1. The Role of the
Teacher-Librarian
and the School
Library Program
LLED 469: Resource-based Teaching
Summer 2014
M. Ekdahl, Instructor

2. 21st Century Learning
Learning in the twenty-first century has taken on new
dimensions with the exponential expansion of information,
ever-changing tools, increasing digitization of text, and
heightened demands for critical and creative thinking,
communication, and collaborative problem solving …. All
learners must be able to access high-quality information
from diverse perspectives, make sense of it to draw their won
conclusions or create new knowledge, and share their
knowledge with others.
AASL Standards for the 212st Century Learner in Action (2009)

3. The “Information Age”
Today’s students learning in a dynamic world where information
changes and expands as fast as technological innovation.
Information that grows exponentially and comes in multiple
formats is presented without prior expert editing for truth or
reliability, often without logical organization and frequently
with a very short “shelf life.” Learning in the Information Age is
very different from the kind of learning that took place prior to
the advent of the computer (3).
BCTLA’s Points of Inquiry (2010)

4. Teaching in the 21st Century
Committed 21st Century educators observe how their teaching,
as well as student learning, has evolved as a result of our
information-rich society. They:
• Move to the siade and work to guide or “scaffold” the learning
• Provide feedback that empowers students to move more
deeply into their learning
• Encourage students to have more authority for their own
knowledge and inquiry
• Are actively engaged in learning, assessing, and teaching
• Ensure new learning takes place in active, collaborative, and
social contexts, real or virtual (5)
• BCTLA Points of Inquiry

5. UNESCO/IASL on the SLP:
• The school library provides information and ideas that are
fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s
information and knowledge-based society. [It] equips
students with life-long learning skills and develops the
imagination, enabling them to live as responsible citizens.
• The school library [program] offers learning services,
books and resources that enable all members of the school
community to become critical thinkers and effective users
of information in all formats and media.

6. UNESCO/IASL, cont’d:
• [Research has shown that,] when [TLs] and teachers work
together, students achieve higher levels of literacy, reading,
learning, problem-solving and [ICT] skills.
• All education systems should be encouraged to extend the
learning environment beyond textbook and teacher into the
school library.
• The school library [program] provides a wide range of resources,
both print and non-print, including electronic media and access
to data, which promote an awareness of the child’s own cultural
heritage and provide the basis for an understanding of the
diversity of other cultures.

7. UNESCO/IASL on the Role of TLs
• [Teacher-librarians] support the use of books and other
information sources, ranging from the fictional to the
documentary, from print to electronic, both on-site and
remote. The materials complement and enrich textbooks
teaching materials and methodologies.
• [TLs provide] access to services and collections [UN
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms that]
… should not be subject to any form of ideological, political,
or religious censorship, or to commercial pressures.

8. AASL L4L and TLs
Teacher-librarians are educators who cross disciplines and grade levels
as they work to empower every student with the skills, resources, and
tools to:
• Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge
• Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to
new situations, and create new knowledge
• Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as
members of our democratic society
• Pursue personal and aesthetic growth. “
The AASL’s Learning4Life (L4L) program supports the key role of the
TLs in developing independent and lifelong learning, the ability to
think, create, share, and grow in school and beyond

9. Colorado’s Highly Effective SLPs
The focus of school library programs has moved from the
library as a confined place to one with fluid boundaries
that is layered by diverse needs and influenced by an
interactive global community. Guiding principles for
school library programs must focus on building flexible
learning environments with the goal of producing
successful learners skilled in multiple literacies.
NB: Colorado’s “highly effective TL” video series

10. CASL/CLA Guidelines (2000)
• The role and responsibility of the school library lies in the
development of resource-based programs that will ensure that all the
young people in our schools have the opportunity to learn the skills
that will enable them to become competent users of information.
• The program is most effective when it is an integral part of the
instruction program of the school … The program is developed
jointly by teachers and TLs who work co-operatively to plan,
implement, and evaluate resource-based units of study.
• The school library exists within a particular context and is shaped by
policy set at national, provincial and local levels, by professional
standards and research, by educational objectives and curriculum
requirements, and by the expectations of the administration, the
staff, and the community.

11. BCTLA/BCTF
“Every public school student in BC is entitled to meaningful
and substantive library services. The school library or
learning resource centre provides a dynamic environment
made up of a vital mix of people, materials, equipment,
furnishing and space, and this centre is responsive to the
individual and curricular needs of all students and staff.
While the classroom is the core of the learning situation, the
success of the educational process relies on an adaptable and
enriching library program.”
BCTF Members’ Guide, 3.P. Desirable Criteria for School Libraries

12. BCTLA’s Points of Inquiry
• TLs support both teachers and students as they explore
multiple sources of information to create new knowledge and
learning.
• TLs have both the role description and the responsibility to
advocate for a consistent approach within the school and to
foster collaboration between teachers based on the
systematic and systemic development of students’ literacy
abilities.
• [Teachers] will need to understand and teach the
fundamentals of information literacy if they are to empower
BC’s young people to succeed as adults in meeting the
knowledge demands for living, working, and learning
independently.

13. VSB and the Role of the TL
A teacher-librarian is a teacher who selects, manages, and promotes
the effective use of resources. The VTF collective agreement frames
the TLs’ instructional role; the TL “promotes the effective use of
resources” and the VSB Role Document provides details. TLs:
• Work collaboratively to plan, teach, evaluate resource-based
inquiry units that promote student achievement
• Incorporate IL skills, technology, print and digital resources
• Support teachers professionally
• Provide reader and reference services
• Promote reading and student achievement
• Advocate for strong, well-supported school library programs

14. One TL’s Program Reflections
How do I show direct evidence of:
• Meaningful integration of 21st century skills into the library
program?
• Leadership within and outside the school?
• Impact on student achievement within the school?
• A collaborative environment where students have the
instruction they need to be college and career ready?
• A culture of collaboration that includes the TL in instruction,
leadership decisions, and the provision of digital literacy
instruction for staff and students?

15. One TL’s Reflections, cont’d:
How do I show direct evidence of:
• The creation of programs, aligned with school and district
goals, that encourage student involvement in community,
cultural or global initiatives?
• Demonstrated differentiation to meet the learning needs of
all students?
• My work in helping teachers with student assessment?
• Purposeful lesson design that creates lifelong learning?
• My role in the school as a leader for change?