In 2023, the BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association (BCTLA) Executive Committee started a BCTF Teacher Inquiry Project to look closely at the working conditions of teacher-librarians across the province. As they worked through their inquiry, they realized there is some mystery surrounding the role of teacher-librarians, with many people unclear on what exactly a teacher-librarian does.
The group saw this as an opportunity to launch an advocacy campaign both for community members and for their educator colleagues.
They created bookmarks, colouring sheets, posters, and presentations that were brought to the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, BC Federation of Labour events, and the BCTF Annual General Meeting.
These materials, along with other advocacy pieces such as a Teacher magazine article in the September/October 2024 edition on book challenges, highlight the role of teacher-librarians in the broader school community, and some of the ways teacher-librarians are integral in fostering learning.
Teacher-librarians champion freedom to read by actively combating book challenges through policies and processes implemented at the district and school levels. All students need books that represent their lived experiences so they can experience the joy of reading.
While teacher-librarians are responsible for maintaining book collections, a big part of the role is to support classroom learning through collaborative teaching.
“Our job is to connect with students and teachers to build a stronger community,” said Tammy Le, BCTLA President. “We help the school community tie inquiry to the curriculum by accessing research skills and tech skills.”
“We collaborate with teachers to make sure students know how to find accurate information and verify information. This skill is paramount in today’s world where we’re bombarded with disinformation and misinformation,” said Marilyn Carr, BCTLA Member-at-Large.
Because of the teacher shortage, teacher-librarians are frequently pulled from their non-enrolling teaching positions to cover other classes. This means less time for collaborative teaching and cancelled book exchanges for students. In some districts, the teacher-librarian role is a prep position that further diminishes collaborative teaching.
“I see the teacher-librarian role as a mentor role,” said Nicole Hurtubise, Co-ordinator of Membership and Surveys on the BCTLA Executive. “Someone who can find the information you need, connect you with resources and books, and support their teacher colleagues and students.”
Tammy and Marilyn have met with Members of the Legislative Assembly to talk to them about library issues, and the challenges non-enrolling teachers face because of the teacher shortage.
With bargaining on the horizon, the BCTLA Executive Committee was eager to hear from teacher-librarians across the province about their specific goals and priorities for bargaining.
The team sent out a survey for teacher-librarians and used the results to create templates that BCTLA local chapters could use to make pitches to their local union executives for bargaining priorities.
“We’ve gained a lot of support from other members within our locals,” said Tammy.
The BCTLA Executive Committee’s advocacy to raise awareness about the role of, and challenges faced by, teacher-librarians led to national recognition from Canadian School Libraries. This national non-profit organization is focused on professional research and development related to school library learning commons. The BCTLA Executive was awarded the Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Award, which is presented to an individual or organization who has successfully and publicly championed the work of libraries or teacher-librarians.
The award recognizes and celebrates the BCTLA for their work and effort to uplift their teacher-librarian colleagues while also educating the broader community about the role and importance of teacher-librarians in schools.