Making the shift: Guiding teachers into the exciting and challenging role of the teacher librarian

As Course Director and Lecturer in the Master of Education: Teacher Librarianship, (which I will henceforth refer to as the MEd. (TeachLib), welcoming current and prospective Teacher Librarians (TLs) into the course is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. Becoming qualified as a TL is a demanding yet exciting journey. Despite misconceptions that a TL merely checks books in and out and oversees story times and study sessions, the role is multifaceted and requires a depth of knowledge and expertise that reflects dual qualifications as educator and information professional. Qualified TLs can provide insight and leadership across vital areas of school education. They can develop a rich reading culture that nurtures literacy and a love of reading, enhance students' (and teachers') critical and digital literacy, build high levels of information fluency, and shape a physical and digital safe space that promotes and resources wellbeing and mental health for the community (Fitzgerald, 2022; Merga, 2020, 2021; Wall, 2022).