Are teacher librarians necessary to create lifelong learners?
By Felicity Sly ACCESS, Vol. 20, issue 4, 2006, pp. 5-6. (The views expressed in articles are those of the author(s) concerned and do not necessarily represent the views of ASLA.) I have been a teacher librarian, practising in schools throughout the west and north-west coast of Tasmania, since the 1980s. In this time, I have worked mainly for the Education Department in primary schools (kindergarten to year 6). A few years ago, I accepted the opportunity to work in the private sector (years 7 to 12) for one term and then I worked in a senior secondary (years 11 and 12), again with the Education Department. During this time, I have seen various changes, taken on various roles (not necessarily library-related) and seen the Tasmanian curriculum structure go through huge changes. As a new teacher librarian working in an isolated town in the early 1980s, I felt overwhelmed by the isolation of the job. I had timetabled classes to provide teacher release time, so there was no collaboration. I
