I’m a massive fan of professional learning. I find it so important for renewing my enthusiasm around school libraries. It gives me a boost when I’m really flat or tired. It connects me with people and enables me to see what others are doing in their spaces and I find that so inspiring. I really love sharing my ideas and what we do in our school library. The chance to reflect is a really important part of professional learning.
I’ve been obsessed with professional learning for school library staff for a long time now. I have been creating professional learning lists for over five years and back in 2020 I started a professional learning series where I curated lists of recommended podcasts, websites and places to find inspiration. That series is a little outdated now so I thought maybe I would update my take of professional learning with a new series.
I’m going to cover why professional learning matters for school library staff. Then move into creating a professional learning goal and plan. Then it’s on to making time for professional learning in our busy routines. Finally, I’ll share some places and tips for finding professional learning. So, let’s dive in.
Why professional learning matters for school library staff
Professional learning is so key for any professional. It’s important to remain abreast of current trends and research. It’s important for updating our practice. Professional learning is vital so we don’t continue to do the same thing over and over again until we become obsolete. We’re also a unique profession in that we often work alone. We may be the only person in our school that has the position or role or qualifications that we have. That means we may not get professional learning sitting around the table at morning teatime or let’s face it, we’re not sitting around the table at morning teatime with the rest of our school colleagues, we’re out on duty in the library. So finding inspiration, sharing ideas, asking questions, and reading up on research are all such incredibly important things that we need to find time for.
Here are a few reasons I think professional learning is important the school library professionals.
School libraries are constantly changing
It’s funny isn’t it? Because in one way nothing has changed but in another so much has changed. School libraries have always focused on literacy, reading, writing, reading for pleasure, information literacy, but over the years that has merged and grown to include media literacy, health literacy, digital literacy and AI literacy. That’s just one example. Now consider the move to online catalogues. How we support the teaching of reading. Changes in the publication landscape. What children and teens want to read. Makerspaces. Social media. Technology. The list is endless. In some ways, the core fundamentals of what we do have not changed at all. But in other ways, there’s a lot to learn, stay current on and expand our areas of expertise.
School libraries need to change and adapt
They need to change to reflect the leadership’s vision for the school or face redundancy. And we have to stay current with the education landscape to support our staff and students.
How do we survive, thrive and lead during that change? We adapt rather than react and we learn. We stay abreast of the changes. We stay knowledgeable and we try things.
We can’t support learning if we stop learning
School library staff model lifelong learning. If we expect students to become curious, adaptable learners, we need to demonstrate those same qualities ourselves.
Professional learning isn’t simply about attending conferences, it’s about continually asking what could we do better and what do we need to learn to make that happen?
It’s an important mindset to have. If we stay in the dangerous realm of ‘this is the way I do things’, that can lead to real tension when change needs to happen.
Libraries are diverse places
There is just so much that we do. And that means we are kind of expected to be experts in so many areas. And while that’s not possible, having a good understanding of the core areas is important. That means we can learn about so many different things, which is exciting. Even if it’s not a direct part of your role, having an understanding of the topic is important.
Here are a few of the areas and topics we school library staff tend to have in our scope
- literacy
- information literacy
- digital literacy
- AI literacy
- curriculum
- technology
- makerspaces
- cataloguing
- collection development
- leadership
- wellbeing
- marketing
- community engagement
- copyright
- project management
- data
- advocacy
Very few initial qualifications cover all of these areas. Professional learning fills the gap.
Confidence grows with capability
Professional learning helps us to feel more confident to try out those new ideas or suggest change. It gives us evidence and support when suggesting these new programs or services. In turn, sharing about what we do helps others to try things themselves. It’s an incredible supportive loop
Professional learning strengthens advocacy
One of the greatest challenges for school libraries is demonstrating their impact.
Professional learning helps library staff advocate for what we do, the broad range of topics and knowledge we are across, and document and provide evidence for our programs. This is especially true when submitting an application form to attend a webinar on a topic, when other professionals come to visit your space, or when you are documenting a project and sharing it in a professional association newsletter, webinar or conference.
Professional learning connects us with a profession
School library staff often work in small team or alone. But we are part of a massive professional network of information service specialists. Our roles might be diverse and vary across sectors and contexts, but we are part of a bigger picture. It’s important to engage with and contribute to that profession. That might be connecting with your fellow local school library professionals, reading or contributing to the state association newsletter or journal, attending local conference or network meetings, or attending national conferences.
Professional learning should be continuous, not occasional
I’m going to talk a lot more about this when it comes time for my Making Time for Professional Learning post, but something I hear a lot is ‘I don’t have time for professional learning’. That needs to change. Our tasks should be moved to make time for professional learning. If we are not learning, we are continuing on in the same way we always have without growth, and that’s a risk to our skills, motivation and relevance.
Learning doesn’t need lots of time, large budgets or conferences, but it does need to be a priority.
It can happen through:
- reading articles
- listening to podcasts
- watching webinars
- Completing online courses
- Joining local network meetings
- Having a social media community
- Reading professional journals, articles, blogs or school library relevant websites
- visiting other libraries
- reflecting on practice
Small, regular learning habits often have the greatest long-term impact.
The best school libraries are built by professionals who continue to learn. Every new skill, every fresh idea, every conversation, and every reflection has the potential to improve the experiences of students and teachers. Professional learning isn’t an optional extra, it is one of the most important investments we can make in ourselves, our libraries, and the communities we serve.