06/09/2026
TEACHER LIBRARIAN CRISIS
I write in response to the news yesterday from the Catholic Schools in the Newcastle-Maitland diocese, that teacher librarian positions are to be cut across 58 schools.
This alarming and short-sighted decision does not recognise the complex nature of a school library nor the evidence-based academic, social and wellbeing documented benefits a qualified teacher librarian (TL) brings to a school community.
Qualified teacher librarians are trained in library science, literature across the curriculum, digital literacy, AI literacy, inquiry-based learning and are information and curriculum specialists. School libraries are complex and require a qualified library team. They demand the expertise and skills of library assistants and support staff, however, these roles do not negate the need for a dual qualified teacher librarian.
At a time when there are reported declines in literacy levels and when information literacy has never mattered more than it does now with a rise in technology use and AI generated search responses, TLs must be part of the conversation and solution to address these challenges. TLs teach students how to safely and purposefully navigate the information landscape, how to locate information they require and strategies and analytical habits of mind to critically evaluate the information, detecting biases, questioning whose voices have been excluded, detecting misinformation and disinformation. TLs give students the skills and knowledge to efficiently and ethically use and create information, not simply passively consume it.
TLs do far more than curate a collection of books and promote a reading culture in a school. They are responsible for managing the physical and digital resources for the school community. They ensure these resources align with the curriculum, are available in different formats to ensure inclusivity and meet the needs and interests of the school population. TLs collaborate with teachers to plan and create inquiry-based learning experiences which supports the strengthening of information literacy and the 21st century skills of critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration and teamwork, social skills and digital literacy.
The fight to justify the value of teacher librarians has a long history and I question why this is so. The evidence is clear, TLs need to be mandated as they are part of the solution to the present academic, social and wellbeing concerns that exist in the education system. With the announcement yesterday, educators, library staff and parents must unite and use their voice to ensure our children are not denied qualified teacher librarians and insist on highlighting in their school communities the unique value of a TL.
