Reflection on the name "teacher librarian" vs. "school librarian"

Reflection Journal #4

What is in a name?  Over the last 25 years (probably longer) the title of school librarian has morphed from school librarian to media specialist to teacher librarian.  In Canada and California, and maybe other places we are officially teacher librarians.  According to AASL we are school librarians.  You would be amazed (or at least I am) at the debate and passion this issue incurs.  A recent webinar explored the issue, right after AASL’s announcement-yes, we are school librarians.  What is your take? Does the name matter?  Why?  Which would you choose?  Why?

My take on this discussion is that there are valid arguments on both sides of the debate-and yes, it is a debate!  I haven’t found any arguments in favor of keeping the title media specialist that was previously supported by AASL.  According to the AASL Board Discussion, the disadvantages with the term school library media specialist were:  considered outdated, confusing, too long, the external stakeholders did not understand title, too many versions, disconnect with association name, were too many variations on that title and the word “media” is considered outdated (Pentlin, 2010).  I loved Ms. Yingling’s comment on the AASL blog.  She asked “If “media” isn’t in the title, does that mean I don’t have to fix VCRs or overheads?” (Pentlin). It sure was nice to see some humor in an otherwise obviously touchy area.  I agree that school library media specialist needed to be dropped as an official title.  Below is the screenshot of the advantages and disadvantages of the term school library media specialist (American Association of School Librarians, 2010).

I do think that a name or title matters.  As an example, as a para-professional, I currently tell people I am a middle school librarian because if I told people what my title really was (Library Assistant), they would be confused.  Who am I an assistant for?  When I first got the job, I did use the term Library Assistant and people almost consistently asked or commented that they didn’t know there was  a librarian at the school.  So, based on my title, people assumed I was assisting a librarian.  I’m not assisting a librarian.  It’s just me, myself, and I at the library.  And since I’m getting my Master’s in Library and Information Science, I decided it was ok to call myself a middle school librarian.  Unfortunately, no one knows the difference anyway! 

Teacher librarian is a more fitting title than school librarian because school librarian doesn’t indicate any sort of credential and also seems like an antiquated term that does not describe what a teacher librarian really does.  Fortunately, in California, teacher librarian is the “official” name that is used.  The AASL, in their “mega issue discussion” (that’s actually what it was called!) on January 15, 2010, acknowledged that the term school librarian, which they ultimately voted on to use has the disadvantage “The perception that this title is more traditional and not forward-thinking” (American Association of School Librarians, 2010).  Below is the screenshot of what the advantages and disadvantages are to the term school librarian (American Association of School Librarians, 2010).

In their discussion about using the term “teacher librarian”, below is a screenshot of what the advantages and disadvantages are to the term teacher librarian (American Association of School Librarians, 2010). 

In the end, for the AASL name-game decision, based on the blog posts I have read, and reflecting on everything I have read, my opinion is that it came down to money and taking the easy way out.  The ALA has seen a drop in membership, and so they too have had to make budget costs.  In addition, if the AASL adopted the official name of teacher librarian, they would probably want to change the name of the association to the American Association of Teacher Librarians, which would require a monumental marketing campaign, which consequently would take a significant amount of financial and human resources.  Additionally, and very importantly, that sort of change might even confuse stakeholders even more.  Although a good marketing campaign surely could have overcome that. 

I believe it’s also important to discuss the fact that there is much confusion about what teacher librarians do.  While I do think teacher librarian is more descriptive than school librarian,  I think the confusion can be clarified even more by advocacy and education-and a lot of it-than only a name change. 

The bottom line is that I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of this discussion.  My gut is that we will see this again, and hopefully at that time the AASL will make a decision that will reflect forward-thinking.  It takes money to make money.

Bibliography

American Association of School Librarians. (2010, January 15). Board of Directors Mega Issue Discussion: What name should we use to help us achieve universal recognition and be considered indispensable? Retrieved from American Association of School Librarians: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslgovernance/leadership/2010/midwinter/mega_issue_notes.pdf

Nelson, C. (2010, January 21). School Librarian: Is the name change a step backwards? Retrieved October 16, 2010, from Techno Tuesday: Cathy Nelson's Professional Thoughts: http://blog.cathyjonelson.com/?p=1124

Pentlin, F. (2010, January 17). Who're You Gonna Call? The "school librarian". Retrieved from American Association of School Librarians Blog: http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/?p=913