Media

These are articles on, or subsequent to, the Inquiry into Teacher Librarians.  Articles leading up to the Inquiry can be found under Using the Media.  See also articles by Hubbers under Publications.

15 August 2015, Take Two column of Illawarra Mercury features teacher librarians

4 Sept 2012 “Teacher librarians crucial in info age” by Holly Godfree, Canberra Times

27 July 2012 “School libraries hit by tight budgets: Union” Adelaide InDaily, by Liam Mannix

30 May 2012 Interview with Georgia Phillips, June Wall on ABC Gold Coast Drive with Bernadette Young. Books vs e-books and the need for TLs.

30 May 2012 Morning news spot on 2SM re the no-book libraries

30 May 2012 BER waste as schools scrap books. Natasha Bita in the Australian

22 May 2012 Channel 10 Sydney news, Principal Changes, John Hill reporting

21 May 2012 Letter to the Illawarra Mercury, “Autonomous Rot”

12 April 2012 Letter to the Illawarra Mercury, “School for Thought”

28 March 2012 Letter to the Illawarra Mercury, “Autonomy Damaging”

Also in Port Stephens Examiner.

20 March 2012 Toni Leigh interviewed again on Brisbane AABC radio by Steve Austin. “Are school students learning how to use technology or just playing games?”

13 March 2012 Letter to the Editor from Sharon McGuinness, Sydney Morning Herald. Principal autonomy.

13 March 2012  Toni Leigh interviewed on Brisbane ABC by Steve Austin. School Libraries Under Threat.

November 2011 Australian Education Union, South Australia, Journal, “Just what is going on with school libraries?” by David Smith.

16 November 2011 West Australian, “New library ‘without a teacher librarian‘” by Bethany Hiatt.

14 November 2011  Hobart Mercury, “State Schools Lack Crucial Staff” by Michelle Paine.

13 October 2011 Education Review, “Teacher Librarians Ramp Up Campaign” by Natasha Egan

22 September 2011 Education Review, “Teacher Librarians Step Up Campaign” by Natasha Egan.

August 2011 House of Representatives About the House Magazine on TLs and the Inquiry A friend in  need Crossing the Learning Threshold  by Geoffrey Maslen.

28 July 2011 Archived: Teacher Librarians Fear for their Future by Breanna Tucker  in the Canberra Times.

July 2011  Australian Teacher Magazine: Darlene Hill’s excellent article, “It’s clear – Australian teacher librarians are worth their weight in gold,” an excellent Editorial “Wanted : Teacher Librarians” and “The Jewellery Box Mystery” (Online research task set by a Queensland TL)

June 2011 Education Review “TL report a good start, says sector” by Darragh O’Keefe.

27 June 2011 NSW Teachers Federation Journal Education “‘Valuable contribution’ acknowledged” by Lenore Hankison.

31 May 2011 Adelaide Now “Government plays catch-up on libraries” by Martina Simos

31 May 2011 Illawarra Mercury “Teacher-librarians important for the future” opinion piece by Georgia Phillips

27 May 2011 “Dragon Supporter” Letter in response to Illawarra Mercury article by Georgia Phillips

26 May 2011 Australian Teacher Magazine FED: School libraries and teacher librarians report released

25 May 2011 Letter by Sharon McGuinness in response to SMH article

24 May 2011 Illawarra Mercury article “School librarians left on the shelf: report” by Don Woolford based on main Fairfax article

24 May 2011   Sydney Morning Herald  “We’re not dragons in pearls, we’re just misunderstood” by Dan Harrison and Kim Arlington.  Here is the “same” article from The Age: ”Dragon Librarians Come Out Fighting” and another Fairfax paper, The Illawarra Mercury, recycles the same article as “School Librarians Left on the Shelf: Report.”  The same Herald article appeared  in the Courier Mail.

23 May 2011. Australian Teacher Magazine. School libraries and teacher librarians report released.

5 November 2010 Queensland Teachers Journal, ” How many teacher librarians in Queensland? Don’t ask DET…” by Margaret Kittson

28 October 2010 Australian Library News “Recognition for teacher librarians: the battle isn’t over yet“

19-25 August 2010 Canberra City News “Sudents may miss Book Week” by Shereen Charles

17 August 2010 Adelaide Advertiser “Librarians make a case for funds” by Candice Keller

11 August 2010 Illawarra Mercury Letter to the Editor

9 August 2010 The Age “Library Specialists Being Shelved” by Elizabeth Tarica

16 July  Mackay Daily Mercury “Librarians take part in Inquiry” by Fallon Hudson

12 July Adelaide Now “Don’t write libraries off – they’re thriving” by Callie Watson and Candice Keller

5 July Campus Review “Gatekeeper and Guide”

22 June Brisbane Courier Mail “No books, no staff in Kevin Rudd’s new libraries” by Emma Chalmers

24 June 2010 Australian Teacher Magazine.  Teacher librarians vanishing.

19-20 June Sydney Morning Herald, “Where silence is a virtue” [!!@#!!] by Kristie Kellahan

17 June Sydney Morning Herald “Nice shelves, pity no books” by Dan Harrison.

16 June The Australian “BER library-building spree exposes teacher shortage” by Jill Rowbotham

June 2010 Education Review article by Darragh O’Keefe, “Gatekeeper and Guide”
Referenced in Curriculum Leadership Journal Volume 8, Issue 18, 18 June 2010

16 June The Australian “BER library-building spree exposes teacher shortage” by Jill Rowbotham

8 June CSU Media Release “Calling Top Teachers Into the School Library”

7 June Illawarra Mercury “Campaign calls for Librarians” by Paul McInerny

3 June ABC Radio National Life Matters. Richard Aedy interviews ASLA Exec Offcr, Karen Bonano.

28 May Canberra Times “Funding cuts leave trained school librarians on the shelf” by Scott Hannaford

House of Reps media releases for the Inquiry

Shortage of teacher librarians – a major concern for ACT school libraries (PDF 117KB)

House of Representatives media release on Inquiry: How important are school libraries?

Feature in the Sunday Melbourne Age, 2 May 2010, “Faithful few left to keep Dewey alive in a download world” by Nicole Craig

1-2 May Wagga Wagga Weekend Advertiser “Librarian Skills Being Lost”

1 May, Hobart Mercury, “Sad chapter for library teachers” by Megan McNaught

30 April ABC Radio Hobart, “Teacher Librarian Numbers in Death Spiral”

28th April, Canberra ABC Drive Radio interview with Louise Maher

The Age, 27 April 2010, Anna Patty, “MPs to hear school library concerns”

Letter to the Melbourne Age from Agnes Niewenhuizen, 24 April 2010 (original)

A line from Rosemary Sorensen in her Overflow column, The Australian, 17 April 2010.

Pine River (QLD) Press, “Shortage set to hit schools” article by Miranda Forster, 16 April 2010.

The Adelaide Independent Weekly School Libraries Inquiry coverage by Farrin Foster, 12 April 2010.

9 April 2010 Adelaide Advertiser article on the Inquiry 9 April 2010 Adelaide Now

The Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) has issued a Special Edition on the School Library Inquiry to all government school parents and friends/citizens groups Friday 8 April 2010.

6 April 2010 2nd Letter to the Age from Leonie Paatsch 6 April 2010

3 April 2010 Letter to the Age from Sheryl Gwyther 3 April 2010

30 March 2010. Dr. Karen Brooks writes for the Courier Mail 30/3/10

The Brisbane Courier Mail two page feature 30 March 2010 Libraries at Risk, Courier Mail 30/3/10

26 March 2010 Times Educational Supplement, London. Published in The TES By: Helen Ward

Australian innovation could open new chapter for school librarians

‘Teaching’ role would involve working across all curriculum areas and helping pupils become independent researchers

An overhaul of the school librarian’s role that would see them become part of the teaching process is under consideration.

The idea of “teacher librarians” – which comes from Australia – is being examined as part of a review by the School Library Commission.

The role, which involves librarians also being trained in pedagogy and classroom techniques, entails them working across all curriculum areas and collaborating with teachers to help students become independent researchers.

Making librarians’ role in children’s learning more explicit could be one way of improving their status among unconvinced headteachers, campaigners have argued.

Alan Gibbons, children’s author and organiser of the Campaign for the Book, has called for school libraries to be made statutory.

“The outcome of a school library should be about raising standards, pupils’ well-being, literature and learning in general; the fact that the library is not just an adjunct to the English department,” he said.

“Status is a big issue, some schools have the gold standard of librarian who is really at head of department level, who is not just seen as a book issuer who can be easily disposed of. Teacher librarians are not about becoming a teacher, but about elements of teaching and pedagogy entering their job. If they are doing a lot of that sort of thing, the tendency for heads not to understand their role disappears.”

Sue Shaper, of Broxbourne School, Herts, is a chartered librarian with a masters degree in education. She is researching the state of school libraries for the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professions.

“There is a really wide spectrum, from people with a professional librarian qualification and masters degrees to someone working 15 hours a week without even O-Levels,” she said. “Students across the country are not getting an equal offer. Even since we started the research in December, the picture has changed as far as schools making librarians redundant. There is a threat from the credit crunch.

“I think there is ignorance as to what a librarian’s role can be; the basic thing is that a room of books without a librarian is just a room of books.”

The commission was set up by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the National Literacy Trust. It is being chaired by Baroness Morris, former secretary of state for education.

No worries? A dual role Down Under

Australia’s education minister Julia Gillard has just announced an inquiry into the future of school libraries and teacher librarians in the country.

A committee of politicians will review and report on issues including the potential of libraries and librarians to improve education and factors influencing recruitment.

During the 1980s, teacher colleges and universities in Australia developed specialist courses to train people as teachers and librarians.

The role involves working across all curriculum areas and in collaboration with teachers to help students become independent researchers.

However, following cutbacks in the 1990s, a survey in 2001 found some libraries were staffed by people who had qualified only as teachers, or had no training.

The current inquiry comes after campaign group The Hub, begun by teacher librarians, claimed that libraries were facing a crisis – and that the situation in most government schools was dire.

It called for “adequate and equitable” funding across all states and territories.