ETL504 - TEACHER LIBRARIAN AS LEADER - Opening reflection

This subject had me mystified at first, as my initial perception is that the TL is only the leader of the library team. However, after the opening statements within the modules and reading the introduction and chapter 1 of Winzenreid, my perceptions are already changing and I can see the worth of doing this subject.


The Winzenreid text does look a little dry when you first pick it up, but I found reading the introduction helped me understand what the focus of this book was going to be. I like the idea of 'moral purpose' - as providing a relevant library service can contribute to the ideal of lifelong learning. This is part of the mission statement at the school that I work in, so I guess that is why that perspective resounded with me. However, the sad, difficult and perplexing situation at our school library is that the head of the library thinks we are providing a perfectly sound service. Having watched falling use and enthusiasm for the library, and, having just completed INF506, I can now see that we are behind in using social networking to communicate effectively with our client group. We in no way utilise web 2.0 tools in our current practice. How can I persuade the Head of our library to try out a few of these newer approaches?

Some of the ideas that have hit home in Winzenreid Chapter 1 are -
* that libraries will only have a future if it is directly relevant to users and requires visionary leadership. (p 13)

* For most people the library is where lifelong learning becomes a reality (p 9) - a sobering thought!

*Moral purpose goes much deeper than numbers of items or borrowers. It considers the ways in which human behaviour can be modified by the library over a long period of time.

* Fullan's notion that the first 2 tasks of a promising manager are to identify a clear moral purpose and then to establish strong relationships with the people he/she has to deal with (p 42)

* That Web 2.0 has established a firm platform for collaboration for the information professional.

* To be a visionary leader, you need to foster and develop team building, communication skills and strong relationships (p 56)

This chapter has given me the motivation to seek what I can do to improve the service that we offer. Even if the leadership at the top of the department is not willing to change, I can still initiate my own change and in effect lead from the middle of the middle!

REFERENCES

Winzenreid, A. [et al.](2010). Visionary leaders in Education. Wagga Wagga, N.S.W.: Centre for Information Studies.