The Principal-Library Team Dynamic

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The Principal-Library Team Dynamic Powerful
partnerships forging information literate school
communities
Lyn Hay School of Information Studies Charles
Sturt University Wagga Wagga, NSW
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Principals teacher librarians

• are together
• responsible
• for establishing
• environments for
• effective teaching
• and learning
• to take place

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An information literate school community

• whole school information policies ICT plan
• benchmarked information competencies
  student portfolios
• funds for information service provision
• members understand TL role as teacher as
  well as information expert

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• teacher in charge of information services is
  qualified TL
• teachers as learners
• information skills across curriculum/in context
• process of learning from information
  resource based, problem-solving learning
• learning contexts varied/wide range of resources
• teaching teams encouraged

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• student drafts included in assessment
• information tasks negotiated with stakeholders
• social justice issues considered re use of
  information process in homework
• student feedback encouraged
• student records of self-assessment
• principal expects TL to meet corporate
  information needs

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Creation ofan information literate schoolcommuni
ty
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Inhibitors enablers

• analyse school for primary inhibitors basic
  enablers
• inhibitors lack of time, confusion of roles,
  poorly designed assignments
• basic enablers
• team approach to teaching
• understanding of constructivist learning
• commitment to lifelong learning
• competence developing learning strategies
• (Kuhlthau, 1993)

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Information literacy traits

• invention
• fluency
• support
• navigation
• searching
• selection

• questioning
• planning
• interpretation
• deep thinking
• commitment

(McKenzie, 1998)
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If principals and TLs are responsible for
establishing environments for effective teaching
and learning...
what factors are critical to a successful and
professional partnership?
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Principals....

• understanding of information literacy
  encouraged teachers to embrace it
• preferred verbal communication
• support TLs as a quasi-senior member of
  staff as long as the TL is credible
• identified TLs as natural ICT leaders
• rely on TLs professional judgement
• not exposed to TL issues at Principals
• conferences meetings

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Principals....

• provide TLs with freedom to do their own
  thing
• allow release to plan/teach collaboratively
  undertake professional development
• support information literacy via major ICT
  funding ongoing support of collection
  development
• are uncertain how to evaluate the success
  of information literacy programs
• place high value on TL qualifications
  merit selection for the schools TL position

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Principals have high expectations....

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They have high expectations of....

• TLs being ICT literate having a vision
  of the future development of information
  services in the school
• what the TL should achieve in beyond
  the library
• the TL as information advisor to the
  Principal

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Principal-TL relationship
TRUST

• principals gave TLs what they wanted
  because they believed the TL would only
  make legitimate demands
• TLs tended to be conservative in their
  requests did not abuse the principals
  trust

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• SHARED VISION
• Development of an ILSC could only be
  achievedthrough an integrated school library
  program
• close alignment between the TLs
  principals vision was essential
• TL had to be credible act as a change
  agent
• TL needed broad based support not seen
  as part of factional politics

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Themes of principal support....

• understanding believing in a collaborative
  school library program
• recognising the importance of the TL
• ensuring collaborative planning time other
  program resources
• providing appropriate staff development
• monitoring implementation of a collaborative
  school library program

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Level of principal support....

• measuring perceptions
• identifying the level of attention given at
  present in future
• measuring beliefs
• indicate strength of alignment between P
  TL
• open-ended questions
• identify barriers support, P TL roles
  and contributions

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Findings

• Ps TLs demonstrated close affinity across
  perceptions beliefs
• Ps viewed themselves as spending less time
  on critical matters than their TLs thought they
  did
• Ps perceived current allocation of time on
  information literacy support as all they could
  give
• Ps needed to increase support in 5 areas
• TLs disagreed with some belief statements

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Findings

• Ps and TLs differed in 3 beliefs about TL
  absence, credibility professional
  competence
• Ps TLs viewed TL critical contributions to
  quality teaching learning as
• professional development of teaching staff
• collegiality
• collection management
• process orientation
• ICT expertise

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Findings

• Ps TLs strongly agreed barriers hindering IL
  across curriculum were
• funding
• teacher knowledge beliefs
• teachers desire
• planning time
• credentials
• TLs saw lack of top-down support as major
  impediment in ability to influence curriculum

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What do we need to do?
Follow these 8 Guiding Principles...
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Guiding principles
1. Communicate regularly 2. Dont assume
anything. Keep yourself your partner
informed 3. TL must be visible 4. TL must
seek alliances 5. Ensure a balance in TL
duties 6. Lead by example as information
users 7. Work learn together
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Develop an ILSC blueprint

• emerging ? developing ? proficient ? advanced
• Indicators
• Existence of an information policy
• ICT plan in place
• Information skills taught learned in context,
  across the curriculum
• Authentic assessment enabling information skills
  integration
• School-wide appreciation of TL role
• Learning contexts varied, available in variety
  of formats
• Mechanisms to support professional development
  of teachers for information literacy

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We cant impart something we cant live, we
cant teach something we dont know, andwe cant
expect something we cannot model.Thats why we
need to clearly identify our paradigms and choose
principles we want to guide us
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And its also why we cant afford to leave
anyone behind in this process because, if we do,
well inevitably do the same with our students.
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The Principal-Library Team Dynamic Powerful
partnerships forging information literate school
communities
Lyn Hay School of Information Studies Charles
Sturt University Wagga Wagga, NSW