A few weeks ago I gave staff a survey to assess what they want out of their school library. I had 21 responses which, while not representative of the entire staff body, is more than I expected given the chaotic nature of Term 2. It took a while, but I’ve finally analysed their responses and identified several actions I can take moving forward to ensure that the library is effectively supporting teaching and learning.
Library Usage
- Usage from most to least common activities (compulsory question)
This data suggests that the most common ways the library is used are:
- For printing (85%) and technology support (76%)
- As a spare space for activities (66% and 38%), meetings (80%), and exams (47%)
- To access wellbeing (52% for a student, 9% for staff)
Disappointingly, activities utilising the library resources or teacher-librarian’s expertise are not currently as popular. However, the most commonly used aspects of the library requiring the teacher-librarian’s expertise are:
- Borrowing for personal reasons, classroom teaching, students (33%, 28%, 23% respectively) – requires the TL’s expertise in collection development
- Using the library space with its resources for teaching (23%) – requires the TL’s expertise in collection development and space management
- Research lessons led by the teacher-librarian (19%) – requires the TL’s expertise in information fluency
- Collaboratively programming or teaching with the teacher-librarian (14%) – requires the TL’s leadership skills and expertise in reading for information and pleasure
- Accessioning faculty resources (14%) – requires the SAO’s expertise in collection management
I’d be very interested to know how many teachers of Stage 4 English responded to this survey, since I teach 10 of the 11 classes for year 7 and 8. If these teachers didn’t respond to the survey, then that could explain the low numbers for responses around reading for pleasure and collaborative teaching.
Moving forward:
Ideally, the aspects of the library requiring teacher-librarian expertise should be developed over the next few years to ensure greater value from this role for the school community. This requires active promotion from the TL about their services and developing relationships, especially with new staff, to ensure all staff are aware of what the library offers them.
- Barriers to staff usage
Responses to this voluntary question varied. Most respondents stated they had no barriers, but the most common barriers responders when mentioned were:
- Time
- Being unsure about the resources
- Being unable to access the space due to other classes, exams, or unspecified closures
Moving forward:
While the TL can do little about the time constraints facing staff, it is possible for the TL to better educate staff about the resources available, including professional development on how to make bookings and access the ecatalogue, as well as promotion of resources to support faculty teaching and learning. The teacher-librarian could also use these responses from staff to advocate for an end to whole year exams closing the library for several weeks at a time.
Resource and Curriculum Support Evaluation
- Evaluating library resources
Overall, the responses to this question revealed that staff were satisfied with the accessibility, maintenance, and currency of library resources. However, there was one respondent who felt the library resources were out of date or irrelevant, with 3 others unsure.
Moving forward:
Frequent promotion of library resources would help staff determine the relevance of library resources.
- Requested resources
The most frequent request for this voluntary question was for separate study areas, especially for seniors. The next most popular requests were for HSC resources (including study guides, revision, past exams, ARC samples), and an interactive whiteboard.
Pleasingly, two respondents noted that there was nothing else they felt the library needed.
Moving forward:
It is entirely possible that the TV in the library is already an interactive whiteboard, and this will need to be investigated. Working with the secondary studies teacher, Teaching and Learning faculty, and First Nations co-ordinator, it should be possible to gain extra funds to better resource the existing HSC and Teacher Reference collections while improving the amount of First Nations non-fiction in our collection. Promotion of our existing First Nations non-fiction resources would also support staff in this area.
Separate student study areas – or walling off and staffing supervision of the senior study area during breaks – would be a long term project with significant benefits for the school community. This would also prevent noise from different areas of the library affecting other classes within the space during lesson time.
Collaborative projects for students to work on throughout the term have been trialled before and due to poor student discipline have not worked, though the Nintendo Switch club allows for some collaboration between students and might need to be promoted to staff to ensure they’re aware of this service.
- Subject area research tasks
Many staff provided their research topics for this voluntary question. Community and Family Studies, Music and Society and Culture were the most frequently cited subjects with research projects, especially in Stage 6. HSIE and Science also have a number of tasks requiring students to complete independent research. Disappointingly, one respondent did not give their topic but stated the task was “internet based”, revealing a lack of understanding about how modern school libraries can support teaching and learning beyond the provision of books.
Moving forward:
The introduction of several new Stage 6 syllabus documents provides an opportunity for the TL to support time-poor staff implementing research tasks. The TL should therefore reach out to specific faculty heads to ensure their subject areas are supported and resourced, and should promote their resources to staff.
It would be worthwhile investigating and trialling Learn Path as a way to support staff with their research tasks, and to show that the TL role is not limited to books.
It would also be worthwhile to showcase the Guided Inquiry unit taught with English to show staff other ways the TL can support their work as an information expert.
- Syllabus changes
Staff identified that the following changes have taken place recently which will likely affect our need for updated resources:
- PDHPE
- CAFS
- Dance and Drama texts
- Senior Geography
Moving forward:
Money should be requested in the 2025-2027 budget submissions to account for these changing needs.
- Supporting teaching
Pleasingly, most staff who responded were happy with the way the library supports their teaching and had no further suggestions for improvement. Professional development on the library resources and services was again identified as a way for the TL to support teachers, as was increased access to the resources. The “chaotic” nature of the library was referenced by one respondent who attributed this to “constant turnaround and movement due to learning support and private study”.
Moving forward:
The TL should make professional development and promotion of resources a high priority to ensure staff are aware of the library’s resources and services. Presenting at a staff meeting and/or visiting specific faculties would assist in this.
The aforementioned walling off of the senior study space would assist in reducing the chaotic feel of the library.
Services Evaluation
- Useful services (compulsory question)
The breakdown of services identified as useful according to aspects of the TLs role is:
- Taking advantage of the TL’s role as information fluency expert and curriculum support
- One-off or ongoing research lessons (66%)
- Research skill resources (42%)
- Digital research pathfinders (38%)
- Collaboratively planning, teaching, and/or assessing of an inquiry unit (33%)
- Support integrating digital literacy or ICT into units (28%)
- Support integrating information literacy and research skills into units (19%)
- Taking advantage of the TL’s role as literacy leader and pleasure reading advocate
- Author visits and guest speakers (52%)
- Targeted library displays supporting subject units (38%)
- Support integrating literacy strategies into units (33%)
- Curated book boxes (28%)
- Book deliveries (14%)
- Taking advantage of the TL’s development of the library as a wellbeing space
- Break activities to support social-emotional learning and subject units (42%)
- Taking advantage of the TL’s skills in collection development and management
- Accessioning faculty resources (38%)
- Guided library tours (28%)
- Taking advantage of the TL’s role as leader and innovative practicioner
- Professional development for staff (47%)
- Summaries of current research (28%)
The top 5 services respondents identified as being most useful to them are:
- One-off or ongoing research lessons (66%)
- Author visits and guest speakers (52%)
- Professional development for staff (47%)
- Research skill resources (42%)
- Break activities to support social-emotional learning and subject units (42%)
These results reflect the varied nature of the TLs work and wide-ranging value to the school community.
Moving forward:
The strategic plan should prioritise the top 5 services identified by staff.
Overall Satisfaction
- Library currently meets professional and personal needs (compulsory question)
Overall, staff appeared to be satisfied with the library. In total, 17 respondents (81%) identified that they either agreed or strongly agreed that the library meets both their professional and personal needs, while only one respondent strongly disagreed.
Moving forward:
Without knowing the specific individuals and reasons behind the ‘neutral’ and ‘strongly disagree’ categories, it is difficult to assess how to improve library services to ensure their needs are being met. In future surveys it might be beneficial to provide an opportunity for respondents to explain their answer. It is also possible that the person who selected ‘strongly disagree’ misread the options, since this was the first one presented.
- Satisfaction with the library resources and services (compulsory) question
The top elements of library operations staff were satisfied with are:
- Staff assistance (100%)
- Library environment and space (90%)
- Availability and accessibility of resources (80%)
This reflects the hard work of library staff over the last few years in creating a welcoming, accessible environment. No respondents were unsatisfied with these elements, though some (10% and 20% respectively) were unsure about the space and accessibility of resources, indicating that they might not use the library frequently or that resources need greater promotion. Overall, over 50% of respondents were satisfied with all elements of the library, with the exception of information literacy and research skills programs and resources (28%).
The least satisfactory elements of library operations as identified by staff are:
- Library opening hours (28%)
- Study and collaboration spaces (14%)
- Information literacy and research skills programs and resources (9%)
This reflects the fact that library opening hours are limited to break times only due to supervision issues, the lack of private study spaces, and a need for improved focus on information literacy.
Staff also identified several areas of library operations that they were unsure about, including:
- Information literacy and research skills programs and resources (61%)
- Social-emotional intelligence and positive wellbeing programs (47%)
- Classroom teaching programs and resources (47%)
- Reading for pleasure programs and resources (42%)
- Collection diversity (33%)
This indicates that the library would benefit from greater promotion of its resources and services.
Moving forward:
To improve satisfaction with library opening hours, library staff should investigate the possibility of opening before and after school – this would require either additional staff on supervision or the provision of time-in-lieu for the supervising teacher-librarian.
To improve satisfaction with the limited study and collaboration spaces, library staff should investigate the possibility of walling off the senior study area and implementing a separate break supervision so senior students can utilise the space without disruption from the lower levels of the library.
To improve satisfaction with information literacy and research skills programs and resources, the teacher-librarian should work with specific faculties to support their research assessments and create resources to support the development of students’ information fluency which can be uploaded to Google Drive for staff to access and a centrally located library website for students to access.
Increased promotion of all resources and services would benefit library operations in future. This could take the form of a monthly newsletter emailed to all staff, Sentral posts highlighting new resources, show and tells at faculty or staff meetings. Further investigation needs to occur to ensure efficient communication to staff which doesn’t overwhelm or frustrate them by adding to their increasing workloads.
- Additional feedback
Nine of the 21 respondents chose to give additional feedback for this voluntary final question. Of these responses, 66% provided positive comments about how staff enjoy the library, while 33% provided practical suggestions for the future. Interestingly, all three suggestions revolved around opening hours and increasing student access to the library:
- “It would be nice for the library to be open at 8 or 8:15 in term 2 and 3 for the students who get to school early and it’s cold in the mornings.”
- “Maybe integrating a duty to support students printing in early mornings when assessments are due. Allowing quieter spaces/silent zones for senior study.”
- “Library lunch times closed off for exclusive gamers, perhaps more supervision so library is open to all”
These suggestions reflect the value the library space and resources have for our school community, and the important role the teacher-librarian plays in providing this important ‘third space’.
Moving forward:
In order for the library to be open before and/or after school to provide a social space and access to resources such as printing, either additional supervision would have to be provided by another staff member or time-in-lieu provided to the teacher-librarian.
The library is currently only closed Friday at lunch for an exclusive gaming group – this is so participating students can eat while they play Dungeons and Dragons due to the 30 minute break limit and so that I can run a game. It is possible that this staff member misunderstood the social clubs schedule and believes that all breaks are only open to participants in these clubs; clearer promotional materials would clear this up. If it’s not a misunderstanding, then an additional playground duty would have to be created to ensure effective supervision while I run a game.
The need for a quiet study space for seniors was again raised, indicating the importance of walling off the senior study area and implementing a new supervision in this area.
