What is the TL’s main role – teacher or librarian?

The reading in topic six suggested that this is an age old question on par with the likes of the chicken and the egg. It offered the solution that a TL is an educator, and that this term can encompass both aspects of the role.

However, I think there is more to the TL role than the two word title suggests. A TL is a critic, manager, counselor, facilitator, buyer, arbiter, teacher and librarian.

Is there a reason that teacher comes first in the title? Is it because you can only have TL’s in schools? Having worked as a teacher and now as a TL it is obvious to me that the roles are different. Very different in fact. But I still think of myself as a teacher and still do many things related to teaching. As a TL I offer my sevices up to students as an editor or a sounding board. I am encouraging all students to seek me out for help with assignments, not just in finding the information but also putting it together. Maybe that is just the English teacher in me, but as a TL I have more time to do it.

I think that the idea of a facilitator fits the TL better than educator. Because yes a TL educates but it is in a different way. Something about leading a horse to water…and showing it its source so that it can find it again later.

Students come up and ask me ‘why aren’t you teaching anymore miss?’ and I always respond that I am. Not only because I still have one class, but because I feel like I am leading the information literacy in the school.