Burdenuk Leadership and TL 504

LEADERSHIP AND THE TEACHER-LIBRARIAN by E. L. Burdenuk


I found this article fascinating and intriguing! I helped solidify many of my beliefs of the role of the TL and confirmed the role as an educational leader. It confirms the role of the TL as a leader in communicating, advocating and implementing the vision of the school library. They are at the forefront of curriculum and professional development.

Leadership is desired for TL and is emphasised in the Standards of Professional Excellence.

This article talks about social architecture/culture (in Canadian schools) being the idea of how teachers act within a school including, values and norms. Described as "the way we do things around here".

This article investigates how this social architecture effects the job of the TL in schools. This is so interesting due to the fact that I do feel as if I am fighting a ghost. This is the TL of my childhood. SHE was always shushing and seemed matronly and a grumpy protector of books. I always thought that these were criteria for being a TL. So much has changed and TL are now dynamic school leaders. I am not so sure this transition is clear to all and how do you create this NEW LOOK?
The acceptance of the TL's role as an educational leader requires a shift in the school's culture.

Lieberman and Miller found that the greatest irony of teaching was how isolated teachers are and how this results in the difficult process of sharing ideas and growing together professionally. Rozenholt regards isolation as the "greatest impediment to learning to teach and to improve skills (p. 17)".

Break down the walls of isolation so teacher can receive feedback, and work collaboratively! Rid the school of teacher invisibility. This culture creates an environment that resists change and maybe the single most important factor preventing the integration and collaboration of TL in the classroom and the curriculum. Teachers are entrenched.

PLC (Professional Learning Communities) breaks down walls and creates a commitment to student learning and school excellence. Though this article doesn't talk about PLC, I had to include it here. PLC may be what Canada needed as a reform instead of new missions, visions, goals, and objectives. PLC creates these under one important umbrella: STUDENT LEARNING.

The author believes that change in schools can happen through collaboration for teachers and students. The collaborative model is consistent with the cooperative program planning process advocated long by TLs talking about practice, observing each other, reflecting upon practice, and improving practice. "The move towards creating a community of learners within the school provides unlimited opportunities for the TL to become a full fledged member of the community of leaders" (p. 19). I never heard the word "consigliere" sounds very French and means an indirect leader or second change agent based on expertise (of curriculum, collaborative process) who interacts as a colleague with teachers and admin.

Peter Block talks about empower ourselves, and I see this as a truism and a self fulfilling prophesy. This encourages thinking of the whole school at every level. These critical skills are paramount to the TL. Teachers also need to learn to think, learning how to learn, learning to be creative, lifelong learning. "learning to learn, unlearn, and relearn" to create school leaders. The TL can use referent power (based on individual's personal characteristics and traits) and expert power (individual's possession of expertise, skill and knowledge) to influence others.

Burdenuk believes that TLs can assert influence and power in two ways: BE VISIBLE & RELEVANT TO THE ENTIRE SCHOOL.

1. referent power - based on an individual's personal characteristics and traits; a person high in referent power is generally liked and admired because of his/her personality. Can be achieved through the acquisition of support, endorsement and backing of the staff through the interpersonal skills and the personality of the TL.
2. expert power - an individual's possession of expertise, skill and/or knowledge which through respect influences others. Through demonstrating skills in instruction and cooperative program planning, consultation, management and administration of the learning resources in the school.

I believe that I have referent power and as a result of my studies I am gaining expert power daily. TL don't need to be recognized as leaders but can have a powerful influence by demonstrating skills, encouraging collaboration, providing resources and from knowledge of the curriculum. Leadership is an inner quest: Know thyself and always Learn MORE!

Creating, communicating and implementing the vision & mission of the school library program are central to the TLs role as leader. 5 steps identified for effective visioning - valuing, reflection, articulation, planning and action.

Look For:
University of Texas study on change process and the TL
Implementing Change: A Cooperative Approach to Initiating, Implementing and Sustaining Library Resource Centre Programs: published by British Columbia Teacher-Librarian Association (Austrom, 1990)

THRIVING IN CHAOS by Tom Peters


Burdenuk, E. (1992). Leadership and the teacher-librarian. School Libraries in Canada, 12(2), pp. 16-27.