object to the books being a part of my classroom collection. I
have also refrained from adding LGBTQ materials to my classroom library for the same reasons. At the time,
I felt that I was allowing parents to choose the content that their children were permitted to read (as I never
prevented a child from reading or reporting about any book), while providing a neutral, non-controversial
reading library for my students. I now realize that I was wrong and that I have violated my students rights to
reading materials due to my own fear of angering parents.

Upon graduation from the Master of Education in teacher-librarianship at the University of Alberta, I plan on
embarking on a career change, and transition from being a classroom teacher to a teacher-librarian. Having
reflected upon my role in censoring students’ reading content, I feel that it is crucial that I explore how I can
ensure that I protect students’ access to information within my future school as a teacher-librarian. For me,
this requires a deeper understanding of intellectual freedom and ensuring that students have access to
information within the school library and also within their classrooms. My goal is to have a clear

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understanding for myself and for other teacher-librarians, as they are teacher leaders working in schools, how
to create a school environment that fosters students free access to information.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

Teacher-librarians must have a clear understanding of their legal obligation to protect students’ right to
information through their school libraries. Scales (2009) states “librarians have a professional responsibility
to be inclusive, not exclusive in collection development” (p. 14). Scales goes on to state “intellectual
freedom, the essence of equitable library services, provides free access to all expression of ideas through any
and all sides of a question, cause or movement” (p. 14). Most of the literature pertaining to intellectual
freedom is written from an American perspective, which cites U.S. laws and court rulings to argue that
students should have free access to materials. It is difficult to find books and articles which cite Canadian law
that helps protect Canadian students’ rights to free access to information. As Canadian teacher-librarians, we
are not protected by the constitution of the United States of America and we must therefore look at the laws
and conventions, to which we are signatories, to explore how to protect our students’ free access to materials
within our school libraries. Having a clear understanding of the rights of students within Canada is crucial for
Canadian teacher-librarians in order to create policies for their school library programs as well as to fight
challenges made by others regarding the materials contained within school libraries.

Understanding Students’ Rights within Canada

According to retired Justice Romilly of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, The Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms (1982) “does not protect the right to information nor does it protect the rights of minors
to information” (S. Romilly, personal communication, January 30, 2017). Romilly quotes these sections of
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982):

1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only
to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of
communication;
(c) individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of
the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic
origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical ability. (S. Romilly, personal communication, January
30, 2017)

As The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) does not protect students’ rights to access
information, one must look at other documents which protect students legal rights. Children’s rights are
protected through the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of a Child (1989), which Canada ratified on
May 28, 1991. As a signatory of the convention, Canada has a “legal obligation to implement the rights
recognized in the treaty” (Canadian Children’s Rights Council, 2016 para. 3). Article 13 of the Convention
states:
1. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive
and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in
the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice.
2. The exercise of this right may be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided
by law and are necessary:
(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; or
(b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.
Through the protections provided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, students within
Canada should be provided the right to freely access information through their school libraries with limited

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restrictions. According to Scales (2009), it is essential that school libraries and school boards create clear
library policies that protect students’ right to access information. “Students and parents should be aware of
students’ rights to free and unrestricted access to all of the materials in the school library” (Scales, 2009, p.
56). Having a clear library policy, which includes policies which protects intellectual freedom, is crucial in
protecting student access to all types of library resources, including those materials which may be perceived
by some as inappropriate for student use.

Understanding Limits to Intellectual Freedom For Students Within Canada Law

While The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) does not specifically protect student rights to
information, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled about students’ access to materials which can be used in
order to teach curriculum. Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36, was a dispute between a Surrey
school teacher, James Chamberlain, and the school board regarding books about same-sex parents which
were to be used as as part a Kindergarten/Grade 1 class’ family life unit.
Chamberlain requested that the school board approve several books about same-sex families to be used as
supplemental resources as part of the unit of study. As part of the the approval request, Chamberlain also
included a petition from the majority of the parents from the class requesting that the board allow the books
in question to be approved for use in the classroom. In the end, the Surrey School Board decided to restrict
the books from use in the classroom and throughout the school district which ultimately led to the court
challenge (Oberg, 2002). In its argument, Surrey School District asserted that introducing the books about
same-sex families may violate some families’ moral beliefs about same-sex couples and that the topic of
same-sex families was not a necessary part of the curriculum (Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36).
According to Romilly, the Surrey School Board erred in their decision to not allow the books to be used as
part of the curriculum as it was outside of their powers per the BC School Act (1996), which allows the
“Minister of Education the power to approve basic educational resource materials to be used in teaching the
curriculum in public schools, and confers on school boards the authority to approve supplementary
educational resource material, subject to Ministerial direction” (S. Romilly, personal communication, January
30, 2017).

Romilly notes that the Surrey School District violated section 76 of the BC School Act which protects
secularism and tolerance. Romilly states that the decision in Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36
allows school boards the right to make decisions regarding relevance of materials as it pertains to curriculum.
It is within a school board’s purview to make decision regarding the relevance and appropriateness of books
that are introduced in the classroom as part of the prescribed curriculum; however, School Boards must “act
in accordance with the principles laid down by the majority in the case of Chamberlain v. Surrey School
District No. 36” (S. Romilly, personal communication, January 30, 2017). While the Supreme Court of
Canada’s ruling does not prohibit students’ access to materials through the school library collection, it is
critical that teacher-librarians and teachers are aware that some library materials can be subject to school
board approval for use in the classroom as supplemental material in teaching the prescribed curriculum.
Should a school board rule that library materials are not appropriate for use in the classroom, it is important
to note that it does not necessarily mean that the materials should be removed from the school library shelves.
School libraries can cite the protections entrenched through the the United Nations Convention On the Rights
of a Child (1989) to argue that students should still have access to materials through their school library, even
if they have been deemed as inappropriate for a unit of study in the classroom.

The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36 is an important
case. The ruling gives clear guidelines for the role of the school boards in allowing or prohibiting the use of
books in the classroom, as well as some guidance on the rights of students to access information.
Additionally, teacher-librarians need to have a clear understanding of the laws which protect students’ rights
to information in order to help them create clear library policies free from bias, and to help respond to
challenges from members of the school community who perceive that objectionable materials are part of the
library collection. This is critical in order to ensure that students’ rights to access information are protected.

A Teacher-Librarian’s Ethical Duty to Protect a Student’s Rights to Information

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While understanding Canadian law is crucial in protecting students rights, teacher-librarians, as teacher-
leaders, also have a duty to protect intellectual freedom. Lukenbill and Lukenbill (2009) argue that teacher-
librarians must be current about the laws within their country which protect students’ access to information
within their school libraries. Teacher-librarians must also educate themselves around the topic of censorship,
remain current in the literature and discussion around intellectual freedom and support their school
community by teaching and advocating to create an understanding of students’ right to information (Mosher,
2010). While teacher-librarians need to have an understanding of the rights of school administrators and
school boards (Adam, 2009), they also are bound to protect students’ right to access information through the
Canadian Federation of Library Association’s Code of Ethics (CFLA, 1976) which states that librarians are
to:
1. Support and implement the principles and practices embodied in the current Federation statement on
Intellectual Freedom;
2. Make every effort to promote and maintain the highest range and standard of library service to all
segments of Canadian society;
3. Facilitate access to any or all sources of information which may be of assistance to library users;
4. Protect the privacy and dignity of library users and staff.

According to Venuto (2014), teacher-librarians must adhere to their code of ethics, as must all librarians: “the
principle of upholding intellectual freedom is one reason that librarianship is considered a profession, and
librarians play an important role in protecting patrons’ rights to access information” (p. 32).

What can School Leaders do about…?

Understanding the Necessity of 21st Century Learning
With access to information at our fingertips through the Internet, our world has vastly changed. In today’s
world, students need to become critical thinkers, to think creatively, and to become effective communicators
and problem-solvers (AASL, 2009).
To succeed in our rapid-paced global society, learners must develop high-level thinking skills, attitudes, and
responsibilities. All learners must be able to access quality information from diverse perspectives, make sense
of it to draw their own conclusions or create knowledge, and share their knowledge with others (AASL, 2009,
loc. 297).

21st Century learning skills, through literacy and technology, are a foundational component of learning for
today’s students. Teacher-librarians must be champions and leaders in helping students build skills that are
necessary in today’s world (AASL, 2009). It is the role of the teacher-librarian, as a teacher-leader, to ensure
that students understand that information comes in all types of formats. Using digital formats of information,
in addition to books, is an essential component of learning in today’s society. Creating an environment within
our school where students can become proficient users of technology is crucial in helping students use
technology effectively to increase their knowledge and understanding (AASL, 2009).

Many students are using the Internet from their homes without guidance, yet many schools are blocking
access to websites because of fears about student safety. Teacher-librarians should be educating students
about Internet safety and advocating for more access to online sites for students in order to increase their
access to information. Students should be “provided with the guidance of trained professionals, who can deal
with these fears of personal safety since students will be provided with the guidance and mentoring they need
to remain safe” (Underwood, 2009, p. 16). Jensen (2010) argues
intellectual freedom and Internet safety do not have to be mutually exclusive. Policy makers should examine
existing policies or craft new ones that … protect students from harmful materials and address potentially
dangerous online practices, while maximizing access to safe and effective use of participative online tools in
the classroom and school libraries. (p. 51)

McNicol (2016) also argues “filtering promotes a false sense of security and denies parents and carers (and
equally school librarians) the opportunity to engage with children about their proper use of the internet” (p.
338)

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Creating an environment where students are free to access information, online and through the physical
library collection, is a necessary component of any library program. Through guidance of the teacher-
librarian, who is trained to help students learn to access accurate information and think critically about the
materials which they read, students will learn the skills necessary to better understand how to sift through the
accurate and inaccurate information which is part of the 21st century world.

Creating and Maintaining a Library Policy

It is vital that a school library has a policy in place to ensure that appropriate materials are selected for the
library collection. A materials collection policy creates a framework for selection of the various media that
will be available to students through their school library. The policy should contain the criteria for selection
of library materials, a statement regarding students’ rights to freely access information under the law, and a
statement opposing censorship. The policy should also contain detailed information about the process for
dealing with challenged library materials (Adams, 2009). It also should include the roles and responsibilities
of members of the school community in the selection process as well as a detailed description of the review
process should a challenge of a library resource occur (Venuto, 2014).

When creating or updating a school library policy, it is essential that the teacher-librarian involve and consult
with the school’s stakeholders including the school district administration and the school administration, in
order to include them in the policy-making process (Mosher, 2010). Martin (2007) argues that a library policy
should be approved by the school board to ensure that the school community understands how the school
library makes decisions about the materials which are selected as part of the library collection. It is also
critical that the policy include a statement about who is in charge of making decisions about the resources
selected for the library as well as the criteria used to select and review resources (Venuto, 2014). A number
of standard criteria are usually included in selection policies. “These might include accuracy, authority and
favorable reviews from standard sources, among others” (Friese, 2008, p.14).

A school library policy should be reviewed regularly. To decide if it is time for a policy review, there are
questions that a teacher-librarian should consider. Are you easily able to retrieve your school library policy?
Is your policy up to date, or is it more than five years old? Does the policy contain enough detail about
reconsideration of materials that can help reconsideration committee, consisting of the the teacher-librarian,
school administrator, school staff and parents, should a challenge to materials within the library occur? Is
your administrator well-informed about the library policy to be able to assist when a challenge to library
materials surfaces? (Adams, 2008).

Adams (2008) notes that “a policy ... [i]s only as effective as the people in charge. If school personnel follow
policy, a book or other library resource will not be removed from the library collection without due process”
(p. 28). Following policy is also important in selecting resources for the library collection (Eldred, 2014).
Selecting materials from reputable sources is key. Some of the the tools that can be used to help select
resources for the the library collection include “professional reviews, guides to core materials, lists of
recommended reading by library and educational organizations, and award winners” (Eldred, 2014, p. 34).

Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials and Guarding Against Censorship

According to Magnuson (2011) there are many reasons that individuals challenge books contained within the
school library. Stakeholders can may try to censor materials due to the medium in which it is presented such
as “political vs. moral … news vs. entertainment … [or] books vs. television” (Magnuson, 2011, p.1).
Magnuson (2011) also notes the third-party effect, which “hypothesizes that when exposed to a controversial
media message, a person will overestimate the amount of influence that message will have over other people
(p. 1). Magnuson (2011) also notes the parental rights argument that states that parents have the right to
determine what materials their children can access and view. This argument has also been used by anti-
censorship advocates to prevent materials from being removed from school libraries, arguing that such action
would prevent parents from choosing to allow their children to access and read diverse content within their
schools (Magnuson, 2011).

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Creating a clear library policy can help guard against (and respond to) challenges to the library collection by
members of the school community and can help guard against self-censorship on the part of the teacher-
librarian. When well-written selection criteria for choosing materials for the school library are present, these
criteria can be used to help mount a defense against a challenge (Adams, p. 28). A vital component of any
library policy is that “the library objectives for acquiring materials and procedures for handling challenges …
detailed language … should be used to explain the process” (Ventuto, 2014, p. 32). The library policy should
clearly state that only members of the school community can question the placement of materials in the
library collection and that any item that has been challenged will remain on the library shelves during a
review (Martin, 2007). Having a clear library selection policy in place before challenges occur will protect
students’ right to information (Venuto, 2014).

Self-censorship can be another problem that teacher-librarians need to address in order to prevent censorship
within their school library. At times, teacher-librarians self-censor materials in order to prevent having to deal
with challenges. By doing this, teacher-librarians are denying students the right to information and violating
their own code of ethics as librarians (Mosher, 2010). McNicol (2016) also argues that when teachers decide
to prevent controversial materials from becoming part of the library collection due to fear of a challenge or
due to their moral views, it can create an environment that “leaves librarians … open to challenges from
groups or individuals wishing to impose their views on the running of the library (p. 338). One way that
teacher-librarians can help prevent self-censorship is by advocating that their school boards create policies
and plans to deal with challenges to materials (Mosher, 2010). Having such policies and plans supports
teacher-librarians when they need to deal with challenges to resources, to advocate for intellectual freedom,
and to protect students’ right to information (Mosher, 2010).

Communication, Advocacy and Leadership

According to Striping, “if school librarians want to establish a culture of intellectual freedom, they must exert
strong leadership and sustained advocacy” (2015, p. 16). Teacher-librarians must protect and advocate for the
protection of intellectual freedom by taking “action in several realms: connection, policy access, and student
empowerment through inquiry and independent reading” (Stripling, 2015, p. 16). Also essential is for the
teacher-librarian to connect with principals and teachers as their allies in protecting students’ rights to
information. This is critical in order to have support when challenges occur (Adams, 2009).

Teacher-librarians need to find opportunities to educate the school community about the importance of
intellectual freedom and students’ right to information. One strategy is for teacher-librarians to discuss the
school library’s selection policy with staff so that they have a clear understanding of how materials are
selected and how they will be reconsidered during a challenge (Adams, 2009). A teacher-librarian should
provide the teaching staff with professional development around the importance of students having access to
all types of materials. As teacher-leaders, teacher-librarians also need to support other teacher-librarians who
are facing library collection challenges (Eldred, 2014). By connecting with principals, teachers, parents, and
teacher-librarian colleagues and by discussing with them the value of intellectual freedom, teacher-librarians
have a greater chance of having allies who will help defend students’ rights to all types of information.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

Protecting intellectual freedom is an important aspect of the role of a teacher-librarian. Having a clear
understanding of the laws within Canada is a critical part of protecting students’ right to information. It helps
teacher-librarians create library policies that not only help them with the selection of library materials to be
added to the school library collection, but can also help in responding to challenges made to library materials
and to the library program.

The skills that students need for the reality of the 21st century world need to be taught as part of the school
curriculum. “As information literacy and technology skills become central to learning, the school librarian
must lead the way to build 21st century skills throughout the school environment” (AASL, 2009, loc. 414).

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Developing the ability to inquire allows the students to “question, collaborate, construct new knowledge that
is both meaning and authentic” (Friese, 2008, p. 14). According to Friese (2008)

Placing inquiry learning at the centre of the library media program both celebrates and necessitates
intellectual freedom. In an inquiry-centered library media centre, we recognize that students are not just
locating and receiving information and that there are different perspectives on ways to present knowledge.
(p.14)

Goals for the Future

At the end of this school year, I plan to begin looking for a teacher-librarianship position. As I begin my role
as a teacher-librarian, I recognize that best practice requires me to fulfill my obligations to protect students’
intellectual freedom. Understanding how create a library policy will be an essential component within my
role to protect students’ right to information.

Whenever beginning a new role as a teacher-librarian, whether it be at a new school or in one’s current
school, one of the first jobs that a teacher-librarian must undertake is to examine the school library policies at
the school and at the school district level. Should one find that the school’s library policy is not current or
should one not exist, it is essential for the teacher-librarian to have discussions with the school principal
about revising or creating a policy at the school level. Discussing the importance of having school library
guidelines with the school’s administration is a necessary part of the teacher-librarian’s role.

Another role of the teacher-librarian should be one of an advocate for the intellectual freedom. Having
meaningful discussions with the administration about how they will support the library program if and when
challenges to materials within the library collection occur is essential in protecting the intellectual freedom of
staff and students. The teacher-librarian should also ensure that the policy which has been created for the
school aligns with district policy. Having support from the school’s administrators as well as the school
district through a comprehensive and approved library policy is crucial to supporting and protecting students’
rights. In addition to being advocates at the school level, teacher-librarians should become active members of
their school library association, at both the district and at the provincial level, in order to help advocate for
and establish policies that protect intellectual freedom and prevent censorship.

Teacher-Librarians as Teacher-Leaders
As a teacher-librarian, one must become a teacher-leader in order to protect students’ intellectual freedom.
According to Haycock (2010), creating and establishing relationships with school staff, administrators,
parents and students is a key component of the role of the teacher-librarian. Haycock (2010) stresses that
establishing trust and relationships within the school community must be built over time and cannot be
created overnight. Taking the time to build relationships is a essential to establishing oneself as a leader.

Intellectual freedom and censorship prevention are core values of any library program. Leadership and
advocacy are essential to ensuring that students have the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to 21st
century learning through free access to information. In order to protect students’ right to information, a
teacher-librarian must communicate with the administration and the staff about the importance of students
having free access to information. Meetings with the school’s administration as well as professional
development for the staff can help the teacher-librarian educate the staff about the importance of intellectual
freedom throughout the school. For example, many teachers create their own classroom libraries for their
students. As teacher-leaders, the teacher-librarian should have discussions with classroom teachers about
creating a classroom library that is free of censorship and about the support and assistance the teacher-
librarian can provide if a challenge should occur regarding a book selected as part of the classroom library.

The school community needs to be involved in the creation and revision of the school library policy. Giving
community stakeholders a role in creating a library policy is essential. Becoming vocal about protecting the
rights of students is at the centre of the role of the teacher-librarian. Teacher-librarians should never become
complacent about protecting intellectual freedom. By creating clear policies, advocating for students’ rights

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to information, and becoming leaders within their school community, teacher-librarians can ensure that
students have access to information that helps them become critical thinkers. The ability to sift through and
evaluate vast amount of information has become a vital part of 21st century learning.

Additional Resources
Adams, H. (2017, April 5). Internet filtering: Are we making any progress? [Blog post]. Retrieved from
http://blog.schoollibraryconnection.com/tag/intellectual-freedom/

ALA. (1999, Oct). Workbook for selection policy. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/bbooks/challengedmaterials/preparation/workbook-selection-policy-writing

Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom (n.d).[Blog]. Retrieved from http://flifblog.blogspot.ca/

BCTF. (n.d). Objections to antihomophobia curriculum in schools. Retrieved from

http://bctf.ca/SocialJustice.aspx?id=10394

Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom [Blog]. Retrieved from http://flifblog.blogspot.ca/2015/

Resources for School Librarians (n.d.). Policy materials retrieved from

http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/manage.html

References
AASL. (2009). Empowering learners: Guidelines for school library programs. Chicago, IL: American Association of School
Librarians.
Adams, H. R. (2008). The materials selection policy: Defense against censorship. School Library Monthly, 24(7), 28.
Adams, H. R. (2009). Advocating for intellectual freedom with principals and teachers. School Library Media Activities Monthly,
25(6), 54.
Adams, H. (2010). Intellectual freedom: Leadership to preserve minors’ rights in school library media programs. In S. A. Coatney
(Ed.), The many faces of school library leadership (pp. 43-65). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
British Columbia Ministry of Education (1996). School Act. Retrieved from
www.bclaws.ca/...School%20Act%20[RSBC%201996]%20c...Act/96412_02.xml
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s 7, Part I of of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canadian Act 1982
(UK), 1982, c11. Retrieved from http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-15.html
Canadian Children’s Rights Council. (n.d.). About the U.N. convention on the rights of a child (UNCRC). Retrieved from:
http://canadiancrc.com/UN_CRC/UN_Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child-Overview.aspx
CFLA. (1976). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://cfla-fcab.ca/en/programs/guidelines-and-position-papers/code-of-ethics/
Chamberlain v. Surrey School Board No. 36. (2002). Retrieved from Supreme Court of Canada Judgments website https://scc-
csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/2030/index.do
Eldred, C. (2014). The choices that count. School Library Monthly, 31(1), 34-35.
Friese, E. G. (2008). Inquiry learning: Is your selection policy ready? Library Media Connection, 27(3), 14-16.
Haycock, K . (2010). Leadership from the middle: Building Influence for change. In S. A. Coatney (Ed.), The many faces of school
library leadership (pp. 1-12). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Jansen, B. A. (2010). Internet filtering 2.0: Checking intellectual freedom and participative practices at the schoolhouse door.
Knowledge Quest, 39(1), 46-53.
Lukenbill, W. B., & Lukenbill, J. F. (2007). Censorship: What do school library specialists really know? A consideration of students'
rights, the law and implications for a new education paradigm. School Library Media Research, 10.
McNicol, S., (2016) School librarians’ intellectual freedom attitudes and practices. New Library World, 117/5, pp.329-342, doi:
10.1108/NLW-01-2016-0002
Mardis, M. A. (2016). The collection program in schools: Concepts and practices. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Magnuson, M. L. (2011). Perceptions of self and the "other": An analysis of challenges to "And Tango Makes Three." School Library
Media Research, 14
Martin, A. M. (2007). Preparing for a challenge. Knowledge Quest, 36(2), 54-56.
Mosher, A. M. (2010). Challenging self-censorship: A 21st-century vision for an ethical future. Library Student Journal, 513.
Oberg, D. (2002, March). School board wrong to ban same-sex books: Implications of supreme court decision on Chamberlain v
Surrey School Board No. 36, 37(10). Retrieved from
https://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/ATA%20News/Volume%2037/Number%2010/In%20the%20News/Pages/School%
20board%20wrong%20to%20ban%20same%20sex%20books%20Implications%20of%20Supreme%20Court%20Decision%
20on%20Chamberlain%20v%20Sur.aspx
Scales, P. (2009). Protecting intellectual freedom in your school library: Scenarios from the front lines. Chicago, IL: American
Library Association.

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Stripling, B. K. (2015). Creating a culture of intellectual freedom through leadership and advocacy. Knowledge Quest, 44(1), 14-19.
Underwood, L. (2009). 21st-century learning blocked: What is a school librarian to do? School Library Monthly, 26(1), 14-16.
United Nations (1989). United Nations convention on the rights of a child. Retrieved from
http://canadiancrc.com/PDFs/UN_Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child_en.pdf
Venuto, D. A. (2014). Managing challenges to library resources. School Library Monthly, 31(3), 32-33.

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Chapter 11

Student Leadership Development in the Elementary School Library Learning

Commons
Janet Richards
janetrichardssqb@gmail.com

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

If we can change one young person’s understanding of leadership, of what they’re capable of, one
person’s understanding about how much we care about them, one person’s understanding about how
powerful an agent for change they can be, we’ve changed the whole thing. (Dudley, 2013).

My working career begins and ends with books. Spring and summers growing up were spent volunteering in
my mother’s elementary school library helping with new book orders and organizing book cards. I loved to
watch my mother manage her staff and talk to students. I was so lucky to be able to take out as many books
as I wanted and I read prolifically. When I was twelve, my first paying job was Library Page at our public
library. I felt very responsible to be on the library staff, answering questions and holding conversations with
adults. I was proud to be working for $1.35 an hour and saved up my money to buy a bike. I opened my first
bank account to deposit my pay cheque and worked in both paid and volunteer jobs throughout high school. I
was a good editor of my school newspaper, and a terrible actor with our local theatre troupe! Many years and
career changes later, I’m now a Teacher-Librarian at a small rural elementary school on Vancouver Island
and I recognize in my Library Learning Commons the opportunity to create unique leadership opportunities
for students within my own school community.

As Dudley (2013) mentions in his TED Talk, it’s not necessarily about changing the world. Everyday
leadership creates a culture of service and commitment for students and staff in school. Leadership is an
amazing phenomenon and when elementary students have the opportunity to lead, they learn to look outward
rather than inward. Leadership can help a young person gain self confidence and the agency to look beyond
the school walls for ways to make a positive difference for themselves, their peers, their families and their
community.

Adams (2014) points out that most students “won’t know they are capable of leading unless someone puts
them in a leadership position, teaches them how to get things done, and brings a team along with them” (para.
4). The Library Learning Commons is uniquely positioned within the school to provide opportunities for
students to learn how to lead in a safe, trusting environment, where students have the freedom to make
impactful, real-life decisions and see the results of their actions.

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Research into student leadership shows that student leaders learn how to focus on tasks, gain the courage to
recognize their own beliefs, and stand by their convictions in front of their peers. They learn to sacrifice their
time and energy for others and develop important planning and strategizing skills. An important part of
project leadership is to develop the stamina to follow through and execute their goals. As a result, they enjoy
the positive vibes of being part of a team and feel the joyful affirmation when they see the positive
consequences of their work. (Adams, 2014; Katz, 2016).

The Big Ideas contained within British Columbia’s new Career Education curriculum for elementary school,
encourage intermediate students to learn and gain the skills needed within their future workplace (B.C.
Ministry of Education, 2016). Given the uncertainty of what their future jobs will look like, students are
tasked to acquire competency in leadership, evaluation, and self-assessment. They must form a positive,
public, digital identity, plan and set goals, be innovative, and develop problem-solving and project
management skills. Leadership opportunities in the Library Learning Commons can provide elementary
students with the chance to gain these competencies and prepare them for highschool and beyond (B.C.
Ministry of Education, 2016).

Perfectly positioned to provide real-world leadership opportunities

As the Library Learning Commons is reimagined in the new world of inquiry and digital citizenship into a
central hub of information and activity in the school, there are many opportunities for students to learn how to
be leaders. I want the Library Learning Commons to provide confidence-building leadership experiences for
our own intermediate students.

My Library Page program has grown from a small 10-student team of keeners, to over 75 student leaders in
Grades 4-7 working in a variety of activities in the school throughout the year. Students are required to
complete an application with their parents, sit for an interview and are responsible for a regularly scheduled
shift or event in the school. When overwhelmed with interest and applications at the beginning of this last
school year, I created a Term One and Term Two shift schedule and, together with my current Library Pages,
we explored other areas where students could provide leadership in our school.

Katz (2016) emphasizes the importance of “student-generated initiatives” for which students provide the
ideas and the teacher guides exploration and execution (p. 41). Student leadership must provide “meaningful
projects and authentic collaborations that motivate students to become aware of the myriad of possibilities”
(Katz, 2016, p.41). Middle school teacher Carrie Frampton (2018) agrees, adding that student leaders feel
“ownership for the school, they felt like they were the big kids with an important responsible role to
play...[and were] able to bring important issues...to the forefront of everyone’s minds” (para 3).

Continuing the Discussion

In this Chapter, I will explore how the Library Learning Commons under the direction and management of
the Teacher Librarian, and with support from students, staff, and administrators, is uniquely positioned
within the school to provide leadership opportunities for students which benefit the entire school community.
The confidence and competencies which elementary student leaders gain can support them their transition to
high school and into their own work careers.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

As the institution charged with providing universal education to our nation's children, public schools
are strategically poised to re-create community. Schools are the connecting point for our children and
through them for our families and neighborhoods. Re-creating community may be the single most
critical goal that faces our society today (Kretman, 1996, p. 30).

Leadership Education
Leadership education finds its roots in ancient Greek philosophy. Philosophers identified characteristics of
great leaders including taking responsibility, bucking the status quo, being a good role model and motivating

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others with meaningful work, being resilient and turning mistakes into learning opportunities, being self-
reflective and living in the present by paying attention and celebrating success (Evans, 2012; Reiss, 2016).

These ancient tenets continue to inspire leadership theorists today. Bennis (2009), reiterates that leadership
competencies are gained through a combination of innate characteristics and learned skills. Leaders,
according to Bennis, are good at time management, are focused on their goals and communicate their vision
clearly and effectively to others. They learn from their mistakes and represent reliability and constancy in an
organization which empowers and motivates their staff to do their best (Bennis, 2009).

Since the 1970s, the development of structured leadership education curriculum has drawn from these
foundational philosophies. Part of the leadership development process, leadership education purports to
create a learning environment in which innate leadership abilities are given the opportunity to develop
(Brungart, 1996). Post-secondary and post-graduate education continue to encourage leaders to espouse these
principles, continually looking for ways to develop and improve themselves as influential citizens in the
world today. Within the last three decades, post-secondary institutions have begun developing leadership
training for high school students who attend short, intense leadership camps which offer a variety of
workshops and team-building activities..

Research abounds on the benefits of student leadership in high school and post-secondary education, but
there is a dearth of research and academic literature which specifically study elementary leadership programs
(Brungart, 1996). Hess (2010) points out the missing opportunity of teaching leadership education within the
elementary curriculum. Recent changes to the British Columbia Ministry of Education elementary school
curriculum appear to be addressing this issue (B.C. Ministry of Education, 2017). Students and their
communities benefit when leaders leave school and are prepared to begin their careers with the skills and
competencies they need to thrive.

Leadership Education/Experiential Learning in K-12

Leadership education can and should take root much earlier than young adulthood. It has the potential to
empower students, as early as elementary school, to be active learners and citizens in school and society
(Kretman, 1996, para. 6).

Experiential learning was introduced by educational theorist John Dewey (1938), and educators recognize the
benefits of students being active participants in their own learning. A student leadership development
program in school offers unique opportunities for students to work in real-life situations, applying new
knowledge, taking risks and meeting challenges in a safe, understanding and respectful environment.

Recent changes in provincial curriculum reflect the movement towards experiential leadership learning in our
elementary schools (B.C. Ministry of Education, 2016). Starting in kindergarten, educators are tasked with
facilitating learning which helps students build their confidence, learn how to communicate, to connect and
collaborate with others, to support their community and to embrace learning as a lifelong enterprise (B.C.
Ministry of Education, 2016).

Intermediate curriculum involves developing career-minded skills such as problem-solving, developing

effective work habits and introducing the importance of foundational leadership competencies like listening,
taking responsibility and building an awareness of self and one’s place within the global community (B.C.
Ministry of Education, 2016). A leadership development program provides real job experiences for students
as an essential part of learning leadership skills (Kretman, 1996; Eich, 2008; Carver, 1997; Badger, 2016).

Working as part of a group is an important part of the program and students learn together, learn from each
other and reflect together about their work in the school (Eich, 2008). Student leaders assume responsibility
for their job and their working environment, voicing concerns, making suggestions and helping to design
their program. In this way, they gain confidence, and see leadership as something of which they are entirely
capable (Eich, 2008; Kowalski, 2012).

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Goals for the program must be made clear in that students are expected to learn skills and competencies for
the future and apply their skills in a purposeful manner within the school (Frosini, 2017). Students gain
confidence in themselves as individuals and as part of a group. They are expected to show up for their shift,
work together in a respectful work environment, work well with others and support each other (Badger,
2016). Once students understand the expectations, they are able to develop other intrinsic competencies such
as motivation and self-regulation, competencies which are vital for their future in school and careers (Frosini,
2017; Carver, 1997; Kretman, 1996).

A benefit of experiential education is the personal development that a student leader undergoes and the
transition they make to develop a greater understanding of themselves (Carver, 1997). Self-reflection is
imperative to ensure that students think about ways they can work to help others in their community and learn
from each other in the process (Carver, 1997). Students gain confidence, understanding the control they have
over their own lives and the changes they can make to better the lives of those around them (Carver, 1997).
The value of the learning that student leaders gain in establishing relationships with others and their working
environment cannot be understated (Carver, 1997).

Within a leadership development program lies opportunities for students to apply their skills to leading their
peers. Like sports team captains or camp counsellors, these students are nominated and chosen to lead
(Femrite & Flatt, 2017; Eich, 2008). The additional responsibilities offered are often more challenging,
shifting the leader’s way of thinking about leadership and life ahead (Femrite & Flatt, 2017). Senior
leadership programs in school offer students the chance to share what they have learned and understand the
growth they have undergone (Femrite & Flatt, 2017; Carver, 1997).

Senior leaders often have a chance to help develop programs, manage student tasks and schedules and share
their ideas about their own skill development (Femrite & Flatt, 2017; Eich, 2008). Students can learn from
each other and the students who they are leading, knowing that they are in a safe learning environment
(Carver, 1997).

Students who are role models for others experience the true benefits of leadership in the school. They can
practice their style of leadership and see what effect their actions have directly on those around them (Femrite
& Flatt, 2017). Students are transformed and the perspective they have on the world expands and changes,
developing a new belief system, increasing leadership capabilities and looking beyond the school walls
(Femrite & Flatt, 2017).

Student “opinion leaders” are students to whom others look for leadership and whose behaviour others wish
to emulate (Reiger, et al., 2017). Developing a student leadership program, together with strong student role
models ensures that it is relevant and “cool”, as well as appealing and invested with student creativity
(Reiger, et al., 2017). Students to whom others look for leadership, who are seen working in the school,
taking charge of events and holding positions of responsibility are attractive to other students and may
encourage membership in the program (Hess, 2010).

A successful leadership development program offers students the opportunity to learn these skills and
develop the competencies needed for high school and a career in the changing workforce. The inter-
disciplinary structure of the program involves learning communications, team building and group dynamics,
time management, conflict resolution, respecting differences and the value of diversity in the workforce
(Kretman, 2009; K., 2016). Real-life skills gained include applying for a job as student leader, undergoing a
formal interview process and waiting to hear if they are accepted to the program (Eich, 2008). Student
leaders are then given a work shift and are trained on the job by other student leaders (Eich, 2008; Kretman,
2009). Expectations are clearly communicated, and students are safe to not only make mistakes, but actively
learn from them, sharing their learnings with their peer group (Eich, 2008; Frosini, 2017; Carver, 1997; Hess,
2010; Badger, 2016; K. 2016; Kowalski, 2012).

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Leadership Education - Developing Competencies and Acquiring Skills
Young people are demonstrating that they can and will assume responsible roles when provided the content,
climate, and competencies to develop their leadership capabilities (Kretman, 1996, p. 13).

Students who are given the opportunity to be leaders in their school develop competencies and skills which
will stand them in good stead for the rest of their life (Kretman, 2009; Burns, 1996). In elementary school,
teachers are important early role models for children outside of their family home (Burns, 1996). With self-
reflection built in to school curriculum assessment practice, students have the opportunity to regard
themselves as a leader, to consider their role in the school and think about ways in which they can improve
themselves (Kretman, 1996; Carver, 1997; Frosini, 2017).

Starting in kindergarten, students can begin to learn leadership skills such as communication, collaboration
and problem solving. In a structured leadership program, students are empowered to develop their innate
talents as leaders who become engaged participants in their school (Kretman, 2009; Hickman, 2009; Hess,
2010). Students need space and opportunity to develop their leadership skills in elementary school (Hess,
2010).

The Big Ideas contained within the British Columbia curriculum outline the competencies and skills which
students must learn in school to help prepare them for high school and a working career (B.C. Ministry of
Education, 2016). Beginning in kindergarten and spanning the primary years, the curriculum encourages
learning through self-discovery, making connections with others and understanding how strong communities
are built. Continuing through Grades 4 and 5, the focus changes to self-reflection, listening skills, identifying
goals and problem-solving. Students are encouraged to begin thinking about good work habits and the
importance of making goals for personal and career success. Teachers help students learn how to respect
differences, use innovative thinking and consider the role of technology in the school and the changing
workplace (B.C. Ministry of Education, 2016).

In Grades 6 and 7, students begin to learn about public identity, ethical behaviours, career options and
leadership skills such as planning and collaboration. Students are encouraged to learn through real-life work
experiences where they begin to see themselves in the larger world picture as volunteers and leaders,
managing projects, making decisions and reflecting about the work they are doing (B.C. Ministry of
Education, 2016). A leadership program which develops small groups of students, creates instant
communities where students can work together, feel free to ask questions and take risks by being challenged
in an atmosphere of unwavering support and encouragement. Students gain confidence, learn how to create
relationships with others and feel empowered to look beyond the group for opportunities to help others (Eich,
2008). It’s important that students feel they have a voice and contribute to the program and the community
around them (Frosini, 2017, Hess, 2010).

By continuing to look for ways to improve and grow, the elementary leadership program is continually
reviewed and assessed, ensuring student success and based on current pedagogy (Frosini, 2017; Eich, 2008).
The program must reflect the challenging new environments in school and in the workplace (Hess, 2010).

The Elementary Library Learning Commons (LLC)

There is a growing recognition in all sectors of society that we need to prepare a new generation for
leadership in their communities, from local to global, by inspiring them to assume leadership. Leadership
education, wherever it takes place, if done right, can do this (Kretman, 1996, para. 4).

Belonging to a school community is a vital part of student success and resiliency. Students often are attracted
to the LLC as a safe place to read, to enjoy quiet and the company of other like-minded peers. Jones (2009)
suggests that the Teacher Librarian can create a successful leadership program by outlining high expectations,
creating consistent rules and encouraging meaningful participation in activities which teach life skills and
support students in a non-judgmental environment.

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A safe learning environment is key where students can accept constructive criticism and build relationships
with others. Students naturally care about each and support each other and, in an environment where they
know they are accepted for who they are, students will gain confidence, practice their leadership skills and
feel like part of a larger beneficial community (Ford, 2017).

Being a confident part of a leadership program, students will learn about taking responsibility as a member of
the group and to serve others (Carver, 1997). Students become more independent, learning how other
relationships like mentor, friend and colleague work and understand the effort involved in relating to others
(Carver, 1997).

In low socio-economic areas, student leadership programs can help students-at-risk find acceptance in
helping others (Hall et al., 2015). Programs foster a strong social and emotional connection between
members, often providing students with one of a very few successful relationships in their challenging lives.
A student leadership development program designed within this kind of social environment must ensure that
students are treated equally, given equal opportunity for learning and experience shared success (Badger,
2016). Having diversity in the program is vital as it provides opportunities for student leaders to experience
differences, recognize difficulties in others’ lives, consider perspectives other than their own, and collaborate
successfully together (Kretman, 2009).

People are motivated to volunteer for many reasons including supporting their own personal values, helping
them to understand and connect to others in a social way, gaining career skills, decreasing their own feelings
of loneliness and increasing their self-esteem (Caldarella, et al., 2010). Elementary students who have
positive experiences with volunteering are more likely to continue to volunteer throughout their lifetime
(Femrite & Flatt, 2017).

Dewey’s (1938) principles of experience and education suggest that a quality educational experience will
make students open to continuing to learn and the same can be applied to positive experiences with
volunteering (Carver, 1997). Student development programs in the LLC, can offer opportunities for students
to develop their own personal values by working in the school and community on projects or activities they
feel deeply about and will continue to volunteer for in the future (Soeiro, 2016). In this way, student
leadership development programs are long-term investments in student lives throughout school and into the
future, helping to build successful communities and giving back to the world at large.

Students bring a unique energy to the LLC. Their ideas and genuine excitement about being involved is
contagious and create many opportunities to expand the program, introduce new activities and celebrate
success: their investment in the program only makes it better (Carver, 1997; Frosini, 2017; Kowalski, 2012).
As more technology is being used in the classroom, student leaders can take on more responsibility with
delivering, utilizing and teaching technology skills to other students.

As natural technology users, students want to share their knowledge with others. They are proud of their
skills and it’s vital that the leadership development program includes opportunities for student leaders to
shine (Kowalski, 2012). Classroom technology helpers ensure that teachers have the tools they need for
lessons and troubleshoot problems that inevitably occur. Students feel that their work is valued, and their
knowledge is helping others. Often technology is the niche that some students have been looking for and
makes them feel like they are contributing to the greater good of the school community (Kowalski, 2012).

Students often come up with ideas for activities and clubs and the LLC can offer these leaders the opportunity
to create their own programs (Kowalski, 2012; Kretman, 2009). Empowered students have made a difference
in their communities by mentoring younger students, being leaders on the playground and tutoring students in
reading and math (Kretman, 2009).

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It’s easy to see why student leaders are offering hope to their school, their community and the world around
them as they eagerly apply their new skills to learning true servant leadership and making the world a better
place for all of us.

The Teacher Librarian as Role Model

Learning to lead and to follow, to engage in social action, to educate and prepare for change, to empower
self and others, and to contribute to civic life are critical developmental skills for each member of a civil
society.... Schools are the natural laboratories for examining and fostering strong leadership, followership,
group problem solving, and citizenship (Kretman, , 2009, p.1)

Teacher Librarians (TLs) are the students’ first role models, putting into practice the leadership skills students
are learning (Kretman, 2009; Eich, 2008). TLs support the leadership students, fostering a sense of
community and opportunity within the LLC (Eich, 2008). It’s important that the TL is authentic, open,
accessible, and demonstrates the moral competencies needed in leadership by sharing their experiences and
mentoring students (Eich, 2008). Students are held to a high standard of behaviour which the TL
demonstrates every day by applying a softer type of management where students are part of a supportive team
lead by strong support and example (Eich, 2008; Frosini, 2017). Teacher Librarians can create opportunities
for students to learn how to lead, to engage in the social and community aspects of their school and make an
investment in their safe surrounding environment (Kretman, 2009).

The Library Learning Commons (LLC) is uniquely positioned for leadership education. The Teacher
Librarian is an advocate of student learning at all grade levels. With the increase of technology in our
classrooms, the LLC is often the centre of learning tools and resources in the school. Leadership
opportunities for students in the LLC are as boundless as student imagination itself. Supported with
meticulous and careful planning by the Teacher Librarian, elementary student leaders have a wealth of
options for working in responsible jobs, gaining skills, leadership competencies and confidence in
themselves.

What can School Leaders do about…?

Follow their lead - students are already taking responsible roles in the school!
Leaders] must be allowed to take risks, to embrace error, to use their creativity to the hilt and
encourage those who work with them to use theirs. (Bennis, 2009, p. 198)

I never meant to start a student leadership development program at my school. Newly graduated with my
Bachelor of Education, I was keenly aware that I needed to find a job, and fast. A single mother with two
primary-aged children, I had taken a chance on education, returning to university in my early forties to
complete a Bachelor of Arts and then Education degrees. I was hired as a Teacher-On-Call with the local
school district and worked sparsely for the first few months. Then, as spring began to bloom, I was called
into two small K-Grade 5 elementary schools to cover for the Teacher Librarian who was going on long-term
leave.

The second I stepped into the little library, I felt like I was home. I was transported back to my childhood,
working with my mother, a Teacher Librarian, in her library during the summer. My job was small, less than
half time, and shared between the two schools. The libraries were tiny, and felt neglected, suffering from a
year of temporary teacher placements. It was obvious to me that I needed to do a good spring cleaning at both
libraries, and I spent a month or more clearing out old furniture, voraciously weeding and creating
relationships with students and staff. I was fortunate to have excellent, caring administrators at both schools
who gave me their full support. It was the end of June that I learned I had been given a continuing contract as
TL in both schools.

From the beginning, a few students dogged my footsteps. They followed me into the library, into the book
room and in and out of the gym. They waited for me outside the staff room, even met me at my car when I
pulled into the parking lot. I’m always astounded at the enthusiasm and keenness of students who want to

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help. Kennelly (2012) suggests that children like to help because it’s “deeply rooted concern for others, and
not the desire to ‘get credit,’ that sparks kids’ willingness to lend a hand” (para. 1). With no real plan, I began
to creating opportunities for these students to work regularly in the library and school.

They helped out with book fairs and movie nights. They worked with my primary science students to create
school recycling and composting programs. They began to provide leadership to their peers and teachers were
beginning to look to them for responsible jobs in the school. Hess (2010) writes that “teachers can support the
development of leadership skills in young students by providing opportunities for them to develop self-
knowledge and courage, work in collaboration with classmates, take risks, and practice critical and creative
problem solving” (p. 7). As our program began to take on a more cohesive format, I began to call my student
helpers, Library Pages, a throwback to my first paid job when I was twelve years old.

Create leadership opportunities within the Library Learning Commons.

Don't just give them the busy work; let them take charge and you'll be amazed at what they'll do.
(Kowalski, 2010, p. 38)

Des Marais, Yang and Farzanehkia (2000) suggest that developing a youth leadership program involves the
following elements: “youth/adult partnerships, granting young people decision making power and
responsibility for consequences, a broad context for learning and service, [and] recognition of young people’s
experience, knowledge and skills” (p. 679-680). Our Library Page program developed rather organically,
with informal meetings and events becoming regular workshifts and responsibilities for which the students
became quite committed.

Over the subsequent few years, my Library Page program grew exponentially. One of my little schools
closed, a victim of decreasing student enrollment and District austerity planning. We were shuffled together
with staff and students into my second school and I settled into my sole Library Learning Commons. I
continued to create structures within which the Library Page Program that could provide opportunities for
students interested in leadership positions in the school. We had doubled in size to a K-7 school and
suddenly, I was working together with students who had been with me for four years! It was a very exciting
time and our program became a community of enthusiastic students working daily in our school.

Develop a leadership program within “real” work structures.

The joy of success is what lies at the completion of a task well-done rather than the more indirect
benefit that results from being assigned a grade or ranking for a performance. (Carver, 1997, p. 31).

Ricketts and Rudd’s (2002) conceptual leadership model suggests that leadership development programs
should teach youth about the knowledge and attitude of leaders, help students gain critical thinking and
decision-making skills, learn how to communicate effectively and to work well with others (p. 12). With
increased student interest each year, and after speaking with my administrator and intermediate teachers, I
decided to open up the leadership program to activities and clubs outside the library itself. As Eich (2008)
suggests, student leadership programs should “use an application and selection procedure to select students
who are invested in their own and others’ development and are committed to engaging fully in the program”
(p. 182). I created an application form which students were required to complete with their parent or
caregiver. Students spoke about volunteer work they had done and why they wanted to join the Library Page
program. I was very clear to outline the expectations of the Library Page Program: up to date academic work
and excellent behaviour in the school. I expected the students to be role models and leaders in the school.
Kowalski (2012) adds, “we must maintain high standards in what students contribute” and the Library Pages
embraced the responsibilities (p. 57).

Together with my principal, we interviewed every applicant and I created a schedule of 30 shifts per week:
two students for each shift would work before school (setting up the library, delivering tech), during the first
half of the lunch outside play time (checking in and out books, shelving, assisting students) and during the

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last half hour of the school day (setting up library events, organizing the bulletin boards and displays). With
the full support of the intermediate teachers, the Library Page Program continued to grow.

Partnerships with student leaders make the program better.

Soft-touch adult support requires caring and highly trained facilitators who can help youth tap their
own strengths. Only then can youth develop the agency that can lead to engagement and to positive
youth development outcomes. (Frosini, 2017, p. 36)

A really important aspect of creating a leadership development program is letting students lead. This is harder
that it appears, but something to which Teacher Librarians with an aptitude for collaboration will be able to
adapt. Des Marais, Yang and Farzanehkia (2000) describe this process as “challenging… sharing power and
responsibility between youths and adults. It means blurring the line between teaching and learning” (p. 679).
It’s important that leadership students have many opportunities to make and face the consequences of their
decisions in the safe learning environment of the library. To do this, the relationship between Teacher
Librarian and student leader must become a partnership rather than a mentorship. Yes, there are moments
when direct teaching/learning is required, but the program must inculcate a “partnership in which young
people and adults share learning and leadership allow them to become co-creators of community” (Des
Marais, et al., p. 700).

The Library Page program offers students the chance to learn many different skills and competencies in the
Library Learning Commons. Des Marai, Yang and Farzanehkia (2000) speak about the difference in adult
and youth leadership education and suggest that youth leadership programs must include “real situations” (p.
679). The Library Pages must become adept at personal and time management as they’re expected to show
up for their shift and complete their duties. They work with the library technologies including the catalogue
system and various portable labs, delivering and troubleshooting technology within the classrooms. They
learn the Dewey Decimal system and the layout of the library as they check books in and out and shelve the
materials. With many special events and activities in the library throughout the year, the Pages learn
important customer service skills as they work as library staff members.

The value of this experiential learning is tremendous. Carver (1997) explains that in

Experiential education, multiple areas of competence are developed (e.g., social, physical, academic,
artistic)....In the experiential education model, competence is developed both by individuals and by
groups (communities of learners) of which the individuals are members (p. 29).

Working in real-life situations in the elementary school offers students the chance to learn about themselves
while learning important skills. Students “clarify their passions, interests, and strengths and begin to find their
life work by trying contexts and roles….[They] expand their social awareness, empathy, gratitude, and
respect for others…[and] understand how they can serve to make a difference” (Eich, 2008, p. 184). The
Library Page program gives the students a chance to be part of a community, to take risks, be creative, make
decisions and see the difference they are making in the school.

Our Library Pages are role models for other students. Hess (2010) describes the importance of students taking
on responsible jobs in the school, adding that “roles played by students while interacting and communicating
is the other major part of leadership education at the elementary level” (p. 22). Nominated by other Library
Pages, three or four Grade 7 students are promoted to Senior Library Pages for the year and take on increased
responsibility including interviewing students in September, assisting with scheduling shifts and designing
special events. Senior Pages often visit classes to speak with students about contests and activities in the
Library. The community we create in the library is extraordinary and many students have found their niche.

Together with colleagues and administration, look for other opportunities for student leadership in the
school - create a culture of service leadership.

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 The more meaningful opportunities for engagement and leadership we can offer during the school day,
the more we can benefit students. The library can play a key role in filling a void for students who
haven’t yet found their niche. (Kowalski, 2012, p. 33)

Recently, with more than 75 students applying for the Library Page program, I split the positions into two
“terms”, September to January and February to June. Library Pages continue to work in the Library Learning
Commons, as classroom tech helpers in the primary classrooms, during the outside play times as Playground
Leaders and as members of the Assembly Team, designing, and producing the various full-school events in
the school. I invited leadership students from the high school to come and visit during one of our Library
Page meetings. They spoke about the secondary programs and the amazing activities and opportunities on
offer after elementary school. The visits not only inspire our elementary school students, but evidence the
progression of service leadership throughout their school career.

Together with other teachers and my administrator, we’ve created other leadership opportunities outside the
Library Page program, including administering a beverage container recycling program which raises funds
for sports equipment. Our school participates in two provincial programs which deliver milk, fruit and
vegetables twice a month and student leaders distribute these items to the classrooms, sharing information
about what’s on the menu with the students. Intermediate students are in charge of attendance and morning
announcements. Student mentors read with and help younger students with math assignments. The amazing
part of starting a student leadership program is that, over time, we have built a culture of service in our school
community, bringing students from Kindergarten to Grade 7 together. Elementary school leaders develop
competence and confidence, and these traits can positively affect every aspect of their lives.

Student leadership in the Library Learning Commons

Personal agency empowers students to become change agents in their lives and communities; sense of
belonging enables participants to see themselves as members of a community with rights and
responsibilities; and developing competence involves learning new skills, acquiring knowledge, and
applying what was learned. (Carver, 1997, p. 1)

Leadership development in the Library Learning Commons is a natural. As a central hub in the school, the
LLC is visited by every student and staff member, often houses the school technology and teacher resources
and is accessible throughout the day. The Teacher Librarian is able to develop connections with most of the
school population, especially over time as students move from Kindergarten to Grade 7. Informed by my own
experience and research, here’s a quick step-by-step process to creating a successful program.

● Research and become familiar with other existing programs, read about leadership development and
ways these programs are working within the school environment.
● Begin with a small program with opportunities for growth.
● Create a summary with an outline of your program and how it will work within the school structure.
○ Why do you want to create a student leadership program at your school?
○ What are the goals of the program?
○ What is leadership in elementary school and how will this program help students develop
leadership competencies?
○ How will the program support school goals and mission?
○ Who will be involved and what are their roles and responsibilities?
○ onnect the program to curriculum standards. What skills and competencies will students
acquire? How will students self-assess their leadership activities?
○ Where will the program be located?
○ Which students will be involved?
○ What are the students roles and responsibilities?
○ How will students become involved?
○ How will you communicate with parents/caregivers about expectations and opportunities?
○ What is the timing of the program?

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● Once you have created a cohesive summary, meet with administrators and colleagues about your
program, and invite ideas and concerns. This is a great chance to take excellent ideas to make the
program better. Customize the program to ensure it is supporting school goals and mission. Show
examples of other successful student leadership development programs.
● Invite senior students to provide their own ideas and feedback about the program. These are students
who you feel will become involved and act as peer leaders for your first year. Often, these students
are already spending a lot of time in the library.
● Promote your program by visiting classrooms, including information in the school newsletter and
other communications within the school community.
● Create an application form which students will complete and sign together with their
parents/caregivers. Invite students to include information about their volunteer work at home and
within the community.
● Conduct interviews with the participation of your Administrator. Outline the expectations of
participation in the program and encourage students to look upon themselves as role model leaders in
the school.
● Create a work schedule and communicate this with students, classroom teachers and administrators.
Be flexible about students changing shifts and let them work with a friend if they wish. It makes for a
fun shift!
● Get online! Incorporate the program into your library social media including school and library
websites. Create opportunities for students to participate online with book and event reviews and
promotions.
● Get technical! Students love to learn about and work with technology. Ensure students are learning
these important skills and sharing their expertise with their peers.
● Be available often to meet with students, discuss their experiences and invite their ideas to make the
program better. Support student decision-making and help make their ideas come to life.
● Throughout the program, continually invite feedback from everyone involved. Meet challenges,
always, with positive solutions meant to ensure student success, even if it comes through making
mistakes.
● Be the leader you wish your students to emulate. Students are looking to you for leadership and to
practice what you preach.
● Celebrate the program with special lunches, meetings and recognitions.
● Report about the success and growth of your program to your administrator. Share your information
with your personal learning network of other Teacher-Librarians.
● Keep a digital portfolio of images for use in promoting the program.
● Let the program develop organically, make changes, be flexible and always look for ways to make
the program better.
● Start thinking about ways to expand the program into other areas of the school and community.
● Create a culture of leadership!

Excellent Resources: Student Leadership Development Program Models

Ricketts and Rudd (2002) developed a conceptual leadership model designed for teenagers as part of career
and technical education training. The model is offered “as a beginning point for youth leadership programs or
as a supplement to already successful programs of leadership” (p. 15). The model outlines five curricular
areas to inform a leadership education curriculum for youth, or to incorporate into existing programs: (1)
Leadership Knowledge and Information; (2) Leadership Attitude, Will and Desire; (3) Decision making,
Reasoning and Critical Thinking; (4) Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills; and (5) Oral and Written
Communication Skills. A program for elementary school students could be adapted from this model to design
activities and experiences for younger student leaders.

Eich (2010) studied a wide variety of undergraduate leadership programs consisting of short-term
conferences, formal education courses and extra-curricular activities to determine “what it is about each
program that is contributing most to learning and development” (p. 178). The research identified six elements
which contribute to a successful leadership development program design: “diverse and engaged students,

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experienced and committed practitioners, educators model leadership and support, participants unite through
small groups, participants foster a culture of challenge and support, and participants cultivate one-on-one
relationships” (p. 180). Leadership development must include experiential learning opportunities, writes Eich
(2010), in which “students practice leadership individually and collectively, students engage in reflection
activities, students apply leadership concepts to themselves in meetings, students encounter episodes of
difference, students engage in service, and students engage in self-discovery through retreats” (p. 182). A
strong proponent of role modelling, Eich (2010) suggests that excellent programs “practice the kind of
inclusive, empowering, purposeful, ethical, and process-oriented leadership for positive change that they
advocate to their students” (p. 186). Teacher Librarians can use concepts within this research to inform their
program planning.

CivicQuest Project Director, Kathy Postel Kretman (1996), created a Leadership Training Institute (LTI) at
the John F. Kennedy High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. A group of concerned parents and
community members wanted to create an educational program which “would encourage neighborhood
cohesiveness and enrich the education of all children” (p. 19). Within seven months, teachers had created the
LTI, developing the curriculum and recruiting students from within the existing school population. The
program was initially designed for the grade 9-12 curriculum, however, organizers included funding for the
development of curriculum which could be offered from kindergarten up. Elementary teachers were charged
with developing curriculum appropriate for the primary and intermediate grades and found that an
interdisciplinary teaching model worked best with cooperative and experiential activities in the classroom
which encouraged students to be actively and creatively involved. The resulting curriculum guide offers very
practical applications of theory with overarching questions about leadership informing unit and lesson plans
(included) for Grades K-12.

Des Marais, Yang and Farzanehkia (2000) explore the beneficial results of developing youth leadership
programs through service-learning in real-life situations. Self-confessed millennials, born between 1980 and
1994, the authors describe the importance of incorporating a formal structure of learning leadership
competencies within existing community service organizations to which many students already belong. The
authors suggest that adults must “relinquish their own positions of power and decision making” and provide
youth with real-life work that has relevance and palpable consequences (2000, p. 680). The value of
experiential learning is echoed among youth leadership development models and Des Marais, et al. (2000)
suggest that partnerships between adults and youth must give young people real power to make decisions and
explore the consequences of these decisions and how it affects their work. It gives youth a broad context of
what service-learning looks like and helps them to recognize that young people have relevant experience,
knowledge and skills to apply to their leadership activities (p. 680).

When Hess (2010) was completing her Master of Science Degree, she decided to research the lack of formal
student leadership programs for elementary school students. The dearth of information around the issue
prompted her to hypothesize about the leadership skills which are appropriate for elementary school students
to learn and how teachers can teach these skills in the classroom. Hess (2010) cautions teachers to ensure
students are learning about issues appropriate to their age level. Despite the diverse definition of leadership at
all education levels, Hess (2010) suggests that “a really good leadership program should include what to do
and how to be an effective leader at home, at school, and everywhere in between” (p. 22). Hess provides an
overview of a Grade 5 social studies lesson plan which incorporates the results of her research along with
ideas gleaned from interviews for activities in the lower grades.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

The process of becoming a leader and the process of becoming a full integrated human being are one
and the same, both grounded in self-discovery. (Bennis, 2009, p. 2)

A student leadership program acknowledges the powerful role that leadership opportunities play in helping
our students become assured, skilled, young people with a commitment to service within their community.
With a goal to fully prepare students for careers after high school within an increasingly complex and

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technological workplace, schools can meet the needs of a future workforce by creating learning opportunities
specifically designed for developing skills in leadership. At the elementary level, students are poised to learn
about what leadership is, the common traits that leaders develop, and how leaders in their school practice
excellent leadership.

Confidence and competence. With those two goals achieved, there’s no telling how far our elementary school
student leaders can go. Kretman (1996) states that “[t]here is a growing recognition in all sectors of society
that we need to prepare a new generation for leadership in their communities, from local to global, by
inspiring them to assume leadership (para. 4)

Schools have a great opportunity to take the initiative and bring leadership skills into the classrooms.
Elementary schools, specifically, can begin integrating leadership into the classroom. In the twenty-first
century where theory supports leaders can be trained and are not just born mentality, teachers,
administrators alike will develop ways in which students can be taught how to practice effective leadership
skills (Hess, 2010, p. 35).

While there are many studies about the effects of student leadership programs and education on high school
students, there are only a few examples in the elementary school. These programs address the very basics of
leadership; traits and competencies which can be learned as early as kindergarten, with increased focus on
specific skills and abilities throughout primary grades and into the intermediate grades (B.C. Ministry of
Education, 2016). By studying existing elementary student leader programs and education initiatives, school
leaders can look for opportunities to incorporate these elements into new or existing programs.

Student leadership has a way of growing organically. With guidance from school staff, together with
assessment and feedback with participating students, our student leaders can experience the joy of developing
“projects that create vibrations throughout the school and community (Kretman, 1996, p. 23). I encourage
other teacher-librarians to open up the Library Learning Commons to leadership opportunities for elementary
school students, connecting activities to curriculum when possible. Working collaboratively with colleagues
and administrators, a student leadership development program can be customized to fit any elementary
school’s needs, supporting school goals and elementary curriculum. Working in partnership with students, the
student leadership program remains relevant, exciting and successful, creating student leaders who move on
to highschool and beyond, looking for ways which they, as engaged and participatory citizens, can continue
to work to make their school, community and world a better place.

References
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Chapter 12

A Journey Towards an Improved School Culture of Ethics

Jennifer Cowley
jennifer.cowley@burnabyschools.ca @anonytw33t

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

An Exposition
Everyday school leaders of all kinds--teachers, teacher-librarians, and administrators--encounter teachable
moments in overheard, hushed student conversations, as we walk through our classrooms….
“Hey, Billy. What was on the Bio test first period? Mine’s after lunch and I need to cram.”
“Oh, mostly just stuff from the chapter notes, but watch out for the last question. She made us diagram the
Krebs cycle.”
As we circulate in the library...
“Winnie, did you finish the worksheet for French? I completely blanked and my block is next!”
“Yeah, here. Borrow my copy. It took me ages.”
As we walk down the halls…
“Do you still have the formulas in your calculator? Can I borrow it for my chapter test tomorrow?”

Whether we respond or not can depend on many factors: Do we have time to intervene? Will we
meaningfully change their behaviour? Do we even see the behaviour as a problem? Would we respond
differently if they were our students planning to cheat in our course? However we respond, we contribute to
our school’s culture of ethics. So whether we work in the classroom, the library, or the office, we need to be
aware of the realities of academic dishonesty in all its forms--from copying worksheets to plagiarism to
cheating on exams--how we contribute to the problem, and how we can spur change.

The Inciting Incident

When I first started teaching English in 1999, my secondary school colleagues and I occasionally assigned
essays to be written at home. The World Wide Web was still in its relative infancy, especially for many
teachers, and that first year, I encountered my first plagiarised essay. It was easy to detect. Though the
student had carefully printed it at home and handed it in on time, he had failed to harmonize the font between
his own words and those he had just pasted from the Internet. And I could prove it. I found the entire essay
online and printed a copy.

I knew I’d have to interview the student, and made sure I had a copy of our new cheating policy at hand; it
laid out clearly the types of consequences I could employ and the appeal process for the student. When I

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returned to class the next day, I asked to speak with him privately. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me
about your essay before I finish grading it?” I inquired, showing him the essay. No response.
“Well, see here where the font changes? That was odd. I wondered what happened, so I searched for the first
sentence there. Guess what I found?” No response.
“I found this essay,” I showed him the printout. “It’s a verbatim copy of this one except for the first
paragraph. Are you sure you don’t have anything to tell me?” No response.
“Okay, so whether you admit it or not, you have plagiarised on this essay, so your score will be a zero.”
“I didn’t copy it,” he suddenly insisted. “He must have used all the same sources as me.”
“What sources? It wasn’t a research paper.”
“Well, the book. He read the same book.”
And so have thousands of others. The Tempest isn’t a hard text to find. Neither was that essay. While I was
perplexed at his insistence that it was all just a cosmic case of coincidence, I’ve come to find that some
students will do anything to avoid using their own ideas.

The Rising Action

Over time, as my colleagues and I encountered more and more plagiarism (or could finally detect it better),
we found that we couldn’t rely on work written outside the classroom to be original and a reliable basis for
evaluation. We shifted our writing assessments to work completed only in class. Sometimes we would
provide several classes--one to outline, one to draft, one to revise--but such process-oriented schedules were
rare. Research projects even more so. If we couldn’t trust students to write ethically with only one source,
like a novel, how could they be trusted with the wealth of information in the library or online?

Unfortunately, all this focus on in-class, writing-on-demand means that we appear not to value the writing
process. We still teach our students about the different stages of writing but they rarely, if ever, get to practise
them. The potentially long pre-writing phase that can include thinking about your topic for several days has
been reduced to mere minutes. Drafting has been reduced to what they can write in half an hour. Revision has
all but been eliminated. Writing has shifted from a thought-filled process to a rushed, often thoughtless one.

While we’re not happy with any of this, finding alternatives that would encourage students to make use of the
entire process over time has proven difficult. Providing topics in advance gave students the opportunity to
bring in crib sheets or memorise an essay they found online. Having students write the outline in class and the
essay at home was hit and miss: who’s to say that the edits made were the result of personal epiphanies and
not discussions with others? As we have become more computer-savvy, so have our students; few make the
same mistakes as my first culprit. Sometimes it feels like an academic game of cat and mouse. That’s not to
say that all students plagiarise, but if the research is to be believed most of them do.

According to the 2002 Josephson Institute of Ethics’ survey (as cited in Ma, Lu, Turner, & Wan, 2007), 74%
of American high school students admitted to cheating on an exam in the previous year. That number has
since dropped to 34% in 2012 (Josephson Institute of Ethics), but that’s still a third of students whose
evaluations are unreliable. They may be earning undeserved scholarships or entrance to post-secondary
institutions without having the thinking and writing skills that will ensure their success. They’re certainly not
getting pertinent feedback on their skills from teachers. Maybe they don’t care, but we should.

The Tipping Action

In the last couple of years, many of my colleagues and I have determined that our efforts to curb cheating are
also limiting the learning opportunities we provide our students. This and the new curriculum in British
Columbia (BC) have prompted us to re-evaluate our teaching. Despite our mistrust of the potential results,
some of us have returned to assigning major, take-home papers. We supplement these with in-class feedback
sessions so we can provide some formative comments, but so far many students arrive unprepared, with
nothing to contribute, and end up writing the paper like an in-class composition, just in the comfort of their
own home. We try to work with early drafts so they have the opportunity to revise based on feedback; they
hand in the same essay with (sometimes) corrected typos. Whether these problems are truly the result of our
previous reliance on in-class writing, or just symptoms of other problems we can’t say conclusively. Perhaps

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it will take a graduation cycle (five years at our school) to see a real change. Then again, we can only do so
much on our own.

The Resolution
We needed to reach out for support. For many of us, this has meant re-establishing relationships with our
teacher-librarians and venturing into inquiry-based learning as our new curricula directs. Redesigning units to
value the process of student inquiry over product is new to many. Not only do our teacher-librarians have the
expertise in inquiry that many of us lack, but their training in intellectual property issues helps us to build the
value of acknowledging sources into our projects from the start. Realising that we have allies in the library
has allowed us to be more adventurous in our planning and provide more interesting opportunities for our
students. These new designs won’t necessarily prevent academic dishonesty, but we’re a bit more equipped to
face it with the support of our teacher-librarians.

In recent years, we have found that attempting to enforce our cheating and plagiarism policy has been
increasingly difficult. With new philosophies of grading coming to the fore, we’ve lost much of the
administrative support we used to have in activating the consequences so clearly articulated in our policy.
This led to a need for us to develop a new policy at school, one that teachers could employ with the support
of the administration. We convened a committee of teachers, teacher-librarians, and administrators to
examine the issue and eventually drafted a new policy that, while less specific that the old one in some ways,
has garnered the support of our staff and started important discussions about academic integrity that I hope
will lead to even greater changes.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

There are many studies about academic dishonesty which investigate its prevalence and correlative factors,
student and teacher attitudes, and recommend preventative strategies; this literature review revises and
condenses my earlier work on this topic (Cowley, 2015a; 2015b). While most studies are American in origin
and, therefore, don’t align perfectly with the demographics and grade levels of secondary schools in BC,
there is enough variety in the research to encompass most of the situations any BC school might encounter.

Many key studies examine the prevalence of cheating behaviours, and what they have found is disappointing:
most students cheat and not all see it as a problem (Jensen, Arnett, Feldman, & Cauffman, 2002; Ma, Lu,
Turner, & Wan, 2007; McCabe, 1999; Wangaard & Stephens, 2011). According to Wangaard and Stephens
(2011) 95% of students they studied reported cheating, but only 57% of them agreed it was “morally wrong”
(p. 1). Clearly there are factors other than morality at play, primary among them is the fact that students and
teachers don’t seem to agree on definitions of cheating and plagiarism (Evans & Craig, 1990; Ma et al., 2007;
Schmelkin, Gilbert, & Silva, 2010). No wonder schools have a dishonesty problem.

What is Academic Honesty?

There are many definitions of cheating in the research, so while the specific behaviours may differ from study
to study, the common theme is that “it is dishonest and unethical for a student to use, knowingly or not,
unauthorized or illegal means in an attempt to secure a higher grade than if such means were not otherwise
employed” (Cowley, 2015a, p. 2). Such behaviours are not rare among students (Josephson Institute of
Ethics, 2012) and the factors which influence cheating behaviour are wide-ranging.

Why do Students Cheat?

While there are many factors correlated with an increase in cheating behaviour, they tend to relate to an
inability to hold integrity and morals as necessary components of decision-making. It’s not that students don’t
believe cheating is wrong--studies clearly indicate they know it’s wrong but they do it anyway (Wangaard &
Stephens, 2011); instead, they simply seem to eliminate questions of morality from their risk-assessment.

According to the literature, students’ likelihood to engage in unethical behaviour correlates to one or more of
these factors:

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● Students lack information skills--how to find and correctly use information--and an understanding
of plagiarism, so may copy without the intent to deceive (McGregor & Williamson, 2005; Williamson &
McGregor, 2006).
● They have low-self-efficacy: they do not believe they are capable of completing the task at all, or not
to the degree needed to maintain their high grades, without resorting to dishonest means (Murdock, Hale, &
Weber, 2001, p. 97).
● They are personally performance-oriented: they care about the external rewards of their
performance (e.g., grades), not mastering the skill at hand (i.e., learning for learning’s sake) (Anderman,
Griesinger, & Westerfield, 1998; Anderman & Midgley, 2004; Anderman, Cupp, & Lane, 2010; Davis, 1993;
McGregor, 1998; McGregor & Streitenberger, 1998; McGregor & Williamson, 2005; Murdock et al., 2001;
Murdock, Miller, & Kohlhardt, 2004; Rettinger & Kramer, 2009; Taylor, Pogrebin, & Dodge, 2002).
● They perceive their classrooms (and/or school) to be performance-oriented: external rewards help
determine their social standing within class/school culture but students do not feel their talents or skills count
for much on their own (Anderman et al., 1998; Anderman et al., 2010; Davis, 1993; Murdock et al., 2001;
Murdock et al., 2004; Rettinger & Kramer, 2009; Taylor et al., 2002).
● A peer cheating culture has developed in their group/school that doesn’t think there is anything
really wrong with cheating because everyone does it. Students who have cheated before and those who have
witnessed others cheat are more likely to cheat in future (Anderman et al., 2010; Ma et al., 2007; McGregor
& Williamson, 2005; Rettinger & Kramer, 2009; Schmelkin et al., 2010).
● They use neutralizing attitudes—often cultivated by peer culture—to rationalise why they aren’t
personally responsible (Galloway, 2012; Geddes, 2011; Jensen et al., 2002; Stephens & Nicholson, 2008;
Taylor et al., 2002). For example, ‘there’s no way I could get all that homework done with this workload’,
‘she’s a horrible teacher, so it’s not my fault I didn’t learn it’, ‘no one will find out, so it won’t matter’, ‘even
if I get caught, nothing really bad will happen so the risk is worth it.’ This allows them to save face and
maintain their self (and often public)
image as ‘good’ people. It also relates to…
● Students’ perceptions of low teacher credibility: when students feel their teacher is not
knowledgeable, competent, trustworthy, or caring they are more likely to engage in cheating behaviour in that
teacher’s class because they have no personal stake in the relationship with the teacher (Anderman et al.,
2010; Evans & Craig, 1990; Finn & Frone, 2004; Geddes, 2011; Murdock et al., 2001; Stephens &
Nicholson, 2008).

What are the Implications for Schools?

If students engage in academic dishonesty, it has major implications for the type of citizens they become. A
study by Southern Illinois University (as cited in Novotney, 2011) found that students who admitted cheating
noted that they would be more likely to act dishonestly at work, in relationships, or in society. The 2009
Josephson Institute of Ethics survey (as cited in Novotney, 2011) noted that high school students who cheat
on exams are more likely to lie to a customer, their boss, the government, or their partner. Whether educators
think the purpose of education is to train students for work or life, students’ school experiences with honesty
will influence their behaviour in the so-called real world when they leave. In this regard, even if academic
honesty isn’t an explicit objective of every course, fostering students’ honesty should factor into every aspect
of school and course planning.

One of the primary responsibilities of teachers is to provide students with an assessment of their skills and to
report that achievement to administrators, parents, and regulators; however, if teachers cannot trust that the
work students submit is their own, created without external assistance, then neither can teachers trust the
validity of our assessments of their abilities. In essence, without student honesty, the foundation of the
assessment cycle crumbles and with it any trust the stakeholders might have in the reliability of reporting:
“Cheating not only results in biased assignment of grades, it also interferes with teachers’ ability to use
assessment as a mechanism for monitoring and modifying instruction” (Murdock et al., 2001, p. 97). If the
results of assessments cannot be trusted, then decisions related to scholarships, student placement, program
funding, school organisation, and system achievement are jeopardized. If schools do nothing to counteract the
factors that encourage dishonesty, they are tacitly acknowledging that student evaluations may be

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meaningless but it matters not. In this case, silence and inaction have the potential to harm students, schools,
and staff.

What can School Leaders do about…?

School leaders have the potential to shift their school culture to one where all the stakeholders in the school—
students, teachers, parents—understand the value of academic ethics. Administrators, teacher-librarians, and
classroom teachers all have roles to play in moving forward the ethical culture of the school. It isn’t enough
to just have anti-cheating policies in place; all members of the community need to learn why academic ethics
matter and adapt their own learning and teaching processes to reflect their values.

The process needs to begin with a school-wide conversation about academic ethics. Teachers may view
plagiarism and cheating as precursors to worse illegal behaviour, but there are other aspects of authorship that
must be considered. Why does valuing the authorship and creativity of others matter? How is it reflected in
the school expectations, course design, and pedagogy? How can acknowledging the work scholars build upon
help to establish their own voice? How are learning skills like modelling other writers, writing fanfiction, and
remixing elements from other works affected by authorial acknowledgement? How do copyright and fair use
provisions intersect with policies? How has technology changed the nature of authorship? We must address
the discomfort that many teachers feel with technology and how students’ ubiquitous access to information
and media is challenging traditional views of intellectual property and explore how we can “engage students
in increasingly sophisticated literacy practices” (Williams, 2008, p. 352). The values staff members express
will shape policy discussions.

Creating a Framework for Ethics

Working together to create a common understanding of what academic honesty looks like must come first.
Establishing clear policies in support of that definition must follow. Williamson and McGregor (2011) note
that policies should “support the collaboration needed to develop a whole-school culture” (p. 18) which
aligns with Stephens and Wangaard’s (2013) thesis that establishing a school culture of honesty requires
collaboration between teachers, administration, students, and parents. Deciding how staff and students can
support the value of scholarship and how to proceed when the policies are breached is essential too.

Strong policies (which outline expectations and consequences) permit “faculty members to respond to
incidents without being subjected to duress” (Strom & Strom, 2007). At the same time, a policy “that
removes any sense of dishonesty as a necessary component of plagiarism” (Rivers, 2004 as cited in
McGregor and Williamson, 2005) allows schools to make its expectations clear without “calling into question
the honesty and integrity of cultures with a different approach to matters such as authorship and learning”
(Rivers, 2004, as cited in McGregor & Williamson, 2005) which is worth considering given the increasingly
multi-cultural makeup and international student populations in schools.

Policies should also be flexible enough to enable teachers to respond to each situation: “the lack of effective
teacher response[s] to cheating serves to cultivate students’ decisions to engage in academic dishonesty”
(Dowd, 1992 as cited in Geddes, 2011, p. 52). New teachers and those teaching new subjects would benefit
especially from procedures which outline their potential response to breaches of policy as they may not have
enough experience in the (subject) classroom to conceive of options that would achieve the learning goal, be
consistent with local grading practices, and be acceptable to administration.

Staff might begin by discussing Davis’ (1993) adaptation of the UCLA Teaching Assistants’ newsletter
article, “Handling a Plagiarism Interview,” to generate a list of suggested ‘emergency procedures’ (p. 307);
my school’s plagiarism subcommittee discussions about potential consequences was vital as it highlighted the
philosophical disconnect between teachers and administration. By resolving this conflict during our policy
planning, we prevented teachers from unknowingly enacting consequences that the administration would not
support.

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Establishing Supportive Instruction
Because of the ever-changing nature of school populations, creating policies cannot be the end of the
conversation. Achieving a shift in the learning culture of students requires a shift in instruction as well. Each
year, students should receive training—in all their subjects—in preventing academic dishonesty. Students and
parents should be advised of the school’s clear definition of academic dishonesty and examples of cheating
behaviours to help establish common understandings of academic integrity.

Students also need training in academic integrity practices such as effective note-taking, correct referencing
of sources, and deep-level cognitive strategies in every subject. Teacher-librarians are well-trained to support
these lessons throughout the year and across subjects (Williamson & McGregor, 2011); when teachers and
teacher-librarians collaborate on project design and teaching, students benefit from the expertise of each.
Teaching students how to correctly take notes and collect reference information while they research lessens
any problems they might have later in correctly acknowledging their sources, and offering formative
feedback during the process also allows teachers to ensure that students are using appropriate (numbers of)
sources. When teachers embed these skills in their courses, they create opportunities to discuss what
scholarship looks like in their subject and to reinforce the value of mastery over performance.

Ensuring that students understand that teachers value their learning process more than just the product of their
work could decrease grade pressure and students’ fear of failure, decrease the need for low-efficacy students
to resort to cheating, increase teacher credibility, help to “develop a climate and group norms that support
honesty” (Davis, 1993, p. 300), and increase the bond between students and teachers. Using such
conversations to build relationships with students can also help teachers better recognize when students are
experiencing stress—and might resort to cheating behaviours—so they can intervene prior to any
transgressions and direct students to the support services they need (Davis, 1993).

Educators must also adjust their attitude towards students. Teachers often do not trust students to complete
work with integrity; this lack of trust has the potential to poison the relationship between teachers and
students (Williams, 2008, p. 352) and only to decrease students’ view of teacher competence, thus increasing
the likelihood of cheating. We need to cultivate a collaborative relationship of learning instead of policing
students who increasingly attempt to outwit our detection methods. Resetting our expectations and
redesigning our courses to emphasise mastery can help to re-establish the trust between students and teachers.

Moving Towards a Culture of Mastery

Helping teachers to (re)design courses to support mastery, however, will require professional development.
Moving the emphasis away from grades to a focus on learning, while conceptually simple, is difficult to
achieve in practice. Teachers need to acknowledge that course and assignment design can contribute to
students’ perceived need to plagiarize or cheat. It is possible to refine teaching practices and adapt assignment
design to make cheating behaviours harder to use and easier to detect. By devising activities (with the support
of teacher-librarians) which require more than information retrieval, but which challenge students to analyse
and synthesize information, to extend their learning, and to integrate their skills, students are more engaged in
the active construction of understanding.

Assignments should actively involve students in learning through a variety of ways, generating their own
conclusions, and developing their individual (writing) voice (Williamson & McGregor, 2011, p. 17).
Designing activities which demand that students construct their own learning and interpret information for
themselves (Hultgren & Limberg, cited in McGregor & Williamson, 2005; Williamson & McGregor, 2011)
makes assessments more authentic and increases student engagement; when students feel invested in
assignments, they are more likely to want to produce original work. Focusing on high-level thinking skills
like analysis and synthesis also precludes students from being successful by copying ideas from others; while
this might result in inferior compositions than those who copy experienced writers (Williamson & McGregor,
2011, p. 17), we need to weigh the values of authentic thought versus compositional polish in our assessment
tools. Should, for instance, a report which relies on repeating the conclusions of others in flawless prose be
rated more successful than a report that demonstrates complex synthesis from a variety of sources but which

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may suffer some grammatical or syntax errors? If teachers wish students to value the process of their
learning, measures of success need to value authenticity and process as well.

Though they might see the benefits of refocusing on mastery, students (and parents) can still be resistant to
changing a system of assessment they are comfortable with despite the problems it may engender. When
several teachers at my school stopped reporting percentages for our grade 8 and 9 students as a move towards
mastery, students and parents were initially hesitant, and sometimes frustrated. More than once my students
asked how many points an activity was worth, as if that should have any bearing on the effort or attention
they gave it. Reminding them to show me what they could do often helped, but some were still uncomfortable
not knowing the numerical value of their work even when provided with detailed, anecdotal feedback. If our
school culture is encouraging students’ emphasis on grades and in any way influencing their choice to act in
unethical ways, we have to work to change the culture.

Shifting Culture Through Collaboration

School leaders will play vital roles in supporting staff through this process by ensuring that professional
resources to support mastery learning--including resource personnel such as teacher-librarians--are available
and accessible to staff, and by mentoring classroom teachers as they incorporate changes into their courses.
At our school we have long-established collaborative time for staff to work on professional learning. Many of
us have used this time to address how to shift our classroom culture towards mastery and the support we have
been able to provide each other has been invaluable. It is much easier to make such fundamental shifts in
pedagogy when you are not acting alone, when you have the support of the administration, and when you
have resources—texts, support staff, and technology—that support your initiatives.

Just as teachers need a variety of supports, so do their students. Staff who encounter students in other parts of
the school—libraries, learning assistance spaces, study centres, counselling suites, cafeterias, hallways—can
support students to shift their behaviours and culture too. They often see students working on activities
outside of the classroom in informal settings where plagiarism and cheating materials might be prepared or
shared and so are well-placed to intervene before students actually breach policy by handing in plagiarized
work or cheating on a test.

School leaders are also vital liaisons with the parent community. Teacher-librarians, learning assistance
teachers, educational assistants, counsellors, and administrators may have more informal contact with parents
and can be strong allies in supporting shifts in school culture. Individual teachers can contact parents about
their personal shifts in instruction and assessment, and school-wide messages from administration that
reinforce those shifts can help to educate parents about school expectations for integrity and the risks
associated with emphasizing only extrinsic rewards for performance—such as rewards for straight As—on
student motivation and learning. Strom and Strom (2007) note Whitley and Keith-Spiegel’s assertion that “70
% of educators agree that concern about parent reaction discourages them from identifying and punishing
cheaters” (p. 108). When teachers know that parents are already aware of the school support for strong ethics,
they are more likely to enlist parents’ help in addressing students’ unethical behaviours.

Staff also need supportive procedures to help them report incidences of academic dishonesty and to curb
serial cheating. Because cheating (one’s own or others’) leads to more cheating, tracking incidences is
important to determine appropriate responses in instruction and consequences: “lack of follow through
contributes in part to a variable reinforcement schedule for the students … . Teachers are inadvertently
contributing [to the cycle of cheating] by not consistently reporting transgressions and thereby not helping
students learn from their mistakes” (Austin, Simpson, & Reynan, 2005 as cited in Schmelkin, Gilbert, &
Silva, 2010, p. 163). Teachers are better equipped to plan instruction and offer constructive feedback to
students when they have accurate information of their abilities. Students who have a history of unethical
behaviour will need specific attention in the classroom, not to vilify their behaviour, but to help them learn
the value of their own ideas and scholarship and to meet the curricular expectations of acknowledging
authorship.

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The research has indicated that students have neither the inclination nor the skill to reverse the cheating
trends themselves, but leaders in schools have the potential to change school culture and to help students to
make decisions with integrity.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

Changing technologies, access to information, and generational perspectives on authorship and intellectual
property are colliding with established academic traditions of ethical behaviour in schools and society at
large. Teachers and the colleagues who support them need to be cognizant of the challenges their students
face. In order to help students make sense of ethical standards that are not necessarily intuitive to them,
schools need to be clear about their expectations of ethical behaviour; train teachers to design activities that
discourage plagiarism and cheating; teach students how to meet ethical expectations; enact clear policies and
procedures when they are not met; and build community to cultivate a culture of academic honesty. By
understanding and addressing the complexity of the factors that students face in modern schools, school
leaders can help students become scholars.

Additional Resources
Carsten Wyatt, K. (2015, November). Busted. Walrus, 12, 36-41. Retrieved from http://thewalrus.ca/
Wyatt is a former academic (now journalist) who reflects on his previous beliefs and actions regarding
plagiarism as a student and teacher. He summarizes some of the research related to academic dishonesty and
recounts his personal experience as a teacher catching plagiarists. He also reconnects with one of the students
he caught and notes her perspective on the experience, years later. The article would be a good introduction
to the issues of cheating and plagiarism for teachers in a school, but also for (senior) students. The language
is accessible and the source is Canadian.

Crowe, T. (2014, April 25). Responsible and ethical use of information [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://prezi.com/ob2bj6kwvkcp/responsible-and-ethical-use-of-information
Crowe is a teacher-librarian at a public secondary school (grade 7-12) in Australia. The presentation is aimed
at the school’s middle school (grade 7-9) teachers, but is applicable to teachers of all secondary grades; it
would be a good introduction for teachers looking to adjust instruction and assessment to encourage academic
honesty in their students. She emphasizes research-based advice about how to teach awareness of plagiarism,
use assignment design to minimize plagiarism, and detect plagiarism. The presentation is also a good
example of a research project that, while not a traditional essay, still conforms to the good citation practices
required of all research. Despite some technical and formatting difficulties, the video would be a valuable
resource for staff.

Davis, B. G. (1993). Preventing academic dishonesty. Tools for teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Bass.
While chapter 34 deals specifically with academic dishonesty, the rest of the book, though directed as
college-level instructors, includes lots of good research-based information about topics like academic
advising and course design. Given that student workload and teacher competence are factors in academic
dishonesty for some students, ensuring that students have academic advisors and instructors who take these
factors into consideration could help to mitigate or prevent situations where students feel cheating or
plagiarism is their best choice. Some of the information is dated, and a new edition was published in 2009 by
the same publisher, but it is not readily available online or in libraries in BC.

Evering, L. C., & Moorman, G. (2012). Rethinking plagiarism in the digital age. Journal of Adolescent
& Adult Literacy, 56(1), 35-44. doi:10.1002/JAAL.00100
This article includes an philosophical discussion on the nature of authorship and copyright which educators
would be wise to consider prior to designing any new policies. It also addresses the generational divide
between many teachers and the millennial students they teach with regard to the role of technology in
learning. Evering and Moorman also include many examples of adaptations to instructional design that
teachers might employ to discourage plagiarism and cheating.

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Geddes, K. A. (2011). Academic dishonesty among gifted and high-achieving students. Gifted Child
Today, 34(2), 50-56. doi:10.1177/107621751103400214
Schools with enriched or enhanced programs need to take care to design anti-cheating policies that will
address all their students. There is a stereotype that cheating and plagiarism are behaviours employed only by
struggling or somehow disadvantaged students to achieve a passing grade which would not be possible for
them without resorting to dishonest means. Geddes’ study looked specifically at gifted and high-achieving
students and dispels the stereotype: there is a high rate of cheating among high-achieving students. The
survey methodology and tools she employed would be fairly easy for a school to replicate should it wish to
verify her results within their own population; samples of both the survey questions and results page are
included.

McGregor, J. H., & Streitenberger, D. C. (1998). Do scribes learn? Copying and information use.
School Library Media Research, 1, 1-17. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/slr
Appendix A of the article defines the five levels of copying (from none to almost all) McGregor and
Streitenberger coded in their study of grade 11 research essays and includes examples of each. This
continuum of copying would be a useful model to use with students when introducing the concepts of correct
attribution, quotation methods, and paraphrasing.

Schmelkin, L. P., Gilbert, K. A., & Silva, R. (2010). Multidimensional scaling of high school students'
perceptions of academic dishonesty. The High School Journal, 93(4), 156-165.
doi:10.1353/hsj.2010.0001
This study includes the most extensive (30 examples) and specific list of cheating behaviours that I found in
my research. As such, it’s an especially good prompt for discussion among staff and students about what
academic dishonesty actually looks like to each group. The disparities the researchers found between student
and teacher beliefs around cheating behaviours demonstrates why open discussions are so important in
addressing the issues. When teachers and students have radically different views of what behaviours policies
are designed to address, implementing anti-cheating policies successfully would be difficult. While students
don’t have to agree with their teachers’ definitions of academically dishonest behaviour, teachers need to
understand just how specific their instruction of the policy will need to be to address for the disparities.

Wangaard, D., & Stephens, J. (2011). Academic integrity: A critical challenge for schools. Excellence &
Ethics: The Education Letter of the Smart & Good Schools Initiative, Winter, 1-3.
This relatively short document briefly summarizes many of the issues presented in this paper. For schools
looking for a short introduction to the issues presented in this paper for staff and parents, this is a useful text.
Wangaard and Stephens include articles by other prominent researchers, including one addressing the need to
include parents in initiatives. The newsletter also includes a sample of the questionnaire they used in their
research with students which could help schools to design their own surveys to measure the effectiveness of
their initiatives.

Wangaard, D. B., & Stephens, J. M. (2011). Creating a culture of academic integrity: A tool kit for
secondary schools. Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute Press.
This book is an extension of Wangaard & Stephens’ research into academic dishonesty in high schools. It
includes an array of resources for administrators, teachers, parents, and school committees to design and
implement honor codes. While not a foolproof plan (none of the high schools implementing it during their
study were able to address all aspects of the design), schools will find many resources to either adopt or adapt
to fit their own contexts.

References
Anderman, E. M., & Midgley, C. (2004). Changes in self-reported academic cheating across the transition from middle school to high
school. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29(4), 499-517. doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2004.02.002
Anderman, E. M., Cupp, P. K., & Lane, D. (2010). Impulsivity and academic cheating. Journal of Experimental Education, 78(1),
135-150. doi:10.1080/00220970903224636
Anderman, E. M., Griesinger, T., & Westerfield, G. (1998). Motivation and cheating during early adolescence. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 90(1), 84-93. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.90.1.84

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Cowley, J. (2015a). Factors affecting students' academic honesty: An annotated bibliography. Unpublished manuscript.
Cowley, J. (2015b). How to counter academic dishonesty in high school: A review of the literature. Unpublished manuscript.
Davis, B. G. (1993). Preventing academic dishonesty. Tools for teaching (pp. 299-311). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Evans, E. D., & Craig, D. (1990). Teacher and student perceptions of academic cheating in middle and senior high schools. Journal of
Educational Research, 84(1), 44-52. doi:10.1080/00220671.1990.10885989
Finn, K. V., & Frone, M. R. (2004). Academic performance and cheating: Moderating role of school identification and self-efficacy.
Journal of Educational Research, 97(3), 115-122. doi:10.3200/JOER.97.3.115-121
Galloway, M. K. (2012). Cheating in advantaged high schools: Prevalence, justifications, and possibilities for change. Ethics &
Behavior, 22(5), 378-399. doi:10.1080/10508422.2012.679143
Geddes, K. A. (2011). Academic dishonesty among gifted and high-achieving students. Gifted Child Today, 34(2), 50-56.
doi:10.1177/107621751103400214
Jensen, L. A., Arnett, J. J., Feldman, S. S., & Cauffman, E. (2002). It's wrong, but everybody does it: Academic dishonesty among
high school and college students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27(2), 209-228. doi:10.1006/ceps.2001.1088
Josephson Institute of Ethics. (2012). National report card. Retrieved from https://charactercounts.org/national-report-card/2012-
report-card/
Ma, H., Lu, E. Y., Turner, S., & Wan, G. (2007). An empirical investigation of digital cheating and plagiarism among middle school
students. American Secondary Education, 35(2), 69-82. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41406290
McCabe, D. L. (1999). Academic dishonesty among high school students. Adolescence, 34(136), 681-87. Retrieved from
https://eric.ed.gov/
McGregor, J. H., & Streitenberger, D. C. (1998). Do scribes learn? Copying and information use. School Library Media Research, 1,
1-17. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/slr
McGregor, J. H., & Williamson, K. (2005). Appropriate use of information at the secondary school level: Understanding and avoiding
plagiarism. Library & Information Science Research, 27(4), 496-512. doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2005.08.007
Murdock, T. B., Hale, N. M., & Weber, M. J. (2001). Predictors of cheating among early adolescents: Academic and social
motivations. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 26(1), 96-155. doi:10.1006/ceps.2000.1046
Murdock, T. B., Miller, A., & Kohlhardt, J. (2004). Effects of classroom context variables on high school students' judgments of the
acceptability and likelihood of cheating. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(4), 765-777. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.96.4.765
Novotney, A. (2011). Beat the cheat. Monitor on Psychology, 42(6), 54. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/06/cheat.aspx
Rettinger, D. A., & Kramer, Y. (2009). Situational and personal causes of student cheating. Research in Higher Education, 50(3, AIR
Forum Issue), 293-313. doi:10.1007/s11162-008-9116-5
Schmelkin, L. P., Gilbert, K. A., & Silva, R. (2010). Multidimensional scaling of high school students' perceptions of academic
dishonesty. The High School Journal, 93(4), 156-165. doi:10.1353/hsj.2010.0001
Stephens, J. M., & Nicholson, H. (2008). Cases of incongruity: Exploring the divide between adolescents’ beliefs and behavior related
to academic dishonesty. Educational Studies, 34(4), 361-376. doi:10.1080/03055690802257127
Stephens, J. M., & Wangaard, D. B. (2013). Using the epidemic of academic dishonesty as an opportunity for character education: A
three-year mixed methods study (with mixed results). Peabody Journal of Education, 88(2), 159-179.
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Strom, P. S., & Strom, R. D. (2007). Cheating in middle school and high school. The Educational Forum, 71(2), 104-116.
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Taylor, L., Pogrebin, M., & Dodge, M. (2002). Advanced placement--advanced pressures: Academic dishonesty among elite high
school students. Educational Studies, 33(4), 403-421. Retrieved from http://www-tandfonline-com
Wangaard, D., & Stephens, J. (2011, Winter). Academic integrity: A critical challenge for schools. Excellence & Ethics: The
Education Letter of the Smart & Good Schools Initiative, pp. 1-3.
Williams, B. T. (2008). Trust, betrayal, and authorship: Plagiarism and how we perceive students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult
Literacy, 51(4), 350-354. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1936-2706
Williamson, K., & McGregor, J. (2006). Information use and secondary school students: A model for understanding plagiarism.
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1/paper288.html
Williamson, K., & McGregor, J. (2011). Generating knowledge and avoiding plagiarism: Smart information use by high school
students. School Library Media Research,14 Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/slr

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Chapter 13

Teacher-Librarians Take on Sexual Harassment in Schools

Michelle Harvey
mdharvey@ualberta.ca @mmeharvey

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

Sexual harassment presents itself quietly in our affluent suburban middle school. It manifests as a sticky note
covered in block letters stating “GAY IS NOT OKAY” placed inside the cover of our latest LGBTQ library
book. It is a young girl ostracized by her peers for standing up and slapping a star athlete in response to his
lewd comments. It is as “innocent” as the snapping of a student bra and goes as far as unsolicited “dick pics”
sent via social media. Often the minor incidents are dismissed as flirtatious or harmless. For those victims
with the confidence and courage to report the more serious incidents, the consequences are dealt with behind
closed doors.

The sexual violence that plagues educational institutions trickles down from disturbing social norms.
Fortunately, on a global level, change is upon us. Movements such as the #MeToo movement reveal the vast
number of women affected by sexual harassment. Johnson and Hawbaker (2018) outline a timeline of events
leading up to #MeToo, “In 2006, Tarana Burke coined the phrase "Me Too" as a way to help women who had
survived sexual violence. Fast-forward more than ten years, and the phrase has been reignited as the slogan of
the anti-sexual harassment movement.” (para. 1). In response to the movement celebrities such as Oprah
Winfrey demonstrated support and called for action, “for too long, women have not been heard or believed if
they dared speak their truth to the power of those men…but their time is up,” (as cited in Cavassuto, 2018,
para. 4). Teaming up with activists, Hollywood elites provide monetary support to society's most vulnerable
victims. The upper echelons of American society are taking a stand alongside survivors and supporters. They
are no longer accepting sexual harassment as normalized behavior. Non-profit organization Stop Sexual
Assault in Schools (2018) have also built on the movement, using the hashtag #MeTook12 to highlight sexual
violence in schools (para. 1).

Gender equality and safety for women has become a global priority. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
champions women’s rights. Austen and Porter (2018) report that “Trudeau, a self-described feminist, has
been leading the push to address sexual harassment” (para. 20). By prioritizing equity in politics, Trudeau
takes a stand against traditional male stereotypes which are detrimental to women’s rights and safe schools.
At the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, the topic of women in business featured prominently. At the
Olympic games in Sochi Korea, the Canadian Olympic Committee supported and promoted Pride House.
Takeuchi (2018) describes the house as “ a safe space for LGBT people at the Olympics, including athletes,

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attendees, and allies, and to provide education and information about and support for LGBT people and
issues, including human rights and homophobia in sport” (para. 3). From awards ceremonies to radio shows,
in both staff rooms and classrooms, in politics, in business, in private homes, and in public institutions, sexual
harassment and gender equality are emerging as important social issues that require serious attention.

Messages of empowerment and equality permeate our schools as well. The current social climate can be
considered a gateway through which schools can start to address sexual harassment. The Government of
British Columbia (2017) recently released new curriculum which includes a focus on developing core
competencies. Providing opportunities for students to develop personal and social awareness, who can
communicate effectively, and who are skilled in both critical and creative thinking is crucial to addressing
harassment. In response to the new curriculum many educators, including teacher-librarians, are reinventing
traditional roles. School leaders are responsible for advancing an agenda of safety and equality in schools.
Teacher-librarians are integral to this cause. Along with guidance counselors, administrators, teaching
colleagues, certified education assistants, and even noon hour supervisors teacher-librarians can empower
young advocates. As part of a collaborative team, teacher-librarians facilitate the critical work of building
shared relationships and shared understandings. Teacher-librarians have many of the skills and dispositions
required to contribute to a more inclusive, harassment-free school environment. As such, teacher-librarians
have a pivotal role to play in the fight against sexual harassment. Including teacher-librarians on a team of
caring adults who champion this cause will impact school communities immensely.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

A question school leaders might ask themselves is what does sexual harassment have to do with us? They
may also wonder why they have a responsibility to address the issue. The non-profit organization Stop Sexual
Assault in Schools (2018) explains harassment begins early in a students’ educational journey, making fun of
a child because they don’t look or act like a stereotypical girl or boy is a type of gender-based harassment.
Many elementary school children are groped or sexually assaulted in the bathroom, on the playground, or in
school buses by peers or older students (para. 1). Mendez, Young, Mihalas, Cusumano and Hoffman (2006)
show that “schools have been slow to respond to student needs for protection from these types of
experiences” (p. 18). However, Rahimi and Liston (2011) argue that “many teachers do not feel compelled or
even able to address social, legal, and affective needs of students” (p. 803). Acknowledging sexual
harassment is important for school leaders. Working to support both teachers and students, school leaders,
staff, and teacher-librarians in particular, will start a movement towards change in schools.

Coatney (2010) emphasizes that teacher-librarians “move a common agenda forward. They develop strong
and healthy communities of learners, not alone but through networking and influence” (p. 11). Teacher-
librarians lead school communities in many different capacities. Our roles are multi-faceted, we are literacy
leaders, learning leaders, curriculum experts, and tech-savvy integrationists. We protect freedom of
information, promote every reader her book, and we care immensely for the patrons in our libraries (Coatney,
2010). Harper (2017) further highlights that teacher librarians who provide pastoral care “institute an ethic of
care positively impact teaching and learning in schools worldwide” (p. 52). Teacher-librarians can capitalize
on current portfolios to contribute significantly to refuting sexual harassment. Before addressing the issue,
school leaders, including teacher-librarians, need to consider the complex social roots of sexual harassment.
School leaders also need to know how harassment manifests in schools. Exposing the barriers to addressing
sexual harassment in elementary and secondary institutions helps to reduce them.

Sexual harassment: A Complex Social Issue

In a Government of Ontario report promoting safe and healthy relationships in schools Strands (2008) defines
sexual harassment as “unwelcome sexual attention directed at an individual by someone whose conduct or
comments are, or should be, reasonably known to be offensive, inappropriate, intimidating, hostile, and
unwelcome” (p. 4). Levine (2015) explains that “sexual violence is increasingly recognized as a social rather
than individual or family problem” (p. 2063). Strauss (2012) points to patriarchal and oppressive cultural
norms as the cause of sexual harassment. Posadas (2017) explains "that sexual violence in the West is
fundamentally a problem of masculinity—a manifestation of the phenomenon that gender studies

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conceptualize as 'toxic masculinity'" (p. 178). In addition to rigid male stereotypes, media equates a woman’s
value to her sexuality and appearance (Lindin, 2015). The cultural scripts listed above are detrimental to
creating safe environments in schools. However, Levine notes “by the time we reach middle school we have
been exposed to a range of cultural messages about sexuality...boys will have already engaged with scripts
that encourage them to acquire sexual experience and to pressure girls to comply with their advances” (p.
2065). The more we are aware of these cultural phenomena and how they affect our perceptions of one
another, the more we can seek solutions to sexual harassment.

Evidence of Sexual Harassment in School

Given the harmful stereotypes perpetuated in our culture, it is not surprising that over half of girls in grades
eight and nine have experienced sexual harassment (Gruber & Fineran, 2007, p. 630). Mendez et al.,
highlight statistics that show that “81% of girls in grades 8-11 reported they had experienced unwanted or
unwelcome sexual behavior that interferes with their lives” (p. 2064). Lichty and Campbell (2012) state that
“the vast majority of middle school students are both targets and witnesses to sexual harassment (p. 414).
Victims may suffer sexual teasing, or they may be the recipient of unwelcome touching. Eom, Restaino,
Perkins, Neveln and Harrington (2015) explain that students “may have experienced harassment face to face,
at school, or they may have been targeted online” (p. 430).

Sexual harassment in middle school is the result of several factors. The nature of our patriarchal society
perpetuates the problem (Strauss, 2012). There are also developmental reasons contributing to the rise in
harassment in middle and secondary school as compared to elementary school. Just as bullying tends to peak
at the grade nine level, harassment also increases at this age (Connolly et al., 2015). Youth in early
adolescence are eager to be accepted. Brent (2005) states that “boys reported approval of their friends by
fondling or yelling sexually explicit comments to girls as they pass in the hallways (p. 814). Conroy (2013)
explains how social dynamics influence behavior, explaining “youth want to demonstrate social superiority
and maintain popularity among their peers” (p. 346). The need to associate as part of the group is a driving
force perpetuating harassment. Youth tolerate sexual harassment so that they can “maintain social
acceptance” (Conroy, p 346). Thus the importance of social status in adolescence leads to increased
harassment.

Young adolescents may not realize to what extent they are participating in sexual harassment. As they
attempt to assert themselves, they test boundaries with both words and actions. Students navigating newly
mixed gender interactions may inadvertently harass their peers (Schnoll et al., 2015). Perry (2008) explains,
“sexual harassment in schools stems from ignorance about appropriate sexual behavior and language use
about gender that has been socialized and internalized (p. 104).

Furthermore, early adolescents are starting to explore sexuality and relationships. Levine (2015) shows that
“dating emerges as a strong predictor of sexual violence” (p. 2075). Youth involved in romantic relationships
are more likely to experience harassment (Connolly et al.,). Girls are at further risk of developing a reputation
which leads to “slut shaming.” This form of harassment is often directed at girls by other girls (Linden,
2015). Regardless of the cause, sexual harassment affects both mental health and academic success (Gruber
and Fineran, 2007). Thus, it is imperative that sexual harassment is identified early and addressed
consistently.

Barriers to Addressing Sexual Harassment in Schools

Although it is crucial to address harassment in schools, it is not easy. Azpiri (2018) recently reported a
sexual assault against a young girl at her elementary school, “three boys lured, groped, and kissed the girl
against her will” (para. 1). When the child reported the incident at school, staff underestimated the
seriousness of the situation. In fact, school officials stated that they would rather not accuse them or identify
the boys. They referred the mother to the police rather than addressing the specific incident (Azpiri, 2018).
The reaction from school personnel is not uncommon. Mendez et al. report that “schools have been slow to
respond to student needs for protection from these types of experiences” (p. 18). Rahimi and Liston concur,
“blatant instances of sexual harassment often go ignored or unreported” (p. 13). Evidently, educators and

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administrators are not adequately prepared to address sexual harassment in schools.

Several factors make addressing harassment challenging in schools. Adults possess the same cultural scripts
as students. Preconceived ideas or notions about the nature of sexual bullying may deter adults from taking
action (Charmaraman et al., 2013). Furthermore, without guidance, it can be difficult to differentiate
between innocent flirtatious behavior and behavior defined as sexual harassment (Case, 2005). It is also
challenging to accuse and punish a child for sexual harassment when his/her behaviour stems from gender
socialization or their ignorance of appropriate sexual banter (Schnoll et al., 2015). For this reason, incidents
of harassment may be downplayed or glossed over as harmless jokes (Charmaran et al., 2013). Just as the
administrators in the news article above were hesitant to lay blame on the boys at fault, educators find it
overwhelming to address sexual harassment in schools. In fact, many teachers are not comfortable addressing
the issue all. Traditional views of gender roles impact an educator’s ability to identify harassment. Charmaran
(2013) show that adults who view girls as “being sexually precocious” are less likely to validate or report
incidents of harassment (p. 444).

Despite our discomfort, ignoring harassment does both perpetrators and victims a disservice. Harassment is
shown to impact a student’s mental health at school. Gruber and Fineran (2007) state that sexual harassment
has a profound impact on girls’ mental health” (p. 640). As such it is crucial to address the issue openly
“Pretending that the students did not know or participate in acts that were considered harassment leads to
little new information and no place for them to process their thinking” (Tonya, 2008, p. 106). Rather than
ignoring or censoring harassment, we can help children understand it and take a stand against it. Teacher-
librarians and the school-based teams they work with are integral in building knowledge and changing a
culture that condones harassment.

What can School Leaders do about…?

Addressing sexual harassment in schools feels like a monumental task. How can teacher-librarians clarify a
complex social issue for our school communities? How can we a change something that is deeply rooted in
patriarchal culture? How can we positively influence mindsets, build inclusiveness, and foster respect? How
can we empower youth to take a stand against harassment? How can we connect with kids around this issue?
What can teacher-librarians do to make our schools safe?

In fact, there is much we can do. Teacher-librarians can capitalize on career competencies to contribute to
reducing the number of children harmed by harassment. Using our current skills and dispositions, building
on what we do already in our libraries, we can renew focus on social justice issues such as gender equality.
We can help enlighten school communities about the issue of sexual harassment. We provide resources, we
offer programs, and we create leadership opportunities for youth. We source and promote the literature of
empowerment. We develop facilities and spaces that can be harnessed to advocate for gender equality and
safe schools. We contribute to institutional climates in which all learners feel a sense of security and
belonging. Through our leadership and care, by initiating thoughtful youth activist programs and building
robust resource collections in welcoming spaces, we can take a stand against sexual harassment. Teacher-
librarians have a role to play to help ensure schools are safe for all students.

Collect and promote powerful resources

Resource collection and promotion is the responsibility of teacher-librarians. We can use this responsibility to
build a gender-inclusive environment. Recently in my library collection, a specific book addressing
homophobia has been removed from the shelf and found in different areas of the library. It has been left on
the floor by the bean bags, on a shelf near our charging stations, dropped in the return bin. Although it hasn’t
officially been signed out, this book is being accessed and read. If it has helped one child in my school, then
it has served an essential purpose. Many victims of harassment do not conform to traditional gender
stereotypes, A collection that breaks down binary definitions of male and female gender roles, breaks down
barriers. Furthermore, Carnesi (2016) affirms that books that highlight incidents of harassment such as assault
or bullying helps students to find themselves in literature, “for marginalized youth who sometimes walk a
path of isolation, books that reflect their lived experience help to validate their existence” (para. 4).

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In the fight against harassment, the role of “resource collector” is crucial to addressing the issue. A collection
that encourages inclusion and belonging contributes to building a safe environment. In promoting a collection
that highlights diversity, we avoid marginalizing students. Instead, we help them feel represented and
welcomed so that they may achieve academic and social success in a safe, supportive environment. Students
who see themselves as valued members of our school and community are more likely to feel connected and
secure. Furthermore, by sourcing and promoting high-quality resources, we start to help others understand the
struggle victims face. Resources that teach about assault and consent will help kids to access reliable
information about their rights and responsibilities. Gathering non-fiction, popular fiction, and graphic novels
in both print and digital form assure that students will find materials that are both accessible and meaningful.
Both library displays and booklists and digital pathfinders are practical systems for combating sexual
harassment and promoting safe schools through resources collection.

Create a digital presence

Hashtags such as #MeToo serve to retrieve specific posts or messages on a particular topic. On Instagram, the
hashtag #teenlibrarian retrieves 8000 posts; the #schoollibrary hashtag retrieves 24000 posts. School library
accounts often serve as promotional tools highlighting events and resources in library learning commons
around the world. However, social media can also be used to advocate for gender inclusion and to build
connections with kids. Schnoll et al., show the more connected students feel, the less likely they will be to
experience harassment either as aggressors or as victims, “notably research findings have shown that low
levels of connectedness are associated with high levels of peer victimization” (p. 200). Teacher-librarians can
harness the power of social media to connect with kids and highlight the issue of sexual harassment. Couros
(2014) asserts that social media is a powerful tool for improving school culture. Teacher-librarians can use
digital platforms to challenge different gender stereotypes. We can increase student engagement by
connecting with them on the platforms they use. We can share positive, inclusive messages. Having a
professional presence on social media builds inclusivity, increases adult presence in a youth-dominated space,
and positively influences school culture.

Curriculum connections
In addition to teaching content, educators participate in the vital work of preparing students who are
personally and socially aware. Curriculum drives this practice. Howard (2010) defines teacher-librarians as
“curriculum consultants, curriculum supporters, curriculum aligners and curriculum developers” (p. 87).
Teacher-librarians can use knowledge of the curriculum across subject areas to align the problem of sexual
harassment with provincial learning targets. For example, in the British Columbia science nine curricula,
students are asked to “contribute to finding solutions to problems at a local and global level through inquiry”
(BC’s New Curriculum, 2017, para 5). Our students chose a United Nations sustainable goals as a starting
point for exploring global issues. Students interested in gender equality asked questions about the importance
of educating girls, the consequences of violence against women, and the problem of the gender wage gap.
Their queries led to conversations and learning for the entire class about harassment and equality.

A second example of connecting curriculum to the issue of harassment occurred in a grade nine social studies
class. In a project developed in partnership between teacher and teacher-librarian students were provided with
another opportunity for structured inquiry. Students selected a revolution to learn about and shared their
knowledge with their classmates. One group chose to study the women's movement. The students created a
children’s book about the issue and the #MeToo movement featured prominently in their story. Inquiry
projects such as this one capitalizes on students’ interests. Teacher-librarians can help students and educators
connect curriculum with current topics such as sexual harassment and gender inclusion through inquiry.

Connecting curriculum with the issue of harassment can take place in English classes as well. A learning
target in the grade seven English Language Arts curricula requires students to “Think critically, creatively,
and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts” (BC’s New Curriculum, 2017, para 2).
During our grade 7 Battle of the Books competition, we included questions that connected books with social
topics, requiring students to move their thinking beyond the original text. One question we asked students

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was: of the twelve books you read, which book most closely aligns with the #MeToo movement? For those
students who didn’t know we explained the issue. Connections to sexual harassment can occur across the
curriculum. As inquiry advocates, curriculum experts, and literacy leaders, teacher-librarians can make those
connections visible to teachers and students.

Provide programming and youth activism opportunities.

Teacher-librarians may be best known for running book clubs and developing literacy programs. We can take
traditional book clubs and give them a thematic youth activist angle. We can use social issues such as sexual
harassment to guide our book choices and discussions. Schnoll et al. (2015) suggest “focusing programs on
the development of healthy romantic relationships, understanding and interacting with cross-gender peers,
and fostering a positive school climate characterized by support and respect” is integral to addressing sexual
harassment (p. 211). We can use literature as a springboard to help build a culture of respect for our students.

Teacher-librarians can also facilitate youth-led initiatives and tap into the power of peer to peer interventions.
We can empower teens and foster the next generation of activists. Hosting and facilitating youth activist
groups will help address the issue of harassment. Resources provided through organizations such as SOGI
123 and UK based AGENDA offer ideas and activities for educators to develop programs in partnership with
students. Both resources focus on gender inclusion and sexual orientation. FearlesslyGirl and PlanCanada are
similar resource-based websites which emphasize empowering girls. Each site provides resources for
developing programs alongside our students.

In addition to encouraging activism, teacher-librarians can use established days such as Harmony Day,
International Women’s day, or Pride Week to highlight inclusivity. Harmony day is a day “that embraces
common values of respect, fairness, participation, acceptance and a fair go for all." (Central Okanagan School
District, n.d., para. 1). International Women’s Day and Women’s History month also provide opportunities to
highlight influential women leaders or to examine problems such as sexual harassment. Pride week
encourages inclusion regardless of sexual orientation. Aligning social issues with curriculum, fostering youth
activism, making use of resources provided by focus groups, and building on commemorative days, teacher-
librarians combat harassment and keep our schools safe.

Create Safe Spaces

A library learning commons is a multi-use facility with a quiet section for reading and study, tables for
collaborative work, a teaching area, desktop computers, and laptops. Makerspaces, creative project materials,
puzzles, games, and oversized coloring pages entice students. As a result, the library learning commons is a
social hub in between classes. Cesari (2014) shows that “organizing the library space in a way that
encourages adolescent socialization helps reduce social anxiety and increase socialization” (p. 46). These
social opportunities catalyze belonging and inclusion. Students who need a break from the regular classroom
use the library as a space to regroup. Oltman (2016) shows that teacher-librarians can help students by
“collaborating with teachers and guidance counselors, conducting bibliotherapy, connecting deeply to
students, and making the school library an explicit safe zone” (p. 16). Creating safe, supervised spaces
separate from the chaotic hallways of busy institutions provides a reprieve for many students. By
purposefully designing spaces that foster inclusion, teacher-librarians can build and contribute to institutional
climates, in which all learners feel a sense of security and belonging,

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

We, along with our most influential students and colleagues, are the changemakers in our environments.
Complex social issues such as sexual harassment have initiated a modern wave of activism. This movement
provides a catalyst through which we can make our schools safer. Teacher-librarians can use existing skills to
help address sexual harassment. We have the dispositions required to create change. We present and promote
powerful resources. We use our tech-savvy skills to build digital presence and influence school climate
positively. We align social issues such as harassment with the curriculum and provide opportunities for
student inquiry in connection with those issues. We build programs and empower youth. We design our
spaces purposefully.

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Teacher-librarians harness the skills and dispositions required to support change. As such, I invite all teacher-
librarians to build on their strengths and advance an agenda of safety and equality in schools. Let us look to a
future where students feel empowered to fight back against sexual aggression, where all students regardless
of sexual orientation or gender, feel a sense of belonging. As Fonda (2017) so eloquently suggests “now is
the time to move from #MeToo to #NeverAgain” (para. 4). Let us work together to create a future in which
youth are free from sexual harassment.

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Teacher-Librarians Becoming and Being Literacy Leaders

In this section, Chelsea Shimoyama begins with an exploration of the why and how to build a picture book
collection for a secondary school library. Research on the power of picture books is presented along with
ways to support teachers who want to use picture books in their classrooms. Chapter 15 by Irene Iwasaki
examines the ways in which teacher-librarians can support English Language Learners through spaces,
collections, and relationships with students, teachers, and families.

Erin Graas presents research about the power of writing clubs and then examines how teacher-librarians can
build student interest in fanfiction clubs. The final chapter by Kelly Donaldson takes on fake news and the
problems inherent in our social media lives. Teacher-librarians are crucial to helping students develop
information literacy skills.

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Chapter 14

Picture Books: High School Opportunities

Chelsea Shimoyama
shimoyam@ualberta.ca

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the value of many pictures plus a thousand words.”
Ammon & Sherman (1996)

“Oh, I love this book!” I said to my fellow teacher-librarian on a visit to her library. I flipped through The
Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown. As I read the pages, memories came flooding to my mind and my
heart swelled, enough that my eyes pricked with new tears. My practicum teacher gifted me this book after I
completed my long-practicum in her grade one class, almost thirteen years ago. I’d forgotten about the book
and its simple message that was speaking to me all over again. After reminiscing through all the pages, I
placed Brown’s book back neatly on the shelf. Since this book filled my heart with joy, I felt compelled to pick
another. My fingers randomly squeezed a binding and pulled it down. I had picked Oh, the Places You’ll Go
by Dr. Seuss. My aunt, a wonderful kindergarten teacher, quickly came to mind as she had gifted this book to
me when I graduated from the UBC PDP Elementary Education program many years ago. My eyes again
teared up. Had it already been that long since I read this book? I quickly skimmed through the book and
giggled at the rhymes with the iconic illustrations on each page. Re-reading this picture book reminded me of
why so many people, of all ages, love the tales of Dr. Seuss.

My colleague returned to me after welcoming and setting up a class that was booked in her space. I was on a
tour of her learning commons. As a new teacher-librarian at my school, I was encouraged by my
administrator to scout out what other teacher-librarians were doing in their spaces. While my friend
repositioned some desks and chairs, I observed that the two picture books I reminisced over belonged to an
extended family of picture books housed in a cubby-type IKEA shelf. The cube-shelf looked out of place; it
was stark white and made out of cheap material while the rest of the stacks were industrial-quality and made
with a combination of birch and metal. As I scanned the rest of the school’s collection, I realized that these
picture books, like the white IKEA shelf, also seemed out of place. I was not in an elementary school library
or in the children’s section of my public library, as one might have expected. I was in a high school learning
commons. Don’t picture books contain too many simple words and underdeveloped characters, and plain
illustrations for high school students? What were these picture books doing here?

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I was intrigued and confused at the same time. “Do these books get used much?” I asked my colleague. I was
shocked to learn that, in fact, they are used all the time. Questions began to flood my brain. What place do
picture books have at the high school level? How can they be used with teenagers? Do they actually read
them? What connections to curriculum do they allow? Who uses them and what do they use them for? Can
high school students be moved by picture books just as I had been? Do picture books have the same literary
clout and advantages of a text-based novel for high school students? There is considerable research that
supports the use of picture books with early readers but could the same avantages be transferred to a high
school setting? Could they engage and motivate reluctant or struggling readers? Could they be used with
high-achieving readers too? If so, how?

My chapter will focus on the benefits of using and integrating picture books in high school classrooms. I will
advise how the learning commons can support the use of picture books in a school’s library. I will suggest
practical implementation strategies that can enhance their use and aid in student achievement for all levels of
learners. This, in turn, can greatly benefit classroom teachers who struggle to differentiate classrooms with
diverse learners.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

“…a picture book is a multifaceted aesthetic object, an artform”
Sylvia Pantelo (2018, p. 558).

Turning Old Pages and New Pages

Picture books became increasingly popular in the twentieth century but they are grossly undervalued in many
respects as most people are not aware of their sophistication, innovation, and educational value (Beckett,
2012). Originally, picture books only served as a form of entertainment for children rather than educational
value (Kiefer, 2008). As such, early picture books seemed simplistic in content and in format. Yet, with
closer evaluation, even the oldest picture books have a level of sophistication to them because the actual
artform of creating a picture book hinges on the interdependence of the text, the illustrations and the
experience that they synergistically create for a reader (Kiefer, 2008).

Traditional Definitions
Traditionally, picture books have been characterized as books for young children, in which illustrations are
used to convey meaning and where short text is included (although not always) that “collaborate [together] to
construct a story” (Derouet, 2010, p. iii). These books are often 32-pages in length and they require a reader
to decode words, if there are any, and read visual images simultaneously. In essence, a picture book has
literary objectives and visual intentions by which the story is interdependent upon (Booker, 2012, p. i).
Interestingly, a picture book’s text and illustrations often do not tell identical stories but “how the text and
images work together or against each other can be useful...to extend, challenge or focus their [students’]
thinking” and this contributes to their value in any classroom (Booker, 2012, p. ii). Wolfenbarger and Sipe
(2007) reiterate this by stating that, “in a picturebook, words and pictures never tell exactly the same story”
which allows for a great deal of interpretation no matter the age or reading ability of an individual (p. 273).
Nikolajeva and Scott (2000) suggest that this is because there are several ways that the text and visuals can
interact with one another in a picture book:

1. Symmetry: the words and the pictures are equal

2. Complementary: each portion provides details
3. Enhancement: each extends meanings
4. Counterpoint: visuals and text tell different stories
5. Contradiction: the illustrations and words are opposite of each other

Whatever method exploited by the author and illustrator, the techniques develop a story that relies on the
reader developing a unique relationship with each element so that they “can form new meaning from the text
or the image or both” (Booker, 2012, i).

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The Transition of Definition
Picture books should be defined based on their format rather than their content (Aiken, 2013, Giorgis, 1999;
Kiefer, 2008). Traditionally, picture books are defined as literature in “which the text and illustrations have
an important, supporting relationship” (Fresch & Harkins, 2009, p. 2). Kiefer (2011), Nikolajeva and Scott
(2000) challenge traditional definitions because they feel picture book definitions can be too limiting. Picture
books are characterized as pictures and words printed on paper and bound in a 32 page compilation between a
book cover (Kiefer, 2008). Beckett (2012) and Kiefer (2011) both argue that significant changes in the
evolution of picture books has occured due to advanced printing technology, better publishing capabilities,
and the realities of consistent social upheaval; these changes have produced picture books that are a more
accurate representation of the the time period we live in. Also, (Kiefer, 2008) argues that picture books are
much more than text, illustrations and a story; they are a type of art form (p. 9).

Dissecting what truly constitutes a picture book today is beneficial in that it will reveal a very different
format than what many of us remember. Some features of picture books continue to remain rooted in
traditional formats, structure and predictable story structures but picture books are continuously evolving
(Kiefer, 2008). Many picture books are unique art forms (The Arrival by Shaun Tan for example ) that
express stories in very innovative and fascinating ways. Tiedt (2000) states that “books categorized as picture
books vary widely” and this is why there is so much flexibility in their use; there is something relevant for
everyone but this is also what largely separates them from other types of genres and literature too (p. 7). One
thing is certain though: the partnership between image, text and idea still remain critical to the uniqueness of
picture books and despite many changes that have taken place, and will continue to take place, these three
things seem to be essential to what a picture book is today (Kiefer, 2008).

The picture book genre has exploded in recent years but debate about what constitutes a picture book today
centers around audience rather than the overall format (Premont et al., 2017; Rosen 1997). Most people
associate picture books with young emerging readers but this is an inaccurate assumption that has been
perpetuated by arbitrary divisions put in place by publishers, retailers, some academics and the general
public. The term “picture book” is simply a format rather than an age or reading level determinante (Beckett,
2012; Rosen, 1997). On a basic level, the key elements of a picture book are the illustrations or the visuals,
the text (or lack of) and the story that is revealed from each page. Often, each element is interdependent as
the reader moves through the story to interpret and generate new understandings (Kiefer, 2011). But, in many
cases, each picture book element (modes of image, written language, and layout) can be examined and
interpreted both separately and simultaneously since each element contains and carries their own meaning
(Pantaleo, 2017). Many though, agree (Booker, 2012; Burke & Peterson, 2007; Derouet, 2009; Fresch &
Harkins, 2009) that the overlapping stories of text and images, are more powerful together than apart which
creates rich interpretation opportunities for all readers whether examining elements together or apart.

Expanded Definitions
Many new picture books adhere to some conventional criteria but many modern picture books do not align
with traditional picture book checklists which has blurred the lines of what currently constitutes a picture
book presently (Kiefer, 2011). New picture books regularly challenge the norms that essentially govern them
(Beckett, 2012). Despite not adhering to specific criteria such as page lengths, page formatting or execution
of the story, many new picture books fit picture book criteria by relying on illustrations and the use of text
(sometimes) to communicate an idea which should indeed situate them under the picture book umbrella
(Goldstone, 1999; Kiefer, 2011). Booker (2012) describes picture books as a crossover genre because of their
inability to fit neatly in one genre or with one age-group. It is preposterous to eliminate a piece of work if the
page length exceeds 32 pages or if the text is formatted through comic panels or speech bubbles show a
character’s thoughts when the illustrations are award worthy, the story or text is of high literary quality, and
both are within the basic definition of a picture book. Therefore; if a piece of literature has pictures or
illustrations to convey a story, and may include text, it should be considered a form of picture book no matter
the physical layout, intended audience, format, or execution of the story.

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In recent years, the definition of what constitutes a picture book has been expanded (Burke & Peterson, 2007;
Cassady, 1998; Costello & Kolodziej, 2006; Derouet, 2010; Rosen, 1997). Thus, there can be confusion as to
what a picture book actually is today. Kelser (2017) points out that a “growing number of picture books defy
neat categorization into genres” and hybrid picture books have popped up that have become very popular (p.
619). This diversification may be why the genre has grown in popularity over the last decade (Grundvig,
2012; Reiker, 2011). For instance, Brian Selznick, the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner for his work The
Invention of Hugo Cabret, did not produce what might otherwise be known as the traditional picture book.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal annually recognizes the preceding year's most distinguished American picture
book for children. Selznick’s book is 525 pages in length with sequential illustrations and intermittent text
throughout. His middle-grade novel shatters the old ideas that many of us have about what constitutes a
picture book but it won the award nonetheless. The Invention of Hugo Cabret and The One Summer by the
Tamki cousins are modern examples of how the picture books have completely diversified through witty
writing and amazing illustrations.

Over time, the purpose, intent and appearance of picture books has changed due to societal, technological and
digital advancements and this has significant impacts on the development, production and content of picture
books (Giorgis & Hartman, 2000; Goldstone, 1999; Kiefer, 2011; Pantaleo, 2014; Wolfenbarger & Sipe,
2007). Picture books that are being produced, relevant, and acceptable today look very different from those of
the past. Prior to the twenty-first century, picture books followed a predictable pattern and readers were
intended to be passive participants in the reading experience (Kiefer, 2011). Up until the sixties, Western
society portrayed idealistic views of childhood and children through picture books that rarely covered the true
social realities of the time (Kiefer, 2011). Instead, focus was placed on controlled vocabulary much like the
basic readers See Spot Run and the Dick and Jane series and only included the everyday white suburbia
narrative (Kiefer, 2008). The simplicity of these early readers in text, pictures, content, and plot structure
made them used by many young readers, making them specifically targeted to primary grades.

Picture books are affected by societal and technological changes, which in turn affect the content and the look
of a picture book (Kiefer, 2011; Pantaleo, 2014). Audience’s viewpoints are constantly changing due to these
same forces and thus, the types of literature consumed also changes. While much has happened in the picture
book industry since the era of Dick and Jane, it is most important to examine how modern-day publishing
influences the picture books of today. Digital technology, printing technology, computerization, and the
immediate dissemination of information has impacted how a twenty-first century picture book functions,
what it looks like, and who reads them today (Ley, 1997). Authors, illustrators, and publishers continue to
push picture book boundaries so that “readers [are] called upon to exert more mental energy to figure out
what the author or illustrator [is] trying to say (Kiefer, 2011, p. 16). The creators of these books have begun
to defy all expectations of what a picture book has been historically. In fact, by reviewing previous Caldecott
Medal winners, we will notice how diverse “children’s picture books” really are. Award recipients have
produced wordless picture books, picture book biographies, and classic picture books, showcasing a diverse
landscape of many different styles.

Hey-Aren’t Picture Books for Kids?

The potential of a picture book is not just in the illustrations or the sophistication of the text. Picture books
are “limitless in their effectiveness in resonating with young and old and in all subjects” and there is beauty
and power in them as a result (Massey, 2015, p. 49). Despite the potential of picture books to powerfully
impact people of all ages, they carry a stigma; many people deem them only appropriate for young children
who are developing skills as an emerging reader (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006).

Yet, current literature strongly supports the use of picture books with older students and students at all levels
of ability (Edge-Partington, 2010; Pearson, 2005; Reiker. 2011; Schoch, 2011; Sun, 2015). Giorgis (1999)
and Derourt (2010) remind us that picture books are simply formats and genres of literature; pictures and text
are modes in which a story is told. Therefore, it is quite presumptuous to think that these stories lack the
sophistication of other modes of text. In fact, many picture books cannot be fully appreciated by a young
reader due to the complexities of the text and as a result of two parallel stories (text and pictures) evolving
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together as one story at the same time (Crawford & Roberts, 2009; Giorgis & Hartman, 2000; Tiedt, 2000).
Although many of the new types of picture books are geared towards older teens, even picture books geared
for younger audiences can be used with older students (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006).

Picture books have been re-invented over the decades. The Curious George picture books of the 1930’s have
evolved into advanced literature that appeals to struggling readers but can also challenge a sophisticated
reader. Many picture books today explore complex themes that are relevant to the current realities of the
global world of which we are all a part. Topics such as war, poverty, homelessness, discrimination,
residential schools, LGBTQ issues, identity, rape, environmental issues, and the like are all topics covered by
new picture books of the twenty-first century (Senokossoff, 2013). For example, Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s
This One Summer is a modern coming of age story that won the 2015 Caldecott Medal but also has been
challenged by members of the public as some feel the content is not suitable for some young children. This is
a direct result of the misconceptions people still hold onto regarding picture books. This graphic novel is not
intended for primary students despite the beautiful illustrations; it is meant for young teenagers grappling
with the insecurities and the battles that the awkward teen years bring. Pearson (2005) reiterates this
sentiment by stating that “increasingly, authors are writing books that look like picture books but are not
intended or appropriate for an audience of preschool or early elementary school children” (p. 30). Again, this
speaks to the societal and technological changes that have occured in the modern age that impacts the
literature that is produced at a particular point in time which then affects who reads it.

Sophisticated humour and nuances in both text and illustrations can be lost on young readers and, thus, the
content of the picture book may not be utilized to its full potential (Derouet, 2010; Giorgis & Hartman, 2000).
Also, new technology has allowed “the most exquisite and exceptional artwork being created” so much so
that many teenagers find them appealing because of the detail the images contain (Giorgis & Hartman, 2000,
p. 35). This is especially important for a generation of visually-oriented students (Giorgis, 1999; Pantaleo,
2015). In this way, certain picture books are more suitable for high school classrooms than ever before.
Samuchino (2013) reluctantly states that “picture books are are often seen as literary baby food, the stuff we
feed children until they have the teeth to eat real food” but picture books are are a far cry from baby puree for
easy digestion for many reasons (para. 1).

Picture books for younger children versus older students only differ in “content, length or complexity, and
sophistication” rather than in kind (Bishop & Hickman, 1992, p.8). Further, older students have the ability to
articulate their ideas on a much deeper level and often possess more background knowledge to tackle
complex themes and challenging discussions from a particular text (Massey, 2015). For this reason, the
complexity of modern picture books challenges readers in ways that a traditional text might not. Picture
books require students to use both print and illustrations simultaneously to uncover meaning (Senokossoff,
2013). Authors of picture books usually intend for the reader to use both the illustrations and the text together
to understand the narrative (Harville & Franks, 2015). Each part can be stronger together, rather than apart,
to relay an intended message but each has the potential to stand alone with great impact also. An older, more
experienced reader is able to understand that the two stories (visual and text) overlap and this same reader can
equally separate the two distinctive narratives to understand that they can be read independently from one
another too (Burke & Paterson, 2007).

Choosing Picture Books

Not all picture books are made equal and must be selected carefully for use in a secondary classroom (Burke
& Peterson, 2007). Burke and Peterson (2007) suggest that teachers need to consider the “complexities of text
and illustration interactions and the level of sophistication of the themes” when considering supplementing
subject areas with picture books (p. 74). Picture books are not to be in place of textbook material but should
supplement curricular content (Fresch & Harkins, 2009). As such, while teachers should be enthusiastic about
the book they are using in a classroom, the learning objectives should always be at the core of the selection
process (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006). By doing this, a book can crossover other curriculum areas and serve
dual subject objectives. Picture books should always meet high literary standards (Giorgis & Hartman, 2000).
Regular circulation to book lists are valuable places to begin searching for the perfect picture book as the
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criteria that each of the books must meet is high and the author’s achievements are often recognized by
distinguishable awards such as the Caldecott Award (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006). Additionally, a picture
book needs to tell a compelling story (Giorgis & Hartman, 2000).

When issues that are relevant to teenagers are used, student engagement increases (Albright, 2002; Costello
& Kolodziej, 2006). In fact, in Reiker’s 2011 qualitative study using picture books in high school classrooms,
student engagement was impacted the most above all other data collected. Therefore, picture books should
reflect the diversity in classrooms today (Giorgis, 1999). Picture books are diverse themselves and teachers
should seek out a variety of picture books to suit their needs in fiction, biographies, informational text,
history, and poetry too (Albright, 2002; Giorgis, 1999). The visual aspect of a picture books is just as
important to the quality of the written text which means that the illustrations in a picture book should be
deliberated and assessed just as the written elements are (Giorgis, 1999).

What Can Picture Books Offer Older Students?

Picture books have the ability to present and cover difficult subjects and themes in accessible ways for teens
(Burke & Peterson, 2007; Ley, 1997). The issues in many new pictures books are relevant and important
whether a student is a struggling reader or an advanced reader (Cassady, 1998; Ciecierski & Bintz, 2015;
Lott, 2001). Picture books reduce the language load that traditional texts demand from readers which can be
especially trying for students reading below grade level or English language learners (ELLs) and the
illustrations can aid these learners in comprehension processes unlike other traditional text (Senokossoff,
2013; Sun, 2015). Yet, modern picture books are visually stunning in ways that can challenge any strong
reader to “see” the invisible and it is in these opportunities that lead to unexpected insights and meaningful
learning from students (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006; Derouet, 2010).

Picture books can offer students a way to incorporate multiple perspectives in one reading (Crawford &
Roberts, 2009; Harville & Franks, 2015). Serafini and Tompkins (2015) tell us that complexity of text does
not equate to increased length of the books that students read; it is about “engaging students in deeper
conversations, reading more complex narratives, and considering both the textual and visual aspects” of the
material that they do read that matters most (p. 344). Thus, offering students opportunities to experience
diverse narratives and multiple perspectives is beneficial for their understanding of the world they live in.

Picture books offer opportunities for deeper emotional connections and higher order thinking skills via
aesthetic reading (Murphy, 2009). Traditionally, secondary literacy is predominantly efferent based where
students are reading for retrieval or some form of take-away rather than the experience of reading itself
(Albright & Ariail, 2005; Pantaleo, 2017). Each type of reading, whether efferent or aesthetic, have value in
literacy development but high school students seem to have a plethora of opportunities to practice their
efferent skills in comparison to their aesthetic reading skills and both are needed for adequate literacy
development (Clark, Rumbolt, & NLT, 2006).
For students to actively engage in learning and reading, it is imperative for them to understand that quality
picture books can help meet competency areas just as a short story or poetry can enhance the reading
strategies and practices for learners (Mathis, 2002). This is because students who can unlock their own
reading process can achieve higher-level reading abilities. This, in turn, can compliment content areas by
increasing their ability to infer, problem solve and to think critically about what they see and read (Lott,
2001). As such, “quality picture books can be just the key to model and demonstrate for older students their
own reading processes” to move them forward in their literacy development that traditional literacy methods
do not (Lott, 2001, p. 157). Furthermore, literacy in the twenty-first century can no longer be developed
through language alone (Anstey, 2002; Reiker, 2011; Wolfenbarger & Sipe, 2007). Globally, new literacies
have become the norm as a result of the digital age that we live in. Postmodern picture books have the ability
to disrupt the normal patterns of literacy development by challenging the reader’s expectations through
metafictive devices that require a reader to “actively process various representational forms, cope with the
unexpected in both format and text structure, and consider multiple meanings, readings and intents” (Anstey,
2002, p. 456). All of these devices can better equip learners to deal with the new literacies of today rather
than be inadequately prepared by the tools of yesterday.
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What Can Picture Books Offer Teachers?
Picture books not only support students’ learning but they can regularly assist teachers in valuable ways with
students. Reiker (2011) discovered research that “strongly suggests that the supplemental use of picture books
increases engagement and learning among high school students at all instructional levels” (p. 4). Reading a
picture book offers a shared reading experience for an entire community that becomes shared knowledge or
schema (Schoch, 2011, p. 3). As such, picture books have the ability to equalize the playing field for learners
and can be a meaningful instructional method (Cassady, 1998; Vercelletto, 2017).

One key attribute of picture books is their potential to truly differentiate instruction in a classroom (Fresch &
Harkins, 2000; Massey 2015). A well selected picture book has the potential to aid students that struggle
academically and simultaneously challenge stronger readers as well (Anstey, 2002; Costello & Kolodziej,
2006). The text and illustrations allow for a high tolerance for interpretation which in turn can offer
extensions to any lesson (Cassady, 1998). Aiken (2013) suggests that picture books can challenge advanced
readers in ways that traditional text cannot through “the ambiguity and the surprises” that modern picture
books offer, which also causes the reader to read more slowly, inviting reflection, intertextual connections,
and the use of inference (p. 4). Ley (1997) suggests that picture books “provide a unique and unused source
of enrichment...that strengthens [students’] visual literacy skills” whilst “delving into the subject matter” (p.
27). All of these things “play a critical role in proficient reading” (Aiken, 2013, p. 4).

The format of a picture book should not be thought of a hindrance but rather an asset. Derouet (2010) states
that “almost any literary element can be taught with the use of a picture book” and that because of the brevity
of the text, skills can be isolated and then transferred to more complex texts and novels (p. iv). Lott (2011)
suggests that many literary elements that are difficult for students to grasp become transparent through the
use of picture books. Parody, satire and specialized language techniques (a story-within-a-story, for example)
can all be targeted via picture books in very succinct ways (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006; Lott, 2011). Thus,
picture books can assist in ongoing literacy development for high school students through “language
development, which is enhanced through visual imagery created with deliberate attention to language used in
the text” (Giorrgis & Hartman, 2000, p. 35). Further, reading picture books aloud offers students with low
output opportunities to analyze, interpret, synthesize and evaluate what is being read “on the fly” and all
aspects are valuable formative assessments that can be done relatively easy (Lott, 2011).

Many of the new twenty-first century competencies can be developed through picture books (Ciecierski, &
Bintz, 2015; Premont et al., 2017). For example, postmodern picture books often challenge the predictability
of traditional stories in plot structure which force students to think critically and to use problem solving skills
to make meaning from the text (Harville & Franks, 2015). Postmodern picture books disrupt the norm and are
meant to interrupt the reader’s expectations purposefully (Anstey, 2002). Pantaleo (2017) argues that picture
books increase students’ ability to develop their interpretive, analytical, comprehension, and creative
competencies through metalanguage exposure and development that can then be applied to their other studies.
If we want students to think critically, educators must present students with literacy formats that challenge
them in ways that stimulate deeper thinking, complex dialogue and meaningful discussions. Many modern
picture books prompt readers to do this by offering a “taste” of something that needs to be further digested as
the reader is reading or once he or she has read the book. Picture books offer opportunities for better dialogue
and collaboration because the text and illustrations are not formatted like a traditional textbook that promotes
the retrieval of information (Massey, 2015). Many picture books show “a small piece of a bigger picture,
leaving many questions in the student’s minds” that can stimulate thoughtful discussions about the content
and curriculum (Pearson, 2005, p. 30).

Picture books have the ability to create better writers (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006; Giorgi & Hartman, 2000;
Hall, 2007; Villarreal & Minton & Martinez, 2015). The brevity of text forces the author to be strategic and
skilled at using specific writing techniques (Massey, 2006). This is why the text in picture books is often rich,
evocative and engaging (Kesler, 2017). Hearing this type of language will enrich a student’s language

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development no matter their reading level or age (Premont et al., 2017). Reading writing that models good
writing leads to better student writers as the examples allow students to transfer what they know and learn
from one writer to their own writing with exposure and practice (Ley, 1997; Hall, 2008; Premont et al.,
2017). Simply put, “students who are knowledgeable about literary devices...are better wordsmiths” and often
enjoy better reading and writing experiences than students that do not understand witty uses of their words
(Hall, 2008, p. viii).

Picture books can span every area of the curriculum (Fresch & Harkins, 2009). Many teachers easily connect
picture books with curriculum areas such as English and Social Studies but picture books have a place in
science, math and art (Tiedt, 2000). Picture books have the ability to be the “vehicle for the construction of
knowledge and solidifying concepts in learning environments” because picture books have the ability to
make the abstract more concrete (Massey. 2015, p. 45). This is especially true when addressing science and
math competencies because they rely heavily much on abtruce content and many students benefit from visual
aids to assist them in creating tangible constructs to generate meaning (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006).

What can School Leaders do about…?

Picture Books, the Learning Commons and the Teacher-Librarian
Teacher-librarians are uniquely positioned to stimulate interest in and aid classroom teachers in the
implementation of this type of literature as a learning resource. The dual role of teacher-librarians as literacy
specialists and as educational leaders make them ideal educators to build a picture book culture with older
readers, classroom teachers, and in the learning commons. Introducing picture books in high school settings
is a great initiative, on many levels, for teacher-librarians to undertake. At the same time, the task can be
intimidating. The stigma surrounding the use of picture books with older readers will need to be carefully
tackled to sway those that are skeptical of their use and value in high school libraries and classrooms. Many
people (students and teachers) are often suspicious of what can be academically gained from the use of
picture books with older students since we are a “culture that measures reading success as a progression from
pictures to words, it can seem iconoclastic to select picture books to use with older students” initially
(Lukehart, 2017, para. 1). The key to picture book integration is direct curriculum connections that
immediately demonstrate their value. Branch and Oberg (2001) state that “leadership is taking risks;
embracing change, and modelling life-long learning through personal professional development” (p. 9) and
this means that a teacher-librarian must be that person who takes on unlikely projects that many will not.

Networking and Enthusiasm

In my own quest to promote the use of picture books with older readers, I started having conversations with
staff. I started networking and asking people if they would be willing to work with me on picture book
projects, and the response has been overwhelming. My goal was to seek out one person from each subject
area to work with. I kept casting out ideas, people kept biting and I continued to hook them on my line. Daily,
I was able to “catch my quota” until I had so much interest that my time was booked until the end of the
teaching year with colleagues who wanted to collaborate on picture book projects. While the response has
been mainly positive, I have also raised many eyebrows, received many rolls of the eyes and heard irritated
sighs about picture books. Enthusiasm is key, and the execution of integrating picture books can be tricky if
not thought through carefully. Many teenagers are influenced by the same old “baby book” assumptions
about picture books that teachers have. This is especially true for teachers who feel that picture books do not
“fit”content area like science and math. As such, “the way that educators introduce picture books to older
kids can impact how fully students embrace and ultimately learn from them” and this is an important factor to
building a positive culture around picture book use in a school (Vercelletto, 2017, para. 10 ).

Read to Teens
One way to build enthusiasm is through read-alouds or interactive read-alouds. Regular classroom teachers
are inundated with demanding curriculum, difficult content areas, and competency requirements for classes
that are often filled with very diverse learning abilities. A teacher-librarian can help classroom teachers with
these responsibilities by matching appropriate picture books with the content and reading aloud to students
regularly (Albright & Arail, 2005). Read alouds are very effective as a teaching tool and students should be

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read to even as teenagers. Research suggests doing so supports a “positive correlation between a student’s
being read to and his or her own ability as a reader and writer,” which essentially means that the more
students are read to, the greater the impact on their ability to read and write independently (Giorgis, 1999, p.
52). The experience of listening to a read-aloud cannot be duplicated through the process of reading
individually or the process of quiet mental reading (Giorgis, 1999). Wadsworth (2008) states that “read
alouds are powerful because they serve so many instructional purposes—to motivate, encourage, excite, build
background, develop comprehension, assist children in making connections, and serve as a model of what
fluent reading sounds like,” so it is somewhat of a mystery as to why read alouds tend to be less used once
readers can read independently (p. 1). In fact, despite many debates about how to best develop literacy for
young people in the academic world, reading aloud is the one technique that most agree, is beneficial for the
literacy development of children of all ages (Albright & Ariail, 2005; Wadsworth, 2008). At the high school
level, many students encounter more rigorous content and vocabulary complexity and would benefit from
read alouds, because the text becomes more comprehensible when read out loud and discussed in real time
(Albright & Ariail, 2005; Press, Henenberg & Getman, 2009).

Model for Teens

Modelling is important with picture books (Cassady, 1998). Students need to be coached how picture books
tell stories (Edge-Parington, 2010). Teacher-librarians should allow the picture book experience to unfold for
students in an organic way as this will allow the context for students to emerge naturally (Fresch & Harkins,
2009). Also, through modelling, teachers can provide students opportunities to discuss literary intent using a
picture book which is an essential component for students to internalize their overall value (Giorgis, 1999;
Schoch, 2011). In other words, students need to know why picture books are being used to draw out literary
skills for literary development. This is will make the process of building a picture book culture much easier in
a classroom or in a school. Picture books are most useful for high school students when they are used with
intent and purpose; it is not enough to simply read picture books at this level. Teachers need to provide older
students with opportunities to participate in guided picture book studies where a knowledgeable teacher leads
them to closely read and think critically about the content on the pages. This will further develop students’
higher-level thinking and help them to eventually tackle the complexities of more sophisticated literature
(Villarreal, Minton & Martinez, 2015).

Think alouds can be used to “explicitly model comprehension strategies” where the teacher models exactly
what he is thinking during reading as to make the reading process transparent to students (Senokossoff, 2013,
p. 213). Close reading or deep reading strategies, such as those used by Gallagher (2009) in his book
Readacide, are excellent examples of think alouds using informational text material and modeling deep
reading strategies. Gallagher (2009) uses annotations to help students “show” what they are thinking when
they are reading. The confusion in their reading often stems from “the lack prior knowledge and background.
They can decode the words, but the words remain meaningless without a foundation of knowledge”
(Gallagher, 2009, para. 1), and picture books can provide the background knowledge needed to dive deeper
into difficult content areas.

Select for Teens and Build a Collection

Quality is always best over quantity when building a picture book collection. Even the “simplest” picture
book can “be considered a sophisticated aesthetic object” and the range of complexity makes them appealing
for older readers (Giorgis, 2009, p. 51). However, simplicity should never equate to being simplistic; picture
books for teens should be ones that increase in complexity on many different levels. When selecting picture
books for teens, teacher-librarians should select, or help classroom teachers select, picture books that “engage
students in deeper conversations, reading more complex narratives, and consider both the textual and visual
aspects” (Serafini & Tompkins, 2015, p. 344).

Classrooms of today are diverse and our collection must also reflect this (Taliaferro, 2009). Students need to
“find themselves reflected in books” and there is a danger of offering a single narrative in any
collection (Taliaferro, 2009, p. 30). Thus, picture books that provide opportunities for students to make
connections between the text and themselves increases their comprehension (Costello & Kolodziej, 2006).
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Choosing books with timeless themes that are relevant to teenagers is also a good strategy. Friendship, love,
identity, coming of age, and family are all themes to which students can relate. Having said that, it is equally
important to challenge teens with topics that they may find uncomfortable too. Topics such as war, addiction,
suicide, and bullying are all challenging themes that students can explore in a safe and supported way
(Crawford & Roberts, 2009). By reading picture books where teens “see themselves and their life
experiences...the reading experience becomes more meaningful” which, of course, should always be a goal of
a read aloud (Giorgis, 1999, p. 52).

Literacy development not only encompasses listening, speaking, reading and writing; it includes developing
meaning through viewing and visual representation (Fresch & Harkins, 2009). We live in a time that relies
heavily on visual images to make sense of the world around us, and teenagers are often masters at decoding
the pop-culture media of today (Anstey, 2002; Fresch & Harkins, 2009). A picture book collection should
seek to include items that are visual masterpieces, as they provide opportunities for teenagers to think in the
“language” they know best and also give opportunities for them to think analytically and critically about the
illustrations’ content (Hassett & Curwood, 2009). Wordless books are one particular type of picture
book that often have exquisite and compelling illustrations. Serafini (2014) suggests that despite lack of text
in wordless picture books, they offer extensive value for teenagers’ literacy development such as:

• Give voice to the visual narrative by participating in the story sequence

• Interpret characters' thoughts, feelings, and emotions without textual support for confirming these
ideas
• Tolerate ambiguity and accept that not everything may be answered or understood
• Recognize that there are a range of reading paths to explore through the visual narrative
• Elaborate on hypotheses about what is happening in the narrative sequence

Also, wordless picture books have the advantage of meeting “every objective in the language arts curriculum
at every grade level” (Cassady, 1998, p. 428). This makes wordless books a viable option for literacy
development with teenagers.

Accessibility & Incorporating for Teens

Picture books need to be accessible for students to read when they like. Many people would argue that if
picture books are to develop the same clout as other types of literature, then they should be placed in the
collection just as other types of literature are. There are others that say picture books should have their own
area rather than intershelved within a genre, and that they should be placed in a particular section in the
library to increase circulation. This decision will depend on your style of librarianship and how you organize
your collection. The best way to increase circulation would be to use them purposefully and regularly with
students as supplemental pieces to their subject areas. Costello and Kolodziej (2006) encourage teachers to
select books “that serve not only one instructional purpose but can be integrated throughout the curriculum
because integrated curriculum help with intellectual development and understanding abstract concepts (p.
28). So don’t be afraid to branch out and select picture books that cover language arts, social studies, science,
math and art, as there enough picture books in each of these areas to find relevant material for what your
students might need. There are many reputable books lists that can aid in the selection process; these have
been placed in the resource section for you.

There are many practical ways to develop a picture book culture in a school such as:

1. Creating a Hot Reads area for picture books to encourage interest that features a new picture book
each week. Booker (2012) found that students were excited to be the first to read the new picture
book before anyone else did, and often her reluctant readers were first to sign them out.
2. Develop a picture book “readlist” and challenge teachers to read one picture book per week, month or
semester and do this for the entire school year. Celebrate the achievements of each class by
displaying and placing book covers on a display wall.

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3. As a teacher-librarian, schedule read aloud time with teachers who are willing - I have yet to be
turned down and the feedback from the students has always been positive. I make it impossible for a teacher
to turn me down sometimes too: “You can’t make it to the library? No problem, I’ll come to you” is all I have
to say to invite my picture book in to read to students.
4. Celebrate National Picture Book Month every November in the learning commons. For the month of
November, read one picture book for each day of the month with a different class each time.
5. Build an amazing picture book collection from reputable book lists and be sure you are an
enthusiastic picture book ambassador.
6. Focus on an author a week and promote several pieces of his or her work in the learning commons.
Try challenging yourself to move through the entire alphabet where you begin with authors that start with the
letter A and move all the way through until you end with Z.
7. Ask your staff to list his or her favourite childhood picture books and be sure to include many of
them in the learning commons collection. Perhaps, one or two might read their favourite story to their own
students too!
8. Create an online space to feature picture books on the school’s learning commons webpage that not
only features the book but also include lesson plans, cross-curricular tie-ins and additional material that
would provide teachers tangible examples of how picture books, the themes in them, and the features
compliment the curricular competencies. Place everything needed in one location for easy use and access.
9. Have as many in-person conversations with students and staff about picture books as you can. I have
great conversations with students who come in and out of the library who are compelled to talk to me about a
picture book I read to them and, in turn, they refer me to picture books that they love and intend to use.
10. Always have a selection of picture books displayed that align with monthly themes that your learning
commons promotes each school year with traditional high school material.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

The benefit of picture books is undeniable. Picture books are an excellent fit for teenage readers. Many
picture books are being created “to specifically address the needs and interests of middle school students”
(Costello & Kolodziej, 2006, p. 27). The complexity and range of picture books also make them suitable for
high school students (Derouet, 2010, i). Picture books can “teach students about literacy and about ways of
understanding and being part of the social, cultural, political, and economic world” in a non-threatening way
(Anstey, 2002, p. 444). Literacy no longer merely means language learning; we live in a world that thrives on
new (visual) literacies and we must look towards new methods and resources of developing modern literacy
skills (Anstey, 2002).

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As one of these valuable resources, picture books are very accessible to teachers, teacher-librarians, and
students. However, picture books are meant to be read differently by more mature readers since they are more
sophisticated in text, structure and format. The same 21st century skills needed to proficiently master subject
and content areas are the same skills needed to decode picture books. Literacy has moved to include multiple
modes of text that include varying types of representation, elements of print, visual images, and design that
require “complex new ways of coding and decoding image-text relations (Hassett & Curwood, 2009, p. 270).
Picture books can meet new literacy skills because they are highly visual and have sophisticated interactive
textual elements that challenge students’ critical thinking skills in new and profound ways (Hassett &
Curwood, 2009). Further, “regardless of their cultural or linguistic backgrounds, age, or academic ability”
picture books are an effective tool enhance their learning competencies due to their accessibility and unique
visual or literary elements (Pantaleo, 2017, p. 156). Picture books also make better student writers, better
readers and socially reflective individuals. Picture books reveal multiple perspectives and move stories
outside of the traditional plot format that can challenge readers in any age category (Beckett, 2012; Fresch &
Harkins, 2009; Rosen 1997). Picture books can target specific literary devices that can be onerous to teach
and learn for inexperienced readers (Giorgis, 1999).

Picture books are another dimension to literature; they are not outside literature itself. Just as a newspaper or
a magazine is a different mode of literature; it is literature nonetheless. If picture books can be conceptualized
as another dimension to literature, many learning opportunities and possibilities can be enhanced through the
use of picture books. The potential in picture books are endless. There really are no reasons to exclude picture
books in a high school library collection.

Additional Resources
Pernille Ripp (https://pernillesripp.com) is an expert in literacy and technology integration and dedicates her
research and practice to developing engaged and empowered students and communities. She has a passion for
picture books and incorporating them into classrooms no matter the subject area or grade. She has some great
book recommendations and updates her blog regularly.

Our Journey Westward (https://ourjourneywestward.com/?s=picture+books) has great lessons that focus

specifically on writing development and techniques with picture books. This would be a great place to begin
the picture book journey.

Mrs. Readerspants (http://www.readerpants.net/search?q=picture+books) focuses specifically on lesson ideas

and management tips for librarians and classroom teachers with a large selection of recommendations for
picture books and their use with older students.

Jillian Heise’s website is an excellent resource to begin a Book a Day read aloud movement to help build a
culture of picture books at a school. Heise is a media library specialist and does literacy consulting work with
schools and districts to provide professional development in all areas of literacy instruction.
http://heisewrites.blogspot.ca/2014/09/180-bookaday-read-alouds.html

Kellee Moye and Ricki Ginsberg developed a website called Unleashing Readers
(http://www.unleashingreaders.com/) because of their passion to make engaging books accessible for teachers
and students. They often post about quality picture books.

Join the Picture Book 10 for 10 event August 10th of each year. Educators, librarians, parents, and picture
book lovers from around the globe share their favorite ten picture books. It’s a great way to see what is new,
interesting and relevant from people who are knowledgeable about picture books. Connect with them on
Twitter ( #pb10for10) and on their Google Community space (#pb10for10 Google Community)

31 Days, 31 Lists by Elizabeth Bird from The School Library Journal blog has an extensive picture books and
many are focused on older readers.

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Global Read Aloud ( https://theglobalreadaloud.com/) is a campaign that takes one book that is collectively
read as a virtual group. The hope is that students and teachers take the opportunity to be connected through a
global project though a shared picture book or book experience. Reading aloud to older students is beneficial
and important to their literacy development and understanding of literary content and the issues that the
content contains

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Chapter 15

Appreciating diversity: Teacher-librarians supporting English Language

Learners
Irene Iwasaki
iiwasaki@ualberta.ca; iwasakiirene@gmail.com

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

One day in grade 7, we had a visit from a student-teacher. It was during language arts class, which was my
favourite, and my teacher had hinted that the visit would be very special. I was excited. Finally, there was a
knock at the door, and she entered: young, pretty, and wearing cool jeans. My teacher told us to be extra-
attentive to the new student-teacher as her visit would be short because she had a lot of classes to visit that
afternoon. She smiled at us, flipped her long beautiful hair and held up a little paperback. I think she said the
title, but I don’t remember it. She opened up the book and started reading. But I didn’t understand the words
coming out of her mouth. It had no pictures and it was all in French. For fifteen minutes, the student-teacher
read to my class but I did not understand anything she was saying. I was suddenly immersed in French.
Unfortunately, I was also immersed in frustration and fear.

When I was 20 years old and still in my 3rd year of university, I took a job in Japan as an assistant English
teacher. I was an English Literature major, but had no idea how to teach. I visited classes where I
occasionally communicated in a way that was far too difficult for the children that I was working with. Most
children would stare back at me amused while others became reflections of my twelve-year-old self being
exposed to French in class for the first time. Unintentionally, I had made some students feel confused and
anxious, just as I had felt 8 years previous.

Looking back on my first experience with learning French, reflecting on my first attempts at teaching
English, and observing my current students who are all ELLs (English Language Learners) trying to do
everything in their second language in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural society, I firmly believe
that no student should ever feel so overwhelmed that their learning potential shuts down.

My grade 7 teacher probably had good intentions; he likely invited the student-teacher to read in French as a
way to get us exposed to the language before we went off to secondary school where we would all have to
take FSL as a regular subject. However, I went into French 8 harbouring preconceived ideas about French
that led to insecurities about whether I’d be able to understand it or not. Somehow, I made it through to
French 12, but with mixed feelings towards studying it, and more so, mixed feelings towards my ability in
learning it. I was fairly confident as a teen and my marks weren’t bad, so I think that the hate part of my love-

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hate relationship with French can be traced back to the very first exposure I had with the language back in
grade 7. Feelings of inadequacy can manifest negatively. A poor experience in a second language class is
likely directed not only towards self, but also towards that language or even towards school in general and
even the new community in which one must live. This can be detrimental to a young person's self-esteem,
education, and success in the future.

Caring about ELLs is more important than ever as the rate of ELL learners has steadily increased in recent
years. It is imperative that school libraries and learning commons address this growth. For example, Canada
has seen a growth rate of 7% each year in international students (Global Affairs Canada, 2016). Only 10% of
students in BC are enrolled as ELLs, but one out of four students speaks a language other than English at
home (BCTF, 2013). CBC (2011) reports that 30% of students "need ESL," and at more than 60 schools in
the greater Vancouver area, ESL students actually make up the majority of the student population (Skelton,
2014). As such, our learning spaces need to be inclusive and culturally responsive places.

Unfortunately, the completion rate of ELLs in core subjects is much lower than that of non-ELLs. There is a
"65% disappearance rate of ESL students from provincially examinable academic courses between Grade 8
and Grade 12" (Wild, Helmer, Tanaka & Dean, 2012, p. 3). Clearly, ELLs need to be better supported in their
education in order for them to reach their full potential. Schools therefore need to be able to support ELLs all
the way through to graduation as well as give them the skills to take beyond their school years. This is
beneficial not only for the ELLs themselves, but also for the greater community and the future of Canada as a
multicultural nation. The more students that can graduate with a strong academic background and self-
confidence in their abilities, the more Canadian society can flourish as a whole.

The challenge is that there is not enough funding for enough trained language specialists to cover all of those
ELL students (Hurren, 1993). A TL (teacher-librarian) however, can be part of the solution as a TL is a multi-
functioning literacy leader who is in a position to positively impact the success rate of ELLs. By working
with classroom teachers to foster literacy development with ELLs, these students can become confident
English speakers that are able to overcome the obstacles of feeling overwhelmed or isolated from the English
language. This chapter will explore how the role of the TL and the school library learning commons program
can positively support ELLs.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

What does it mean to be an English Language Learner?
English Language Learners are not just students that fit the criteria of being international students, refugees,
or immigrants from another country. ELLs also include students who grew up in non-English Canadian
communities, students who are being raised in another language at home, and/or students who have been
previously educated in another language or dialect of English. School leaders should know that no two ELLs
are alike. However, because of lack of funding and ELL specialists, a diverse group of ELL learners may be
put together despite their language level, age or grade. For example, in elementary school, ELLs may be
pulled out of their regular classrooms and merged together with ELLs from other classrooms and grades
when getting help from an ELL specialist. And in secondary school, a grade 8 ELL class may have students
between ages 12-18 in a single class. On top of differing home languages, previous schooling and life
experiences, diversity is further comprised of variance in levels of maturity as well as the differing cultural
norms, values and learned stigmas that students bring to the classroom/educational setting that they are
placed in. Depending on learner pace and the adequacy of their learning environments, it can take most ELLs
four to seven years to reach academic language skills equal to a non-ELL (Burnaby School District, 2017).

The subject of ELL may also called ELP (English for Limited Proficiency), ESL (English as a Second
Language), ESOL (English as a Second or Other Language), EAL (English as an Additional Language, EAP
(English for Academic Purposes), or another similar acronym. In whatever ways ELLs may be labelled or
grouped in a programme, leaders should think of students being an ELL as a temporary marker (York, 2008,
p. 26). ELLism is also not just a situation of making those students develop abilities and cultural knowledge.
ELLism can be considered an opportunity for knowledge sharing and should be seen as a "process" (Click,

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Wiley, & Houlihan, 2017, p. 330). This process is not only for students, but also for educators: “teachers
must understand their students’ cultures, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs to provide culturally responsive
instruction” (Rodriquez, 2014, p. 5). Due to the constant and changing influx of students and their cultural
backgrounds, responsive instruction may seem like an onerous task. Although it can seem to be an enormous
challenge, school leaders should view ELLs as an asset, not a liability, to their school because "bilingualism
should be admired and celebrated" (Rodriquez, 2014, p. 15). Diversity in a school is a great opportunity to
take part in active internationalism and help foster global citizens for the future.

A place of belonging
"Library programming contributes to increasing social trust among immigrants” (Varheim, 2014, p. 271).

The school library is much more than a place where books are kept and shared. The library can be considered
a "gateway for newcomers adjusting to life" (Lynch, 2015) because it is a place where its visitors can be
treated “equally and respectfully” (Varheim, 2014, p. 271). The school library is an especially important
place that should be easily accessible for ELL students who may be more emotionally vulnerable because of
the challenges and stresses of living in a new environment. A trained TL can help facilitate this transition and
ensure that “the school library has a unique role in the integration of cultural differences within the school
community" (Dame, 1995, p. 2). A TL is able to plan and implement programs that support ELLs in all steps
of their language learning. Without the active role of the TL and the contributions that they make to the
space, the library is simply just a room with books.

The school library is a truly authentic learning environment which aligns with the new BC curriculum and
promotes 21st century skills and competencies. While at the library, ELLs can actively learn about the social
norms and expectations of the space. This is especially important when we realize that some ELLs come from
schools where there were no libraries. Some ELLs may be experiencing cultural rules of how to checkout and
return books for the first time, and others may become overwhelmed in a heavily English-saturated space. For
this reason, TLs have to be prepared to make friendly first impressions and use visual instructions to ease
ELLs into understanding how to use the library. Other students and more experienced ELLs can help model
this behavior as well.

ELLs themselves are assets of rich cultural and linguistic knowledge and may have unique experiences that
can be shared in the school setting for the betterment of others. ELLs are immersed in a new culture, but it is
important that the existing majority culture know about their backgrounds as well. This can allow for more
meaningful relationships to form and for practice in the appreciation of growing diversity (Riley, 2008, p.
27). School leaders should embrace opportunities for ELLs to interact with non-ELLs as all students can
benefit from having classmates and friends that have backgrounds different than their own. A diverse school
population is like a microcosm of wider society and provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the
world and prepare students to function and be productive in a diverse society and nation.

Services and collections for English Language Learners

“Working with ESL students will remind you of one of the reasons you became a librarian: the desire to
instill a love of reading in students” (Hopps, 2013, p. 29).

An education system is successful when it is able to adequately and effectively support diverse populations in
ways that improve overall student achievement. It is crucial that appropriate resources along with a skilled TL
be available in addition to regular and specially trained ELL teachers to ensure the success of all students. A
TL should be in the school library to create a welcoming and safe environment to work on language skills and
to ensure there is always someone there to help in accessing appropriate materials and books for learning and
enjoyment. Additionally, a TL can provide appropriate role modelling and can serve as emotional support
when needed. In order for TLs to serve the growing number of ELLs and the growing diversity among all
grade levels, they must be supported by their school, their district and have access to assistance and funding
to create the best environment possible for students.

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First, ELLs need appropriate and relevant books, so this means that the collection will need regular attention
in order to create diversity within the existing literature offered. This includes adding books where ELLs feel
they can relate to the characters or feel those characters are a reflection of them. When there is a lack of these
books, “or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about
how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part” (Bishop, 2015, p. 1) Adding bilingual books,
picture books and books about other cultures is not only beneficial for ELLs, but for all students so they can
learn about other languages and cultures. For too long, students from dominant cultural heritages “have
suffered from the lack of availability of books about others” (Bishop, 2015, p. 1). Having these books on
display and talking about them with all students can help foster a school with more cultural awareness and
sensitivity.

Accordingly, ELLs need access to books in English that are suitable for their reading level so they can
improve at a comfortable pace. But these books must also be appropriate for their age and maturity level.
ELLs will require additional support in selecting appropriate books by level and content, support in narrow or
selective reading, and encouragement for independent reading since ELLs are less likely to do this than non-
ELLs (Hansen & Collins, 2015, p. 151-152). A TLs help will better aid in ELLs language acquisition and the
ability to get "hooked" on books (Hansen & Collins, 2015, p. 151-152). This help is not just about matching
ELLs with the right books, it is about enabling them to develop a lifelong enjoyment of reading.

ELLs may also need books from their first language and culture. Reading non-English books does not mean
that their English learning will be put on hold when they spend time reading in their first, other, or home
language. Improving literacy in one language can have a positive or simultaneous effect on improvement in
the second language: "literacy in the native language promotes the acquisition of a second language; that is,
when students are encouraged to maintain their heritage language, the process of acquiring a second language
is accelerated" (De Souza, 2009/2010, p. 37). So by supporting the preservation of the first language, the
development of the English language could actually be hastened.

School leaders should know when students are purposely maintaining their first language, that this is not
necessarily going to have a negative impact on their English language learning. Literacy leaders should think
of ways to simultaneously improve the literacy levels of their ELLs while still acknowledging the importance
of their first language and culture. It is unfortunate that “ELLs are... viewed as language minorities, and
bilingualism is often not encouraged until students reach high school" (Hansen & Collins, 2015, p. 139). To
counter this, when teacher-librarians purchase culturally relevant books, either those from the first culture or
those which include characters that the ELLs can identify with, they can help create a sense of belonging
where literacy development is valued (Rodriquez, 2014, p. 5). The school library is not just about belonging
in the physical space, it is also about feeling a sense of belonging when books are being read there and
checked out.

Much more than book-borrowing

"The power of the library in supporting student learning cannot be underestimated"
(De Souza, 2009/2010, p. 30).

A school library needs to employ a qualified TL and be funded in a way that sufficiently maintains a robust
collection that is reflective of the current student population. A collection that is well stocked, relevant, and
current can directly impact overall student achievement: “high-quality print and digital collections along with
knowledgeable, experienced librarians who work collaboratively with teachers to design learning activities
contribute to improved student achievement in reading, writing, and critical thinking” (De Souza, 2009/2010,
p. 30). Thus, cutbacks that impact the library program essentially affect the overall success of students and
that in turn compromises literacy rates.

While the main functions of a learning commons are to be a safe place to explore new knowledge, a meeting
place to socialize with others and get help with studies, it is also a space that can instill a lifelong love of
reading and learning while simultaneously improving their language and literacy skills. The school library is

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a space where a variety of literacy learning, from read-alouds, to book talks, to literature circles, can happen:
"meaningful literacy events (are) important in second language learning and literacy acquisition” (Howard,
2012, p. 115). Students should feel they can participate in non-threatening learning environments where
marks are not an immediate pressure. In Bordonaro’s study (2006), "engaging in these various uses of the
library allowed the participants to concretely work on improving their language skills in speaking, listening,
reading, and writing in this setting" (p. 523). Students may subconsciously be improving on their language
skills by being in the library environment, and the more time they spend there, the more comfortable they will
feel with using the library, enabling them to develop a better capacity for taking in new knowledge and
information. "Supporting multiple learning needs may not only help ESL students become better library
users, it may also benefit their language learning as well" (Bordonaro, 2006, p. 522). With increased
confidence in their library use and literacy skills, students can become more motivated to read, and
“motivated and engaged readers are more likely to read more often, and this improves their reading ability…
the ripple effect of increased reading would be growth in both language and reading abilities" (Howard, 2012,
p. 113).

The presence of a TL can impact students’ motivation to become independent and in control of their access of
knowledge and information. TLs can begin by working with students in basic ways such as narrowing down
their book selection (Achterman, 2009, p. 15), but keeping the aim to ultimately have students choose their
own books will enable them to be independent in their reading and library use. When ELLs can develop "self-
directed language learning in the library" and eventually "language learner autonomy" (Bordonaro, 2006, p.
523), they will have the fundamental skills to function independently outside of the school library, in the
community, higher education, the workforce, and function productively in future society.

Teacher-librarians as collaborative partners

"Working together, librarians and ESL instructors can bridge the gap for ESL students” (Martin, Reaume,
Reeves & Wright, 2012, p. 364).

Both the classroom and library are spaces that are integral to the process of immersing ELLs into their new
language (Vardell, Hadaway & Young, 2006, p. 734). A TL does not act solely as an additional person to
teach language skills and recommend books. Her skill lies in the ability to collaborate with other teachers so
that they can understand how to best support students outside of their classroom. “The school library media
specialist holds a strategic position to collaborate with ESL teachers in designing activities that not only
promote multicultural understanding, but also engage linguistically and culturally diverse students in the
whole range of language learning and literacy” (Dame, 1994b, p. 2). A trained TL will be able to make
connections with other teachers so that they can work together for the good of the students. Even if the library
space is set apart from the regular classrooms, a TL is not in an isolated position, but rather in a position
where she is constantly working with other teachers and envisioning how to bring students closer together in
a multitude of ways. This is especially true when the greatest challenge that divides a classroom is language
and cultural differences.

Studies where a librarian worked in partnership with an ELL teacher show that students improved not only
their four basic language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking, but also their critical thinking
skills, information literacy skills, and confidence, and were less likely to require or continue remediation
(Bonous-Smit, 2015). This means that having a qualified TL on staff indeed has excellent implications for the
academic standings of the students and the school. The relationship between the TL and other teachers is a
foundation that can not only improve ELLs language skills, but also help foster positive attitudes (Dillon,
2006, p. 11). Improved language skills and a positive attitude toward learning is a partnership for academic
success and a more harmonious school environment.

Creating an atmosphere where students are comfortable to learn and share with each other should not be
limited within the school. Reaching out to the community and making connections with places like public
libraries and other information and resource centres will help students and their families feel welcomed and
supported outside of their classrooms and in their communities (Harada & Hughes-Hassell, 2007, p. 12). “By

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collaborating with outside agencies who serve ESL students, the school library promotes the concept of an
even wider array of information beyond the school library” (Dame, 1994a, p. 5). Even though a TL
sometimes works with individual students and individual books, her greater vision is to find ways to link
ELLs with the rest of the school and to help link them and their families to their greater communities.

Parents as collaborative partners

"Parental support is key to the educational success of any child" (Barack, 2016, p. 12).

The power of collaboration should not be limited within the school or professional networks of teachers and
TLs. "A child's development and education are dependent on the quality of the family environment and the
family's involvement in his or her learning" (Harada & Hughes-Hassell, 2007, p. 10). Just as ELLs are
resources, so too are their parents. Learning should extend to the child’s home. “It is important to recognize
the influence a parent has over a child's reading and educators should embrace this phenomenon and create a
partnership with parents to create avid readers” (Howard, 2012, p. 125). If a TL can develop ways to involve
parents, such as with parent nights or with bilingual book clubs where students can involve their parents at
home (Moorefield-Lang, Anaya & Shirk, 2010, p. 22), the immediate support network for ELLs can be
complete.

Moreover, when ELLs of immigrant parents bring those books with a linguistic and/or cultural relevance
home with them, their parents are more likely to feel they are needed in the literacy development process:
“choosing culturally relevant literature can promote reciprocity in family literacy practice” (Packard, 2001, p.
632). In many cases, the parents are also ELLs and will need opportunities for English language
development and cultural exposure too because “when children of immigrants with limited literacy share the
reading of culturally relevant books with their parents, the adults increase their levels of literacy” (Rodriquez,
2014, p. 5). ELLs then are not the only receivers of learning. Young ELLs should be thought of as being in
the centre of the collaborative circle of learning, while the adults (teachers, TLs, and parents) are on the
perimeters, but everyone interconnected and benefiting in the whole process of language and culture sharing.

TLs are librarians, but they are teachers first and foremost. ELLs are learners of the English language, but
they may be considered fluent or even an expert in another language(s). The school library makes up only a
small part of the entire school ground, yet, it is the heart that brings all together and can make a positive and
lifelong impact on countless young lives. The following section will discuss how TLs, ELLs and the comings
and goings of the school library can work for the maximum benefit of all those involved.

What can School Leaders do about…?

Create a sense of belonging
"ELL students, like other students, appreciate kind adults who discreetly provide help" (York, 2008, p.26).

ELLs may face more stress than non-ELLs, as they are settling into a new environment, while also dealing
with the common problems of their age group such as peer pressure and puberty. On top of this, "challenges
of communication, cultural differences, learning styles, and prior experiences with libraries" affect ELLs’
outlook and attitudes (Click et al., 2017, p. 343). This is why it is so important that the school library be a
place of refuge "not only for good reading materials, but also for words of encouragement, assistance with
homework, and accessibility to a welcoming, non-threatening environment" (De Souza, 2009/2010, p. 36).
School leaders should "remember that both smiles and frowns need no translation. By exerting the effort to
communicate with ELL students, (school leaders) can make a significant contribution to (their) school's
emotional climate, present dropouts, and promote student achievement" (York, 2008, p. 26). The school
library should become a place that is not just welcoming, but a place that students want to visit regularly. The
TL can help create and maintain a dynamic of belonging for all students but especially for ELL students. The
school library should be a place that is emotionally safe so that students can create positive associations with
the library space. Those feelings and sentiments can transfer to reading and story sharing over a lifetime.

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School leaders should keep in mind that libraries could be viewed as stressful places, especially for some
newer ELLs who may not yet be able to decode the learning environment or ask for assistance. In order to
change this perception, TLs will have to "meet them halfway whenever possible" (Carlyle, 2013, p. 20). TLs
must help ELLs to feel they belong in the library as much as other students and that they are all there to enjoy
the space and share the books. This can help ELLs work towards autonomy in their skills in using the library.
Interestingly, a desire to read particular content is more motivating to ELLs than improving their linguistic
ability or the simplicity of the text (Howard, 2012, p. 115). What this means is that an ELL’s autonomy
motivates them to read more. Providing engaging content or matching ELLs with the right books is an
important strategy to help students on their way to reading more and becoming independent readers and
knowledge-seekers.

Build up services and collections

“School librarians often face acute situations, from funding shortages to impossible to find books” (Lynch,
2015, p. 21).

Because ELLs may "require additional services in order to develop their individual potential" (ELL Policy
and Guidelines, 2013, p. 4), it only makes sense that a TL and appropriate resources be readily available to
ELLs. School leaders should know that TLs must be supported in efforts to advocate for funding that will
make the school library and learning commons a better place. TLs that are sensitive to the needs of ELLs can
make a positive impact not only on literacy, but also on ELLs attitude toward learning. When ELLs enter a
school library and learning commons where they feel that their culture and their identity are respected and
where the collection is reflective of their identity, the space will be accommodating both physically and
emotionally. Rodriquez (2014) explains that "with the increasing number of diverse students, culturally
responsive teaching is necessary... and culturally relevant books can make it happen" (p. 17). The right books
can help ELLs in their transition process: "seeing like people in a book makes one feel as if they belong and it
improves self-esteem" (Riley, 2008, p. 27). A qualified TL will be able to match ELLs with the right books
until those ELLs are able to build the confidence and ability to start choosing on their own.

An additional way to promote multiculturalism and diversity through story-sharing is to get students to write
their own stories. TLs may find it beneficial to work with students in helping them create and display their
own self-made books (Ferlazzo, 2010, p. 24). It could be very empowering for ELLs to share their knowledge
and experiences in the target language. School leaders should remember that ELLs themselves are great
resources. If ELLs can contribute to the school library's pool of knowledge, they are learning to be in control
of their cultural knowledge and responsible for sharing it. This could help them develop their language
acquisition skills and be an opportunity for ELLs to help others gain more cultural knowledge as well.

Create a multicultural and multisensory school library

The library should not only be a place that is multicultural, but also a place that is multi-sensory. To appeal to
the visual senses, the collection should have plenty of picture books, graphic novels and even comics and
magazines. Eye-catching book displays, student-created art, posters, signage and written instructions in ELLs
first languages, can all help students feel that the library is their space: these visuals show "respect for their
culture and their language (and help) ELL students want to be more involved in school" (Moorefield et al.,
2010, p. 22). If there is a breakdown in verbal communication, "pointing, gesticulating, drawing, and pulling
up images on a desktop" might help too (Carlyle, 2013, p. 19). TLs have to be able to model positive
interpersonal skills and be creative in their communication with ELLs instead of only relying strictly on
verbal instructions which ELLs might not have the ability to understand or follow yet.

Visuals such as art, posters, signage and written instructions may be easy for a TL to set up and keep up along
with a rotating display of colourful books. But TLs should also think about using other forms of
communication, as ELLs, like non-ELLs, have individual learning styles and preferences. ELLs need
exposure to all facets of their new language, so they will need to experience multi-literacy and not be limited
to print formats and English text. ELLs need opportunities to see stories, hear stories and discuss stories. On
top of picture books, ELLs need to experience read alouds, storytelling, book talks, literature circles, and

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have opportunities to work on collaborative literacy projects that will allow them to have meaningful practice
in the target language (Vardell et al., 2006, p. 734). Audio-visual materials such as audiobooks (especially if
sound effects are included), book trailers, short videos and level-appropriate films can be inviting for
students. Oral activities such as listening to or singing songs, and chattering about books are some ways to
help ELLs improve their listening and speaking skills while they are building their knowledge of stories.

Hands-on activities can help students who are kinesthetic learners. Physical books such as those with texture,
pop-ups or 3D elements may be especially enjoyable for some students and promote the love of reading at the
same time. Also, book treasure hunts, book-related bingo, or stretching together before and/or after enjoying
a story can help students feel more comfortable or relaxed in the library and during reading time.

Lastly, treats can help make for a special and memorable learning time (Dillon, 2006, p. 11). Appealing to the
sense of taste (and maybe even the sense of smell) can be part of the library program. Treats could act as a
simple reward for playing a game, or a reading challenge, or could be included as a part of a holiday event
which reinforces the understanding of certain cultural traditions and celebrations. With an active TL, the
school library space can become a hotspot, with engaging events all-year-round.

Weave in the world wide web and the school-wide web

Computers and the Internet can support ELLs in countless ways. An ever-growing supply of language
learning and cultural materials can be found online and should be collected with ELLs in mind. Using a
LibGuide, for example, is one way to provide easy access to these resources for students in the library and to
access from home. With help of a TL, safe and responsible use of the Internet can be fostered. Honing
computer skills and guided use of language learning websites, apps or software can make the school library
come alive for ELLs. "Computers can also be used to help students feel more comfortable about making
mistakes and learning from them" (Ferlazzo, 2010, p. 24). In addition to practicing digital literacy, students
can also improve their critical thinking skills and learn researching skills from a trained TL. Incorporating
computer use in the library could become second nature for many ELLs because transliteracy is what they
practice everyday, using more than one language and deciphering information in a multitude of ways in
addition to print literature.

Finally, ELLs’ literacy learning and digital learning has to be integrated with non-ELL students.
Implementing a whole array of activities from read alouds to literature circles to book blogging may feel
daunting to some educators, but TLs have the ability to become experts in all of these areas and can support
ELLs to the point where they no longer need to be categorized as an ELL at all. Planning programs where
ELLs are able to meaningfully interact and learn with non-ELLs is beneficial for all students involved. The
outcome of literacy activities done with non-ELLs has a dual advantage because it can lead to: "greater
appreciation and understanding of multicultural diversity, empowered students, and allow... friendships to
form" (Dame, 1994a, p. 8). The aim of any ELL program is to improve the literacy levels of its students, but a
greater aim is to create opportunities for them to develop positive interpersonal relationships. A caring TL
will have this vision of fostering greater harmony for the whole school population.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

"ELLs don't have the choices that we do. They have been moved here, knowing that they have to go to
school, and they are pushed into a situation that can be very frightening" (Moorefield-Lang et al., 2010, p.
22).

If we can all think back to a time when we felt alone in a crowd, out of place, like we did not fit in, or even
like we were on the brink of failure, then we might be able to understand what it feels like to be the new ELL
kid in the classroom. This is why, on top of being a place that fosters literacy, "the library is also reinforced
as a safe and comfortable place for international users at a time in their lives when everything is foreign and
intimidating" (Carlyle, 2013, p. 19). Teacher-librarians are privileged to be serving in a role that can make a
difference in young people who will become the future citizens and leaders of this country. School leaders

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should embrace opportunities to involve ELLs in the broader school culture so that these young people
understand that they are not only a part of it, but that they are needed help to shape it.

English language learners are all unique individuals who have something valuable to contribute not only
because of the variances in their background culture and language, but because of the differences in their
personalities, experiences, and knowledge. One aspect that they do all share with each other, as well as with
non-ELLs, is the right to equality. Students deserve to feel this right every single school day regardless of
their skills and abilities or where they are from. The school library plays an important role in this fundamental
human right, as "the library fulfills a significant social mission facilitating the development of a literacy that
makes possible personal growth, access to higher education, and consequently, enhanced career choices and
job opportunities. In other words, the library should promote educational equity and opportunity for all" (De
Souza, 2009/2010, p. 41). The library can be seen as a stepping stone, especially for ELLs who may feel
marginalized, to become an equal part of the broader school environment. From there, they will be more
prepared not only to survive, but to thrive, outside of school in the greater community and in future society.

The magic of libraries is quite simple: they are "producers of trust and social capital as they offer universal
access to information services, treat all patrons equally and provide a meeting place available to everyone"
(Varheim, 2014, p. 259). When thinking of how to make the school library and learning commons a better
place, we are really thinking of how to make the world a better place. If we want to live in a world of greater
understanding, we can start by creating that in our libraries. With care, trust and hope, both ELL and non-
ELL students can become equal participants in our libraries, schools and society. It is not the physical
surroundings, but the care, the trust and the hope that make up the strongest foundation that a school library
can have. If we can all think forward to a time where peace, equality and understanding can really exist,
perhaps we can think about how that can actually start now, from the heart of the school library and the heart
of a TL.

Additional Resources
Adams H. (2016). Helping English language learners succeed. Knowledge Quest, American
Association of School Libraries. Retrieved from: http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/helping-english-
language-learners-succeed/
The site includes ideas on welcoming ELLs and practices to support their academic efforts. It also describes
the additional challenges and solutions to working with ELLs in a school library.

Cahill, M. (2017). Connecting diverse students with diverse collections. School Library Connection.
Retrieved from: https://blog.schoollibraryconnection.com/tag/english-language-learners/
This page of a blog about school library issues contains several articles that discuss meeting the challenges of
a diverse school population. It's an online site maintained by school library professionals.

Cain, L. (2017) Promoting inclusion, social equity and diversity in your library. Follett
Community News. Retrieved from: https://www.follettcommunity.com/p/bl/et/blogid=1&blogaid=337
This important and informative webinar focuses on creating awareness and promoting diversity through
library services. It is also available in downloadable slides.

Ferlazzo, L. (2009). The best sites to teach ELLs about libraries. Edublogs. Retrieved from:
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/04/12/the-best-sites-to-teach-ells-about-libraries/
This blog is created for teachers by a teacher. It gives ideas and lessons on how to teach ELLs about libraries,
from how to use a library to what libraries around the world look like.

Hickok, J. (2005). ESL websites: Resources for library administrators, librarians and ESL library
users. Journal of Library Administration, 43(3), 247-262.
This is an academic article which explains why supporting ESL patrons in libraries is important. Includes lists
of sites of TESL organizations, journals and publishers as well as sites for ESL learners.

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Jules, J. (2017). 10 ways to support ELLs in the school library. Color in Colorado. Retrieved
from: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/10-ways-support-ells-school-library
This site is by a teacher, librarian and author of children's books. She gives 10 fun and practical ideas for ELL
learning in the school library. The site is English-Spanish bilingual.

Piehler, C. (2017). Inspiring English language learners in the library. The Ed Advocate. Retrieved from:
http://www.theedadvocate.org
This site outlines a case of how a school librarian successfully facilitates digital media to help her ELLs
improve literacy and research skills.

Stalteri, L. L. (2016). Supporting ELLs through the school library. Retrieved from:
https://sites.google.com/a/winchesterps.org/the-school-library-and-supporting-ells/for-librarians
Created by a school librarian, this blog site contains many links to support ELLs as well as the adults around
them. It is organized in various sections for the particular user: teacher, librarian, ELLs and family of ELLs.

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Chapter 16

Fanfiction in the Library

Erin Graas

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Writing, Clubs, and Fanfiction

Humans crave communication. One needs to look no further than our modern day social media tendencies to
discover how much we need to talk to other people and be heard by them in return. Where once people were
limited to face-to-face real time conversations and delayed messages through the postal service, we are now
able to email, text, message, tweet, and snap throughout the day and night.
Written communication has evolved over the centuries from pictographs to formalized alphabets, and, some
would argue, back to pictographs in the form of emoji today. Being able to express oneself through the
written word is important for success in the workplace:

Whether it is the law enforcement officer writing a crime report, a teacher drafting a lesson plan for the next
day’s class, or a lawyer finalizing the legalities of a business deal, writing is something most professionals are
required to do, whether they are employed in white- or blue-collar jobs (https://www.essaymasters.co.uk/five-
reasons-why-writing-is-important-in-real-world, 2015, para. 4).

Good, concise writing can set an applicant in good stead when searching for employment. “Globalization and
technological advances have changed the nature of the workforce. Reading and writing are now essential
skills…” (Graham & Herbert, 2010, p. 3). We need to make sure our students have these skills.
Writing instruction can improve reading skills. When students are given explicit instruction on the writing
and composition processes, and are asked to write about the texts they’ve read, they show improved reading
comprehension scores (Graham & Herbert, 2010). When reading skills improve, comprehension improves,
and more reading occurs because of increased enjoyment.
Writing can foster creativity and self-expression. Writing does not have to happen solely in the classroom
setting. “Writing, as an academic subject is deeply rooted in classic Aristotelian rhetoric. Focusing on
invention, arrangement, style, memory and delivery, Aristotelian rhetoric was intended for the very well
educated (usually male) individual” (Langer & Flihan, 2000, para. 4). One could argue that the high school
English Language Arts programs are still focusing on the very same things today, possibly to the detriment of
students and their creativity. As Ryan (2014) states,

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Students whose writing decisions are heavily mediated by the contextual structures expected by the education
system, the school and the teacher, can often regurgitate genres and produce formulaic paragraphs and texts.
Such students are less likely to have a vested interest in written texts and styles, to develop a love of and
interest in writing outside of school, and to flex their writing identities in new and innovative ways. … In
effect, they become school writers. (p. 130-131).

If it is understood that our classrooms are not always the most motivating places for creative writing, yet
some students are looking for a place to be expressive and creative. A writing club could potentially be an
excellent space for growth and development. Let students learn the rules of writing in class, and then practice
breaking all the rules in a safe, encouraging space. What better place to encourage writing and creativity than
a library? A writing club will not be a hard sell to administrators, as:

Creative writing is an incredibly important asset for any child, as it is a way to facilitate their personal
development. It allows them to use a creative part of their mind and explore possibilities not
experienced in real life. It gives them the opportunity to deal with issues by writing them out and even
to understand themselves better through this self-analysis. Ultimately, it could help them succeed in
school, too, because it addresses another learning style. (Gibaldi, 2010, p. 18)

Creative writing can be a very powerful learning tool throughout a school career, and into adulthood.

It is likely that every teacher has, at one time or another, heard the phrase, “But I don’t know what to write
about.” Young writers often have tendency to discount their own ideas as not being worth writing about, or
as being stupid or boring. Telling these students to write about what they know is not going to produce much
more than a paragraph on their latest shopping trip, summer vacation, or favourite truck. However, if one
were to ask the same students who their favourite characters are in a movie, book, or graphic novel, they will
be full of stories about what these characters have done, and might do in the future. The students are fans.
Fanfiction asks the fan/writer to take those favourite characters and create stories around them. In doing so,
some of the decision-making pressure is relieved; the fan/writer has a base, a platform to begin from, and can
move on to creating original plots, additional original characters, and alternative universes. They can even
create stories where they, the writer, are part of the stories as a character. I’ve certainly imagined myself into
countless worlds with characters I’ve met in books and on screen; fanfiction is a way of sharing my
imagination with other readers.

The intent of this chapter is to explore the importance of creative writing, and the formation of a creative
writing club in the secondary school library with the teacher-librarian as leader. Of particular interest is the
genre of fanfiction, and how it may encourage young adults to create. Will a creative writing club improve
literacy for the students involved? What role does the teacher-librarian play in such a club? What should we
know about fanfiction, and the world of online publishing?

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

Writing is important
Writing has the potential to impact the level at which students read, and, together, reading and writing can be
strong indicators of future success or failure. As Graham and Hebert (2010) point out, “poor literacy skills
play a role in why many students do not complete high school” (p. 3). Their report pulls out three key ways
writing may enhance reading:

First, reading and writing are both functional activities that can be combined to accomplish specific goals,
such as learning new ideas presented in a text. … Second, reading and writing are connected, as they draw
upon common knowledge and cognitive processes. Consequently, improving students’ writing skills should
result in improved reading skills. Third, reading and writing are both communication activities, and writers
should gain insight about reading by creating their own texts, leading to better comprehension of texts
produced by others. (Graham & Hebert, 2010, p. 4)

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By teachers intentionally using writing as a method of improving reading, students are given the opportunity
to not only learn new information, but are also given a “tool for visibly and permanently recording,
connecting, analyzing, personalizing and manipulating”(Graham & Hebert, 2010, p. 13) the information they
learn.

There is a transfer of knowledge between reading and writing that goes in both directions. “Writers
incorporate what they have learned about language, structure and style from the texts they have encountered
as readers” (Langer & Flihan, 2000, para. 24). There is the idea that the more one reads, the more able one is
to write. There is a tendency to borrow literacy techniques from fellow writers, both amateur and
professional , and this can only be done through reading their work (Langer & Flihan, 2000, para. 26).
Reading and writing may work best when paired.

Graham and Perin (2007) seem to dispute that more reading alone will make students better writers. “Many
adolescents are able to handle average reading demands but have severe difficulties with writing”(Graham &
Perin, 2007, p. 7). As they point out:

Writing differs from reading. While readers form a mental representation of thoughts written by
someone else, writers formulate their own thoughts, organize them, and create a written record of them
using the conventions of spelling and grammar. Therefore, although reading and writing are both vital
aspects of literacy, they each require their own dedicated instruction. (Graham & Perin, 2007, p. 8)

The argument is made for explicitly teaching students the importance of writing, and how to be successful at
writing. “Teaching adolescents strategies for planning, revising, and editing their compositions has shown a
dramatic effect on the quality of students’ writing” (Graham & Perin, 2007, p. 15). How many English
language arts classrooms allow time for these strategies beyond the school mandated essay? How many
students are truly engaged in this process?

Writing in classes other than language arts can have a powerful impact on learning. Writing across the
curriculum “can increase [the students’] interest and engagement with writing” (Milner IV, 2018, p. 89). As
students write to express ideas in their science, math, or carpentry classes, they are being asked to take
knowledge and experience and manipulate it into something more. Students are asked to critically think
about what is being presented to them, and writing “presents a medium for critical thinking” while also being
“a form that influences and expresses the content of critical thinking” (Yancey, 2015, p. 1). A study done by
Quitadamo and Kurtz (2007) looking at whether or not writing could affect the critical thinking skills of
general education biology students found that:

Students from the writing group significantly outperformed their non-writing peers in both total critical
thinking skills and the component critical thinking skills of analysis and inference. … Collectively, the results
of this study indicated that students who experienced writing in general education biology significantly
improved their critical thinking skills. (p. 149)

With the plethora of information available today, critical thinking has never been more important. As Goma
(2001) points out, “the use of writing across the curriculum has demonstrated that writing not only serves as a
medium for communication, but also enhances a student’s cognitive and intellectual development”(p. 149).
Schmoker (2018) believes that, “ higher-order, analytic thought likely isn’t possible without engaging in
some form of writing, [and that] we can literally ‘write our way’ into a deeper understanding of complex texts
or concepts that previously mystified us”(p. 23). Students need to write across the curriculum, not only in
their language arts classes, and they need to do more than write formal essays and lab notes; they need to
write creatively. Goma (2001) teaches economics at DePauw University in Indiana, and uses creative writing
because she needs to “prepare students to react intelligently and creatively to life’s challenges. … In essence,
the use of creative writing helps to improve the flexibility of students’ problem-solving skills and their
fluency in stating their ideas” (p. 150). Creative writing is more than just telling a good story.

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Creative writing and writing clubs
Creative writing holds as much power as academic ‘classroom’ writing, if not possibly more. Gallagher and
Kittle (2018) explain why they start their academic year teaching narrative (arguably a creative form) this
way, “...because students have stories to tell and we value these stories. When students’ voices are heard,
they more readily engage in the hard work. … Students build confidence as writers…” (p. 20). If this can
happen in a formal classroom, what more is possible in an encouraging, creative environment such as an
extra-curricular group or club?

A writing club can be a place where voices can be heard, and ideas generated without fear of the teacher’s red
pen. McKenney (2018) states, “if we want students to become better writers and communicators, we need to
ensure that they are given multiple opportunities to communicate their ideas freely” (p. 34). Formal, five-
paragraph essays that regurgitate the information given do not count as free ideas. When the writing can be
made meaningful, students’ “work gain[s] depth and personality” (p. 34). McKenney is working within the
confines of a classroom, with a curriculum to teach and deadlines to meet. An extra-curricular club would
not necessarily have these restrictions.

“...In order to develop as writers, children must write extensively and have space and time in which to discuss
and reflect on their writing” (Menmuir, 2016, p. 18). How many English language arts classrooms, never
mind other content areas, are able to dedicate enough time to writing in this manner? What is enough time?
Many teachers I’ve worked with have expressed trouble meeting all of the provincially mandated curriculum
outcomes. It would require a major shift on our parts to change the nature of the classroom; a creative
writing club may bridge the gap for a few students in the meantime.

Bush (2009) argues that teacher-librarians are uniquely situated to use “journal writing, discussion, and
portfolios as major elements within the process approach to writing” within the library setting (p. 39). While
this may be intended to be in a classroom setting, either as a library class or in conjunction with an English
language arts instructor, the ideas can be brought into an extra-curricular setting easily. Von Drasek’s (2018)
writing boxes, where supplies are lent out to public library youth patrons to inspire writing, could also work
in a school library, particularly where the teacher-librarian does not have adequate time to run a full club.
Mcpherson (2006) reminds us that the school library can be many things at once:

However, many schools' curricular emphasis on developing students' information literacy and technology
skills may result in more time spent developing technical writing skills--such as note taking, summarizing,
creating citations, and paraphrasing--and less time developing creative writing skills such as poetry,
narratives, and diaries. Fostering creative writing in the school library need not take a backseat to traditional
research-based skills nor require an excessive amount of time and energy(para. 4).

The creative writing that is fostered does not have to be long, drawn out novels, or deeply personal memoirs.
Fontichiaro (2018) proposes zines as a way of getting the creative juices flowing. Zines, originally popular in
the pre-internet days, were “often an avenue for voices not welcome, recognized, or in mainstream culture,
including underground movements, feminism, minority culture, LGBTQ issues, poetry, and more”
(Fontichiaro, 2018, p. 49). In my experience, these are the types of students who gravitate towards the safety
of the library already; having a writing club that not only welcomes these voices but also celebrates them
seems a perfect match. A writing club can be whatever the students and teacher negotiate it to be: a poetry
club, a school newspaper, the yearbook crew, a graphic novel partnership between student writers and
illustrators, anything.

New Media Opportunities

Students are already using creative writing outside of the traditional pen and paper world, often without
realizing it. Daniel-Wariya (2016) proposes that play, as referring to computers and gaming, is the
“movements of individuals within, through and against the rule structures of composing mediums”(p. 45).

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Gamers, students, are moving through story creation with every move. They are telling stories in the game,
and after the game when sharing their knowledge and experience with friends.

Working with new media, specifically online applications and material, is a skill set students today will need
to master for future success. “Students need to be given opportunities in school to construct knowledge and
understanding using the kinds of new digital media that figure largely in their out of school lives”(Hughes,
2009, p. 260). Hughes points out that the internet is a performance media, and that “performance or
publication can also be viewed as an integral part of the response and editing cycle”(2009, p. 261). What if
there were an online place where students could post their writing and potentially receive peer feedback
immediately?

There are places, websites where writers of all stripes can post their work, read the work of others, and chat
with each other about their content and skills. Many of these websites host fanfiction, “a literacy practice
whereby a fan takes the plot features, characters, and settings from a favored text - which can be anything
from the Harry Potter books and movies to the popular television series WWE RAW (wrestling) - and the fan
uses those features to write original stories about that text”(Kelley, 2016, p. 49).
Fanfiction in the past has had a reputation for being poorly written, trope-filled drivel, and there is definitely
some of that out there online today. One could argue, as Ward (2014) does that the “literary canon contains
arguably abysmal efforts”(para. 3). Just because a piece of writing is old does not mean it is worthy of
reading. Moreover, the movement, and writing skills of the authors, has come a long way since entering the
mainstream, and teens are at the forefront (Ward, 2014, para. 1). “In their thousands, the youth of today are
reading these tales and writing reams of creative, peer-assessed, and regularly redrafted prose”(Ward, 2014,
para. 1). Fanfiction can be “an incubator. Writers who started out with fanfiction and then found the proper
mix of critique and encouragement could go on to publish ‘real’ (and remunerated) work” (Burt, 2017, para.
7). Fanfiction can be written by anyone and everyone; there can be a “powerful sense of participatory
equality” (Burt, 2017, para. 11). Fanfiction can be a way of dealing with the challenges life gives you. Ward
states, “several students told me that the stories helped them to come to terms with depression or family
difficulties, including abuse” (2014, para. 3). Ward also points out that,

“Adolescence is all about construction relationships and huge part of this is to do with sex. … There is
no shortage of material out there to feed these adolescent urges. … Where is the discussion about
consent and its implications? What about love and romance? Or intimacy and breakups? Where is the
conversation about sexuality other than the heterosexual norm? In fan fiction, apparently” (para. 3).

Fanfiction is meant to be posted online and shared with the community of like-minded fans. Our students are
going to be posting online, so why not help them cipher the communities’ rules and standards? Using
fanfiction and the online sites where it’s found opens up opportunities for such conversations. With all of this
in mind, choosing to start a writing club, especially a fanfiction writing club, seems an excellent way to
encourage young people in their endeavours. There are different ways of creating such a club, and decisions
that will need to be made along the way.

Fanfiction crash course

In simple terms, “at its most basic level, fanfic is a new work of fiction that uses the characters or takes place
in the setting of an original work and is written by fans, not the original creator” (Trombetta, 2017, para. 2).
Fanfiction existed before the internet, “getting published in fanzines and making the rounds at conventions”
(Hill, 2016, para. 4). It could be argued that Shakespeare wrote fanfiction: “Pick a play at random and bet
your bottom dollar that it’s based on myth, legend, or historical anecdote, with a liberal splash of that
Shakespeare je ne sais quoi” (West, 2014, para. 11). The Sherlock Holmes fandom created “the Sherlock
Holmes Society and the Baker Street Irregulars, and the Irregulars remain active to this day” (West, 2014,
para. 8). These groups of people were invested in what Holmes was writing, and, wrote their own stories in
homage to him and the characters he created.

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Moving forward a few decades, Star Trek: The Original Series began in 1966. “Star Trek: The Original
Series is often looked to as the origin of modern fandom, and many of the networks and communities those
fans established continue to influence fan interactions to this day, as does the example they set in using
fandom as a means of social awareness and political action” (West, 2014, para. 6). A quick search on
archiveofourown.org and fanfiction.net currently have nearly 60,000 stories tagged as Star Trek: The
Original Series. Many of these stories have been migrated over to these sites from original Star Trek-only
fan message boards and the like, and some may be posted on both sites, but that is still a staggering amount of
writing done by self-confessed fans. Following on the heels of Star Trek came the Harry Potter fandom,
better known as the Potterheads. “The shape of fandom as it is today owes a lot to the communities that
formed around Harry Potter and anime in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, and to the increasing accessibility of
the internet over the past decade or so” (West, 2014, para. 5). With approximately 256,797 stories matching
the search term of Harry Potter, one could read about nothing but the Boy Wizard for the rest of their life.

There is, of course, nothing guaranteeing the quality of the fanfiction itself. For example, the E. L. James
Fifty Shades of Grey series began life as Twilight fanfiction, and the world at large may have been better off
if it had stayed solely online in its poorly written form. I personally don’t care to read Harry Potter erotica,
but it does exist. Internet Rule #34 states, “that pornography or sexually related material exists for any
conceivable subject” (Nukeitall, 2006, para. 1). As far as I’ve been able to tell, anecdotally, in my twenty-odd
years of being online, this is very true. However, that doesn’t mean that all fanfiction is pornographic, or
even remotely sexual. Rainbow Rowell’s 2015 novel “Carry On,” came about because of her own earlier
novel, “Fangirl.” In Rowell’s own words, the novel was “inspired by fictional fanfiction of a fictional series”
(Burt, 2017, para. 2).

Fluff, Crossovers, Alternative Universes and more

There is fluff, “a super cute, upbeat story” (Taylor, 2018). Often this is a light-hearted romance pairing the
reader with one of the main characters from whatever original world, though there doesn’t have to be a
romantic pairing at all. Angst is “a sad or upsetting story” (Taylor, 2018). that often includes character injury
or death, or the dissolution of a romantic pairing. Crossovers merge two fandoms, bringing two or more
different characters into one of the original worlds, or creating an entirely new one for them to inhabit
together. A crossover may or may not include a reader insert, where the story is written in second person,
thereby inserting YOU, the reader, as a character and often the love interest (Taylor, 2018). AU’s are
fanfictions with a small amount of canonical information, but take place in an alternative universe, sometimes
an alternative period of time, and rarely could actually take place (Taylor, 2018).
Smut or NSFW (not suitable for work) are fairly obvious to any adult audience that has spent any time online:
it’s the sexual content, the mature stuff. Slash and Femslash come into the smut category, and “pairs two (or
more) characters of the same sex. Often, "slash" is used for male/male pairings only, with "femslash" or
"femmeslash" are used to define a female/female pairing” (SlashFic, n.d., para. 1).
Other important terms to know about fanfictions are canon and fanon; canon refers to things that actually
happen in the world of the characters, something that is “true” to the story. “Though it is distinct from canon,
fanon is an interrelated concept in that the term encompasses invented (non-canon or not verified as being
canon) facts or situations, especially those which are used so frequently in fan fiction that they become seen
by many as an extended part of the canon”(Fan Fiction Terms Glossary, 2011). There are suspicions online
that the writers for many of the popular television shows anonymously follow many of the fandom sites, and
read the stories; how else do the things the fans write about suddenly come true on the show? Nothing has
ever been confessed or proven, but the myth remains.

Legalities of Fanfiction
Writing fanfiction in schools may bring up the conversation about plagiarism. If a writer is using characters
and settings already created by another author, isn’t that stealing? Gribben (2016) states that fanfiction is
classified as a derivative work in the United States, and that “a derivative work is defined in copyright law as
‘an expressive creation that includes major copyright-protected elements of an original, previously created
first work. The derivative work becomes a second, separate work independent in form from the first” (para.
4) Therefore, as long as the fanfiction writer stays within the copyright laws and fair use policies, they should

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be safe from prosecution. Granted, most fanfiction writers do not look into these laws, and therefore open
themselves up to lawsuits, but being in a school setting allows for discussions about these issues right from
the start of the writing process. Informed student writers are better citizens all around.

Tushnet (1997) suggests that “copyright law should not stray too far from common sense understandings. If
people consider a law to be silly and violate it routinely by performing activities that they feel are both
harmless and central to their lives – telling others the stories they tell themselves – the law will not be
respected” (p. 654). Many writers who post their work online start with the disclaimer that they do not own
these characters or the world of whatever fandom they’re writing in. This seems to be enough to appease the
lawmakers. Fair use doctrine is in place because, “when most creative output is controlled by large
corporations, freedom to modify and elaborate on existing characters in necessary to preserve a participatory
element in popular culture” (Tushnet, 1997, p. 684). Where once myths and legends were the stories people
spread and elaborated on, popular culture – the television shows, movies, comics, etc. – is what the people
use today.

The commonsense in this case is that if the writer isn’t remunerated for their writing than the copyright law is
not an issue. As Tushnet (1997) concludes her paper with, “When no lucrative market share is sought and
productive use is made of copyrighted characters, fanfiction should be recognized as expressing a protected
and valuable form of human creativity – if only in the margins” (p.686).

Fanfiction Websites
There are many fanfiction sites online today, each with their own positive and negative attributes.
Choosing which site would work best for students will ultimately come down to which site one is most
comfortable with. It is recommended to browse these sites before having a conversation about them with
your students; not only does one need to be sure things are safe, but one also needs to appear knowledgeable
in said conversation when the students know more than the teacher. While it’s possible to write fanfiction
and not put it online, the community that is built online is an important type of relationship to learn how to
navigate. It is not an easy thing to do for adults; teaching students how to manage online relationships can
easily be seen as an important skill for future success.

FictionAlley (http://fictionalley.blogspot.ca/) was created in 2001 by mostly fanfic writers and readers with
the goal to “archive all Harry Potter fanfic, regardless of the SHIP, as long as the story met a reasonable
standard for grammar and spelling, and did not merit an ‘adults only’ rating.”
(http://www.fictionalley.org/press.html) While there is much to read on the site, it doesn’t appear to have
been updated since 2006, with nothing story-related posted in any of the ‘houses’ since September 2017. The
community does not seem overly active, which defeats the purpose of sharing stories and giving feedback.
It’s also not a very attractive site.

Fan Fiction (www.fanfiction.net) is a very current site for fanfiction of all sorts. The site categorizes
fanfiction as anime/manga, books, cartoons, comics, games, miscellaneous, movies, plays and television, as
well as crossover fiction in all of these areas. It has a rating system of K through MA; K is intended for all
audiences, K+ for anyone over the age of five, T for people over nine years of age, M for those over thirteen,
and MA for adults only as explicit content is involved. (https://www.fictionratings.com/) It is important to
note that these rating levels are left up to the writer, and that warnings about content are optional. There may
be some level of oversight from the website curators, but very little unless something is deemed outrageous.
There is also the sister site of www.fictionpress.com, which is designed for original writing and poetry
without the fan element.

Wattpad (www.wattpad.com) is very, very pretty. It’s stylish, smooth, and easy to use on mobile and on an
actual computer. It is designed for longer stories, for writers with intentions of being novelists. There are
clear tags, detailed descriptions, and an obvious way to report inappropriate material. The Help Center is
excellent, including copyright information, privacy and codes of conduct, how to report issues, and resources
on how to stay safe online. There are even guidelines for parents and families

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(https://support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us). There are many different genres and subgenres to search through.
While there may not be as many authors on Wattpad as other sites, the usability and features make it a great
choice for the classroom. One does need to sign up for an account before anything is accessible, but it’s not a
difficult process as it connects seamlessly with google accounts.

Archive of Our Own (https://archiveofourown.org/) otherwise known as AO3, is massive. It boasts that it is “a
fan-created, fan-run, non-profit, non-commercial archive for transformative fanworks, like fanfiction, fanart,
fan videos, and podfic.” Take all of the categories of Wattpad and Fan Fiction, and multiply them by as many
fandoms as there are possible. AO3 is far less attractive than Wattpad, but still very usable for a tech-native
teenager. There is a rating system much like Fan Fiction, which again is left up to the authors to determine.
AO3 is a project of the Organization for Transformative Work, “a nonprofit organization run by and for fans
to provide access to and preserve the history of fanworks and fan cultures.”
(http://www.transformativeworks.org/)

Tumblr (www.tumblr.com) was not designed for strictly writers, but many authors have started to cross-post
their AO3 writing to the site as well as create new content. Users create their own blogs and fill them with
whatever they deem desirable: photos, gifs, text posts, videos, audio files, etc. Internet Rule #34 states, “that
pornography or sexually related material exists for any conceivable subject” (Nukeitall, 2006, para. 1) This
rule is in full swing on Tumblr. While there are ways to block NSFW material, the user must do this
preemptively. Otherwise, the “dash” will be based on what Tumblr thinks the user should see. That being
said, there are wonderful writers on Tumblr, many of whom are incredibly helpful and encouraging to new
writers. Every fandom imaginable is present, as well as celebrities, users who don’t belong to one fandom or
the other, and some incredible digital art.

In the small writing group I run in my grade nine through twelve high school, any of the students who want to
post their writing online are using Wattpad, by their own choice. They had already publishing there before
joining the club, and had their small, but loyal, followers. While I post my own writing on Tumblr, I would
not suggest it as a site for a beginning writer, or for young writers in general as there is a much greater chance
of unsuitable for young eyes/school material appearing. I would encourage teachers to use Wattpad in the
school setting, as it’s attractive, easy to use, and has some wonderful fanfiction to read already posted.

What can School Leaders do about…?

A writing club of any sort is only limited by the creativity of it’s leader and members. There is no one model
in use today; the wheel has been invented but not necessarily polished. Different students, different
administration and different environments and time constraints will all play a role in what a club becomes.
“Fanfic requires neither cultural capital nor much actual capital to make.”(Burt, 2017, para. 11). In this day
and age, any school group that doesn’t require a lot of money to run is an appreciated group by
administrators.

The following are some key ideas and suggestions to keep in mind when starting and running a writing club.
I would love to hear what you try and what works for you!
1. Be aware that the group may not have many students to begin with. A voluntary group may be
small, but no less powerful than a larger group of writers. It could be the small class size teachers dream
about. Start small, and let the word of mouth from the student writers who attend build the program.
2. Provide whatever writing materials students want to use (Garibaldi, 2010, p.16). Some may
come with their ‘special’ notebook that already has pages filled, and others may show up with nothing but
ideas. In my library, we have chromebooks that the students can sign out to use. Each writer will have a
preference, and none is better than the other. As long as ideas are being expressed, the goal has been met.
3. Snacks! When working with high school students, particularly after school, snacks may be the
biggest motivator for attendance. They will come for the chocolate chip cookie and stay to write something.
With some of my students, it may be the only thing they’ve eaten all day.
4. Try to set up dates to meet as early as possible in the school year. The time and day of club
meetings can impact who attends. It may be the case that the only time the fanfiction club can meet is at the

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same time as the LGBTQ+2 club, the drama rehearsal and the basketball practice. While unfortunate, it’s
nearly impossible to avoid scheduling conflicts in today’s busy society. Hopefully the students who are truly
interested will stay loyal.
5. Set some ground rules at the beginning. Make it clear that it’s a safe environment for writers to
share, as it can be frightening to share personal writing (Garibaldi, 2010, p.17). Repeat the expectations at
the beginning of each meeting, especially if new members are present.
6. Allow some time to share their work aloud, but do not make it a requirement. Students will
eventually be comfortable enough with the group to share, and sometimes the writing is only for the writer. It
is helpful if the student writers are all part of the same fandom, but not required. Sharing their work based on
other worlds is an excellent way to broaden the horizons of their peers.
7. Let the students talk! A discussion can also be great way to not only inspire writing, but to meld
the writers together as creative partners (Garibaldi, 2010, p.17). My students feed off each others’ ideas and
energies all the time. They settle themselves into writing within ten minutes of the meeting starting, and then
the room is silent...until one of them cannot contain their excitement over an idea, and conversations start
again.
8. Encourage students to proofread and edit each other’s work, and then submit it to the teacher for
a final edit. Some of my students forego this step, and I admit to cringing when they do. However, we made
a decision as a group at the beginning of the year that writing club was about creativity and expression, and
not focussed on grammar, spelling and punctuation.
9. Be ready for the student who does not know what to write about. I start our club with a writing
prompt, and have the students write about that for the first fifteen or so minutes (after the conversation, of
course!) This allows students who wander in late to just fall into writing, and gets the creative juices flowing
after a long day of academics. At the end of the fifteen minutes, I quietly mention the time, and that students
can now choose to work on their own projects, or continue with the prompt. I know how frustrating it can be
to have to stop writing in the middle of an inspired idea; students therefore have the option to continue.
10. Have a shared work space if possible. A simple way of sharing stories is through Google Docs.
Students can share the document and allow for suggestions or editing from their peers. Setting up a Google
Classroom for the writing club allows the teacher to post the prompts, interesting articles about writing or
fandoms, and available writing competitions. The Classroom also makes it very easy to submit a document
to the teacher for a final review, for the teacher to comment right in the document, and then return it to a
student without a paper copy to get lost. If there is a student who prefers to write long-hand, they can use the
time spent typing to do a second draft. Also, the Classroom allows me to share writing articles and contest
websites with the students easily, and without my photocopying budget blowing up.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

Creating a fanfiction writing club within a school library context should not be incredibly difficult.
Fanfiction is more mainstream than ever before, and requires the writer to research in order to stay within the
canon of whatever world they’ve chosen to fall into. Fanfiction can teach writers how to stay in one point of
view while writing – first, second, third? A fanfiction club allows for community, acceptance and
encouragement as well as debate. The legalities of writing fanfiction open opportunities for discussion
amongst student writers, and amongst teachers and their peers. While using already created characters and/or
settings may be classified as derivative work, if doing so allows a young aspiring writer to hone their craft
while receiving feedback and praise from their peers, then fanfiction has a place in my school library.

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Chapter 17

Information Literacy: Teacher-Librarians take on Fake News

Kelly Donaldson
kldonald@gmail.com

Why Should School Leaders Care…?

In 2017, Collins Dictionary announced that “fake news” was its word of the year claiming the word saw an
“unprecedented usage increase”of 365% since 2016 (“The Collins,” n.d.). The increase can be attributed in
large part to the current American president and his attacks on the press, but its increase in use can also be
attributed to our global society’s growing awareness that unreliable websites, fake Twitter accounts, and
manipulative Facebook ads are overwhelming us with content that is disingenuous and purposely divisive.

As a rhetorical tool, the term is used by politicians to attack and cast doubt on political opponents, dissenting
opinions, unpleasant facts, and the mainstream media as a whole. The American President regularly applies
the adjective to news stories and news organizations that he believes are unfair or biased. He recently posted
“Fake News Awards” on the Republican National Committee’s blog to point out the worst offenders (Team
GOP, 2018). The New York Times has also reported that several other politicians have begun using it, too
(Erlanger, 2017): The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, responded to a report from Amnesty International
about prison deaths in Syria by saying “we are living in a fake-news era”; Myanmar officials have claimed
that “there is no such thing as Rohingya” and any accusation of its military conducting a genocidal campaign
is “fake news.” Regardless of how one feels about the politicians who use the term “fake news,” we can agree
that the chaos, confusion, and mistrust that the term’s use engenders in the minds of citizens is a serious
problem.

While the weaponization of the term “fake news” has become a threat to our free press and other essential
democratic institutions, a larger problem is the fake news itself. Unreliable websites and the disinformation
they publish has led to the dissemination of spam, the boosting of trending topics, and has served to spread
confusion on various subjects ranging from climate change, to the efficacy of vaccinations and flu shots, and
the possibility that Hurricane Harvey landed sharks on to roads in Houston. Fake news has also directly
threatened government elections. During the lead up to the American election in 2016, a Russian organization
known as the Internet Research Agency (IRA) is said to have hired hundreds of “trolls” to post false news
stories and socially divisive content on Facebook, Twitter, and other websites in an attempt to disrupt the
American election (Masters, 2017). These informational attacks are frightening and pose a threat both to the
sovereignty and autonomy of nations to control their own affairs and to individuals to inform themselves
about current events and issues.

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Fortunately, the growing awareness of the problems posed by fake news has led to a global call for solutions.
Facebook and Twitter have been studying ways to protect users by employing algorithms and data-mining
software to identify disinformation and fake accounts (Entous, Dwoskin, & Timberg, 2017). However, when
confronted with the daunting task of examining the content and links created by Facebook users, who now
total almost ⅓ of the world’s population (“Company Info,” n.d.), Facebook has recently decided that the best
people to identify untrustworthy information are the users themselves (Nolan, 2018). This decision is
unfortunate given it is the inability of internet users to identify trustworthy sites that has led to the problem of
fake news in the first place!

While there is a legitimate need for tech platforms to examine their practices and culpability in spreading
disinformation, and while it is very unfortunate that Facebook has transferred the responsibility of identifying
untrustworthy information to users, expecting users to be more responsible with the information they read,
share, or create is perhaps the only long term solution. Bots and artificial intelligence can be programmed to
identify suspicious patterns and code, but the best defense from fake news is a population of internet users
who are information literate. Users who can evaluate sources of information and identify the potential bias or
lies that may be found therein. As a result, discourse surrounding the role of teachers and schools in
equipping students with the information literacy tools they need to evaluate credible sources is increasing in
the press and in professional education networks. As I watch all the stories about fake news unfold, I find
myself getting excited, especially when I read about teachers who are creating units to teach students about
identifying fake news. I am encouraged by stories of administrators and school boards who are demanding
that information literacy curriculum be created to identify and address the skills students need in an era of
fake news. But I am also confused. There is no need to create new lessons or new curriculum. The lessons
and the curriculum already exist. In fact, there is already an information literacy expert embedded into many
schools. That expert is the school librarian.

This chapter on information literacy will focus on a definition of information literacy and how it applies to
the problems we are facing today, and an explanation of the role of the librarian in leading school-wide
initiatives intended to improve instruction of information literacy skills.

What do School Leaders Need to Know…?

Before exploring the concept of information literacy (IL) and its potential to solve problems posed by fake
news, it is important to define IL, and differentiate it from similar 21st century literacies. Media literacy,
digital literacy, and IL are often used synonymously by educators when they attempt to describe the critical
thinking skills students need to navigate digital technologies, evaluate information, and find jobs in the 21st
century knowledge economy (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2015). Certainly these important
literacies do intersect; however, there are distinctions which are important for educators and administrators to
understand so they can effectively design curricula, plan instruction, and make decisions related to faculty
roles and responsibilities in the fight against fake news.

Definitions
Media Literacy. Media literacy is defined by the Center for Media Literacy (2005) as “a framework to access,
analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to the
Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of
inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy” (Center for Media Literacy, 2005, para. 4).
Media literacy refers to the skills needed to understand and interact with mass media as critical consumers
and producers of media content. Students who are media literate ask questions about the social and cultural
messages embedded in images, sounds, and graphics they create and consume. They are also able to
deconstruct the techniques used to create those messages, and assess their impact on an audience.

Digital Literacy. Digital literacy, according to the American Library Association’s (ALA) digital literacy
taskforce, “is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and
communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills” (ALA Digital Literacy Taskforce,

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2011, para. 2). Digital literacy can be further defined as the practical competencies needed “for playing,
learning and working in a knowledge economy” and refers to both the technical use of computers and mobile
devices as well as the social, ethical, legal, and economic aspects of digital use (Media Smarts, n.d., para. 2).
Students who are digitally literate can use technology as a tool for learning, but they also ask questions about
safety and ethical use, as well as questions about their rights and responsibilities (International Society for
Technology in Education, 2016, para. 2).

Information Literacy. The foundational definition of information literacy is the ability to recognize when
information is needed, as well as the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information
(ALA, 1989):

Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn
because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such
a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can
always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand. (ALA, 1989, para. 3)

Information literate students can determine the questions they need answered, evaluate and assess
information sources, find information effectively, and then synthesize various pieces of information to answer
their questions (Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), 2000; Eisenberg & Berkowitz,
1999). IL is a crucial 21st century skill and lays the foundation for lifelong learning (Andretta, 2005; Lau,
2006).

However, this definition is also evolving and expanding as technologies and information environments
change. Recently, critical literacy and metaliteracy have influenced the definition of IL and expanded it from
an enumeration of skills to a more comprehensive approach that recognizes the importance of understanding
the context of information and the systems in which information is created (Elmborg, 2006; Mackey &
Jacobson, 2011; Ward, 2006). This new approach to IL is evidenced by the publication of new IL frameworks
and standards by both the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL, 2016) and the American
Association of School Librarians (AASL, 2017a, 2017b). The ALA definition still stands as the most
common definition of IL, but the ACRL has added this perspective in its new Framework for Information
Literacy for Higher Education (2016):

Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the
understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new
knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning. (para. 6)

Both the ACRL and AASL frameworks seek to broaden the scope of IL, making it more flexible and focused
on global competencies, inclusivity, career-readiness, and civic participation. For example, the AASL
Standards Framework for Learners (2017a) expects students to inquire and collaborate in the traditional
sense, but also expects that students demonstrate a respect for diversity in the learning environment, and
demonstrate an understanding of their role in safe, legal, and ethical creation and sharing of knowledge.

Distinctions between IL and 21st Century Literacies

As can be seen from the above definitions, IL, medial literacy, and digital literacy intersect as essential skills
students need to participate in the complex information environment of the 21st century. However, educators
and school leaders would be remiss to focus solely on media literacy or digital literacy when designing
curriculum to fight against “fake news.” Students gain media and digital literacies as they become
information literate, and any curriculum that incorporates IL will have a more comprehensive impact on
student learning because IL is a “broader area of competence” and has wider implications for students,
schools, and societies (ACRL, 2000, p. 3). Media formats and digital tools will change, but the ability to find,
evaluate, contextualize, and use reliable information in an ethical way to answer questions, or solve problems,
is a skill that transcends current technologies (Shapiro & Hughes, 1996). “It is common to all disciplines, to
all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their

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investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning” (ACRL, 2000,
p. 2). In this sense, information literate students know how to learn, and as technologies and information
environments change, they will have greater control over their learning and their lives.

IL also empowers students to develop global competencies. The Alexandria Proclamation, a document
sponsored by UNESCO, IFLA, and the NFIL states, “[i]nformation literacy empowers people in all walks of
life to seek, evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational
and educational goals. It is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion in all nations"
(Abid, Byrne, & Breivik, 2005, p. 3). This definition implies that IL is a form of social justice which has the
potential to correct disadvantages and promote the well-being of all in a global context (Jacobs, 2008). In this
way, IL enables people to interpret information and make informed judgments, as well as access information
to make critical decisions about their lives, their health, and their education (UNESCO, 2005). Further, the
ALA’s Presidential Committee on Information Literacy states in its Final Report (1989) that information
literacy is “a means of personal empowerment” (para. 6). A family faced with eviction, for example, could
challenge their landlord’s expert opinion if they can find the information needed to refute or confirm the
landlord’s claim (ALA, 1989). And a citizen in a democracy could recognize propaganda, misleading
information, and other abuses of information that might limit their civic participation (ALA, 1989; Shapiro &
Hughes, 1996). IL enables people to use information to improve their lives, but it also enables people to think
critically about information, and to place information within its social, economic, political, and cultural
context (Kutner & Armstrong, 2012; Shapiro & Hughes, 1996).

Students’ Lack of Information Literacy Skills

Although the importance of IL is evident, evidence suggests that many students are not information literate.
A psychological concept, the Dunning-Kruger effect, posits that people of low-ability have a cognitive bias
regarding their own knowledge and skills and tend to overestimate their abilities and expertise. They suffer
from the “double burden of ignorance”: lacking the knowledge and skills needed to solve problems or make
judgments, but also lacking the knowledge and skills to recognize that their thinking is flawed (Dunning,
2001, p. 260). According to a meta-analysis conducted by Mahmood (2016), the Dunning-Kruger effect also
exists in the area of information literacy. In 64% of the studies Mahmood examined, participants
overestimated their IL skills (2016, p. 204). This implies that many of our students (and teachers)
overestimate their abilities, and do not recognize the need to ask for help or remediation (Mahmood, 2016).

A study from Stanford University, which measured students’ ability to evaluate online sources of
information, a key component of information literacy, asked more than 7,500 students from across the United
States to perform a series of simple tasks related to assessing the credibility of online sources (Wineburg,
McGrew, Breakstone, & Ortega, 2016). The results are, in the words of the researchers, “dismaying” and
“bleak” (Wineburg et al., 2016, p. 4). For example, when asked to identify what is sponsored content and
what is news, more than 80% of middle schoolers were unable to tell the difference (Wineburg et al., 2016, p.
10). Further, when presented with a photo of daisies along with the claim that the flowers had “nuclear birth
defects” from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, fewer than 20% of high schoolers questioned the source of
the photograph while the rest accepted the defects as fact (Wineburg et al., 2016, p. 17). In addition, more
than two-thirds of college students were not able to identify potential bias in a tweet posted by an activist
group (Wineburg et al., 2016, p. 23). These results are worrying as they illustrate that students are not
proficient at using IL skills. “Many assume that because young people are fluent in social media they are
equally savvy about what they find there. Our work shows the opposite” (Wineburg et al., 2016, p. 7). Just
because today’s students have lived with digital technologies for their entire lives, it does not mean they are
inherently information-skilled (Kirschner & De Bruyckere, 2016). Students need to be taught how to become
information literate.

The Promise of Inquiry and Collaboration

If we understand that IL is an important and broad competency, and we recognize that our students are not
sufficiently prepared to participate effectively in our current information environment, what can we do to
ensure they attain the skills they need? Fortunately, there are school librarians who are IL experts already

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working in schools who are equipped with the knowledge and dispositions to provide instruction and
professional development (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2006; Long & Jones, 2016; Kimmel, Dickinson, &
Doll, 2012). School librarians are collaborative, flexible in their content and program delivery, committed to
lifelong learning, and are professionally responsible for the implementation of standards and frameworks that
seek to enhance IL abilities in students (AASL, 2017a, 2017b; Canadian Library Association, 2014). School
librarians are also educators whose educational backgrounds give them training and insight into teaching best
practices, pedagogical trends, and curriculum design and implementation (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2006).
Librarians can collaborate and team teach with classroom teachers to impact student learning and raise IL
competencies.

School librarians are also aware of the best practices for teaching IL and ensuring that IL concepts and skills
are learned and practiced through teacher collaboration and across the curriculum (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg,
2006). In some schools, classes come to the library at a fixed time to meet with the librarian to learn “library
skills.” School librarians know that separating IL from the learning happening in classrooms is detrimental to
students (Gretes, 2013) and anathema to the constructivist pedagogies which inform current educational
standards and benchmarks (Loertscher, 2000). Inquiry-based instruction has the potential to create a platform
of collaboration between a librarian and a classroom teacher while also providing for authentic integration of
IL concepts and skills (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari, 2015). In inquiry learning, students are considering
questions and problems which prompt investigations. Investigations lead to deeper learning about content and
opportunities for personalization of learning. In essence, inquiry learning is teaching students how to learn
which is also the goal of IL. In inquiry learning, students learn to ask questions; locate, contextualize, and
evaluate sources of information; and use information to solve a problem. Students who are learning through
inquiry-based approaches are getting repeated exposure to IL skills and competencies. Teachers and
librarians who collaborate and co-teach inquiry-based units will make the most of their time with students.

So what can we do to make sure our students are information literate? Fortunately, there are frameworks and
approaches that schools may adopt to help them achieve this goal.

What can School Leaders do about…?

Information literacy skills are tantamount to 21st century readiness and provide our best hope for solving the
problems posed by fake news because students who are information literate have the tools to assess and
evaluate misinformation. Information literate students know how to learn, can think critically about
information, and are empowered to use information effectively and ethically. However, the alarming results
of the Stanford study (Wineburg et al., 2016) combined with the current information environment that is
increasingly inundating us with unreliable and manipulative information is compelling evidence that IL must
become a primary focus of educators and school leaders. Students who are not prepared to think critically
about information, or to place information within its social, economic, political, and cultural context will be
unprepared for the complexities of the 21st century, and they will be unprepared to participate in civic
responsibilities. So what can schools do to make sure students become information literate? School leaders
must evaluate barriers to IL instruction that exist in schools and leverage the role of the school librarian to
address those barriers.

Barriers and Recommendations

Time
The primary barrier I face in my role as a school librarian is time. I work with more than 900 students and
more than 65 teachers across Grades 6-12, which represents a diverse range of subjects areas and needs.
Along with my instructional duties, I have many administrative tasks including running the day-to-day
operations of the library as well as the management and supervision of the library space throughout the day
including during breaks, lunch, and after-school. Finding time to meet with classes and teachers is difficult
and teachers are sometimes unable to book time with me or to book time to use the resources in the library.
Asselin (2005) found that limited access to the librarian and the library is a significant and frustrating barrier
for teachers which prevents them from maximizing the “teacher librarian as an essential resource” (p. 30).

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Teachers also struggle to manage their time and responsibilities. Many teachers at my school are teaching
three to four distinct classes. Their planning time is precious and few want to give it up to collaborate with
me. During their class time, teachers are racing to teach all the curriculum standards, to fit in all the necessary
assessments, and to provide timely feedback to students. Many perceive working with the librarian as another
thing for them to do. Asselin (2005) found that “approximately one third of the teachers reported that they
saw information literacy as just one more responsibility to plan for and teach in an ever-growing curriculum”
(p. 30). One respondent from Asselin’s study wrote: “I find it difficult due to the overwhelming number of
subjects that need to be taught in the higher grades to find enough time to devote to teaching information
literacy. Finding time for planning also makes this difficult” (2005, p. 30).

Time constraints can lead to the adoption of ineffective instructional models. We know from reviewing the
literature that IL instruction is most effective when it is inquiry-based and “integrated with classroom
instruction through collaborative program planning and teaching by the teacher-librarian and the classroom
teacher” (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2003, p. 64). However, many librarians and teachers resort to one-shot
instruction to ensure that IL is at least covered if time can’t be found to collaborate on instruction. I am often
asked to work with students for a single 30-45 minute session to teach them how to find information on the
internet (or in books), how to evaluate sources, how to take notes, and how to create citations. The
assumption behind this method is that it’s possible to teach all of these IL skills in a single 30-45 minute class
when of course it is not. One-shot instruction at best is ineffective, but at worst it oversimplifies IL into a
linear process and a simple series of steps. One-shot instruction fails to impart the nuance of IL, the recursive
nature of research, and the social, cultural and political context of information.

Recommendation 1
School leaders can ensure that there is an environment conducive to collaboration at their schools. This
begins with ensuring that the library is adequately staffed with a full-time qualified librarian and clerical staff
who can perform the day-to-day operations of the library, freeing up the librarian to focus on collaboration
and instruction (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2006). The librarian also needs to have a flexible schedule so
he/she is free to meet and plan regularly with teachers (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2006). Time needs to be
provided to both the librarian and classroom teacher so they can sit down with the curriculum to discover
where information literacy skills exist and how they can be supported and developed (Copeland & Jacobs,
2017). Joint-planning leads to more authentic integration of IL skills (Montiel-Overall, 2006) and less one-
shot teaching.

Confusion about responsibilities

When working with teachers, I am commonly told that IL is the responsibility of the English teacher and that
other teachers don’t have time to teach students how to do research or make proper citations. The
implications of this belief are alarming as it suggests that teachers are confused about the depth of IL, where
responsibility lies in teaching IL, and the value of IL in all subject areas. Asselin (2005) found that only 54%
of middle school teachers felt they were responsible for teaching IL. Ironically, a glance at a typical school
day suggests many applications of IL across the curriculum: students involved in a science fair who are
generating questions, evaluating data, and compiling results; student creating websites filled with global
perspectives on the events leading up to World War II; and students selecting evidence to support their
arguments in debates on medical ethics. In every class, students are applying IL by evaluating and using
information to solve problems or demonstrate understanding.

A walk through the standards that guide curriculum design can change teachers’ attitudes towards their IL
responsibilities. For example, at my school we follow the Common Core, the C3 Framework for Social
Studies, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and
its Approaches to Learning. All of these standards focus on information literacy through the lens of 21st
century readiness.

The Common Core Curriculum (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010) states that literacy
instruction (including information literacy) is a “shared responsibility within the school” (p. 4). The C3

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Framework for Social Studies (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013) which calls for students to be
ready for college, careers, and civic participation speaks to the very heart of the problems posed by fake news
and the potential of IL:

Now more than ever, students need the intellectual power to recognize societal problems; ask good questions
and develop robust investigations into them; consider possible solutions and consequences; separate
evidence-based claims from parochial opinions; and communicate and act upon what they learn. And most
importantly, they must possess the capability and commitment to repeat that process as long as is necessary
(p. 6)

The Next Generation Science Standards, which are based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education
(National Research Council, 2011), focus on critical consumption of scientific information and lifelong
learning in the sciences. And the IB, which has always been focused on inquiry and teaching students how to
learn, uses the Approaches to Learning to emphasise thinking and research skills (International Baccalaureate
Organization, 2015).

Confusion about what is IL

While these standards clearly point to IL being a responsibility of all teachers, perhaps the plethora of
standards overwhelms teachers and leads to confusion about how to teach or integrate IL? Schools can
mitigate confusion by choosing an inquiry model to scaffold IL and make the skills and competencies visible.
The Stripling (2003) Model is a recursive framework which asks students to Connect, Wonder, Investigate,
Construct, Express, and Reflect. Kuhlthau, Maniotes, and Caspari’s (2015) Guided Inquiry Design Process is
a framework that describes how to guide students through each stage of the Information Search Process (ISP).
The Big6 is another framework which guides students through six stages when seeking or applying
information to solve problems (Eisenberg & Berkowitz, 1999). The benefit of adopting a model is to make IL
competencies and skills explicit. A model also provides a starting point for teachers and librarians to
collaborate on instruction and to plan assessments (Stripling, 2008).

Recommendation 2
School leaders must make teachers aware of their shared IL responsibilities by unpacking the various
standards and identifying the information literacy components and connections held within. School leaders
should also adopt a schoolwide IL or inquiry framework to help with facilitation and consistency in teaching
IL skills.

To assign responsibility and limit confusion about IL, an IL scope and sequence chart should be developed
which describes the IL concepts and skills contained throughout a school’s curriculum standards and explains
what students should know and be able to do. The scope and sequence should then be linked to curricular
areas via curriculum mapping. By making the connections visible, a librarian can begin a conversation with a
classroom teacher on ways to integrate IL into lesson and unit planning (Loertscher, 2000). And teachers can
begin to see IL not as separate skills but as part of the overall concepts related to their subject area. Teachers
and librarians can begin to ask each other, “What IL concepts and skills will help my students to learn about
this topic?” For example, in my school teachers must make connections to digital literacy and tech standards
in their curriculum maps. Requiring teachers to also make connections to IL in their maps as well makes
teachers accountable for including IL in their unit plans.

Confusion about the role of the school librarian

Some teachers, in moments of candor, will admit that they have no idea what I do all day. When I first
transitioned into the role of librarian, a colleague asked how it was going. “I’ve never been so busy,” I told
her. She replied with a shrug and said, “Wow, that’s surprising.” My fellow teacher thought that I sat at a
desk and did nothing but check out books all day! Sadly, much of what librarians do is invisible because “the
nature of [our] work involves empowering others” (Oberg, 2006, para. 4). This leads to persistent stereotypes
that plague many librarians and hinder our efforts to be seen as leaders and experts. Of course, the teachers
with whom I collaborate understand that I do much more than check out books. However, I can only

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convince teachers of my role one collaboration at a time. To reach the rest of the faculty, and to impact the
culture of the school, librarians need the support of their principals and administrators.

Recommendation 3
Oberg (2006) states that supportive principals make visible the role of the school librarian. They outline
expectations for teachers of their library use and require evidence of collaboration with the school librarian in
end-of-year performance reviews (Oberg, 2006). Supportive principals also provide time for inservice
training by the librarian and for discussions about the library program during staff meetings. Supportive
principals are visible in the library and stress the importance of information literacy in discussions with
teachers and parents (Oberg, 2006).

Librarians can share their program goals and standards with principals to build their credibility and to
showcase how the library program can help principals achieve schoolwide goals (Oberg 2006). The recently
published National School Library Standards (AASL, 2017) can be a perfect place to begin creating a shared
vision of the library program and plan professional development offered by the librarian.

School leaders must support their school librarians by highlighting their work as learning specialists and
experts in information literacy. Principals must be seen to be supporters of information literacy and the
librarian. Librarians should also make school leaders aware of national library standards and use the
standards to advocate for the school library program.

What does this Mean for School Leaders…?

John Dewey (1934) wrote that “[t]he purpose of education has always been to every one, in essence, the
same—to give the young the things they need in order to develop in an orderly, sequential way into members
of society…[but] education is, in its forms and methods, an outgrowth of the needs of the society in which it
exists” (para. 1). The way we now help students become “members of society” is to teach them how to
evaluate and use information. Being information literate, which is the ability to read, write, and critically
consume information, is essential in the current information age where students spend a great deal of time
wandering through an unending information fog.

School leaders need to recognize and leverage the expert that already exists in their schools: the librarian.
This person has the knowledge, the skills, and the dispositions to collaborate with staff and to unpack the
standards to create meaningful and authentic learning experiences that will develop information literacy in
students.

We don’t need to create new curricula or new lesson plans if we are to win the battle against fake news.
Instead, we should value and empower our librarians to lead the charge.

Additional Resources
American Association of School Librarians. (2017). National school library standards. Retrieved from
http://standards.aasl.org/
These recently published national library standards from the U.S. will guide librarians and school leaders as
they make decisions about teaching and learning in the coming years.

American Library Association. (1989, January 10). Presidential committee on information literacy: Final
report. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential
As a seminal document in the history of IL, it establishes the foundation of what we currently understand to
be information literacy.

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016, January 11). Framework for information literacy for
higher education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework#introduction
While this document pertains to higher education, it provides insight into evolving trends in IL concepts and
skills.

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Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2015). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century (2nd
ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Kuhlthau’s research is foundational to teaching and learning through inquiry and should be required reading
for any school leader interested in inquiry and information literacy.

Mackey, T. R., & Jacobson, T. E. (2011). Reframing information literacy as a metaliteracy. College &
Research Libraries, 72(1), 62-78. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl-76r1
This article provides insight into evolving trends and approaches to IL.

Oberg, D. (2006). Developing the respect and support of school administrators. Teacher Librarian, 33(3), 13-
18. Retrieved from http://teacherlibrarian.com/
In her article, Oberg provides a wealth of insight and research into the how principals and librarians can work
together to impact student learning and school culture.

Shapiro, J. J., & Hughes, S. K. (1996). Information literacy as a liberal art. Educom Review, 31(2), 31-35.
Retrieved from
https://teaching.uncc.edu/sites/teaching.uncc.edu/files/media/files/file/InstructionalTechnologies/Information
Literacy.pdf
While an older source of information, Shapiro and Hughes description about the need for information literate
citizens in a democracy is still timely and relevant.

Wineburg, S., McGrew, S., Breakstone, J., & Ortega, T. (2016). Evaluating information: The cornerstone of
civic online reasoning. Retrieved from https://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934
This research project from Stanford University examines the limited ability of students to evaluate the
credibility of information found online.

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Authors
Heather Lyons
Heather is a teacher-librarian at a secondary school in Nanaimo, B.C. This is her first school year as a
secondary teacher-librarian after working as an elementary teacher-librarian for five years. Heather enjoys
promoting literature as a way to learn about oneself and others, to develop empathy, and to help make sense
of the world we live in. She also enjoys helping students with their research and writing skills. Now that her
M.Ed. is complete, she is looking forward to reading some of the many books on her never-ending reading
list, spending more time with her husband and their young daughter, and advocating for school libraries and
teacher-librarians.

Sheri Kinney
Sheri Kinney is a teacher-librarian at a high school in British Columbia. She has been in middle-secondary
libraries on and off for the past 14 years and has just completed her Master of Education degree in Teacher-
Librarianship. Passionate about both traditional and new literacies, Sheri looks forward to her evolving role in
the Library Learning Commons.

Kelsi McGillivray
Kelsi McGillivray has spent six years teaching in international schools in the Philippines and in Nepal. She
loves the challenge of living and teaching in intercultural contexts, and is especially interested in inquiry
learning and writers’ workshop teaching approaches. On school breaks you can find her trekking through the
Himalayas or relaxing on a Pacific beach! She can be reached at kelsimcgillivray@gmail.com

Barbara Chuiko
Barbara currently works as a teacher and instructional coach at a primary school in Spruce Grove, Alberta.
She is passionate about the value of high-quality school library programs and certified, trained teacher-
librarians working with students and teachers. After school, she can be found spending time with her three
young children, trying out new recipes, or enjoying a good book.

Janis Bridger
Janis accidentally stumbled into a teacher-librarian position in 2006… and hasn’t looked back. She continues
to work in that capacity, building relationships, supporting learning, nurturing inclusive environments,
advocating for school libraries, and igniting a passion for reading and books in her school community.
Amanda Chan
Amanda Chan is a K-7 music teacher and teacher-librarian in Langley, British Columbia. She completed her
BEd from the University of Victoria and, having recently completed her MEd from the University of Alberta,
she will continue to collaborate with teachers and professionals to create positive and lasting relationships
between her students and her library. Amanda looks forward to continuing her position as a leader in both her
roles and spending some quality time with her family.

Laura Dempsey
Laura is currently working as a makerspace teacher in Victoria, BC. Although she has had a few short-term
library contracts, she hopes to acquire a permanent teacher-librarian role soon. She thinks that fostering a
love of reading in children is one of the absolute best parts of the job. In her spare time Laura loves to spend
time with her husband and six-month old son, going for walks, reading and cooking.

Rachel Buch Goncalves

Rachelle is the Teacher-Librarian at Southern Okanagan Secondary School where her work is focused on
building relationships with students in the Library Commons, building collaborative relationships with
colleagues, and sharing her passion for inquiry, professional learning, and leading change.

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Aleasha Kachel
Aleasha is a teacher-librarian in Kamloops, BC. She is passionate about inquiry-based learning and loves her
role because every day she is able to team teach with her colleagues. She also loves reading, recommending,
and discussing books with her students. When she isn’t in the learning commons, you can find her travelling
with her partner, reading a book (usually YA dystopia), or relaxing with her cats.

Alexa Romilly
Alexa is a Grade 4/5 French Immersion teacher in Coquitlam, BC and a Master of Education student in the
TLDL program at the University of Alberta. Alexa hopes to transition from a classroom teacher to a teacher-
librarian. Alexa lives in North Vancouver, BC with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she
enjoys reading (mostly children and young adult literature), watching movies, and playing outside with her
children.

Janet Richards
Janet is a Teacher Librarian at a small rural elementary school on Vancouver Island. She has come to
teaching after a career as a photojournalist and theatre producer and it’s truly amazing how often she uses her
pre-teaching skill set in school! She is a passionate advocate of student leadership development and offering
young students the opportunity to learn more about themselves through service in their school community. As
a parent and educator, she believes that preparing our students for their life journey beyond school is the
single, most important task that we have the privilege to undertake.

Jennifer Cowley
Jennifer teaches English and provides staff technology support at a large secondary school in Burnaby,
British Columbia. She loves promoting reading and information literacy with her students. She has been
collaborating with her colleagues to develop classroom approaches to inquiry, mastery learning, and new
curricular changes. She has recently finished her graduate work through the University of Alberta, earning a
M.Ed. in teacher-librarianship, and looks forward to gradually shifting her focus to the library.

Michelle Harvey
Michelle is a French immersion teacher-librarian at a busy middle school in Kelowna, British-Columbia. She
began her teaching journey singing dinosaur songs with primary students. From there, she moved all the way
up, teaching senior students, until she finally settled into the daily adventure of middle school. When she is
not working, she spends time with my family or with her teacher besties. Depending on the season you will
find her reading at the beach or skiing at the local hill. Okanagan living at its finest.

Chelsea Shimoyama
Chelsea is an elementary-trained teacher that has been dabbling in a high school setting for the last 12 years
in Prince George, BC. The 2017-2018 school year was her first year as a teacher-librarian which also
coincided with her last year in the TLDL program and obtained her Master of Education April 2018.
Chelsea’s teaching passions include technology integration, project-based learning, inquiry methods and
place-based learning opportunities for her students. When not teaching, Chelsea is often reading (or listening
to) YA literature, trail running, camping, traveling and being with her family. She looks forward to daily
snuggles from her Boston Terrier Miso, kisses from her two kids and date nights with her husband on their
deck overlooking the Nechako River.

Irene Iwasaki
Irene has a BA, BEd, MA, MEd and is currently doing the TL-DL program “for fun.” She works at a college
in Vancouver as an EAP (English for Academic Purposes) instructor and as a writing specialist in the
learning commons. She previously taught EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and Japanese Studies at a
university in Japan and wrote ESL (English as a Second Language) textbooks on her semester breaks. She
spent two decades living, studying, working and travelling abroad, but is most content being back on the west
coast where she can take philosophical walks in the rain. Outside of her campus life, she is the mother of
three boys, an aspiring graphic novelist, and is semi-prepared for a zombie apocalypse.

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Erin Graas
Erin currently teaches Art and Drama at Yorkton Regional High School in Yorkton, Saskatchewan while
directing the extra-curricular Drama Club productions and facilitating the Raiders Write Club. When not in
the classroom or theatre, she enjoys reading, writing, acting, and living in constant renovation mode. She
collects all manner of crafting supplies which may be used one day, and, is very thankful that her partner is
an electrician by trade and an inventor by nature.

Kelly Donaldson
Kelly is a Middle/High School school librarian at a large international school in Saudi Arabia. She spent
several years in the classroom before moving into the library but feels the library is her true home. She loves
being everyone’s teacher! When she isn’t working on her MLIS or chasing after her two young children,
Kelly can usually be found reading, camping in the desert, or napping. In a perfect world, she could do all
three at once.

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