Creating “just right” professional learning and networking for international school librarians

Initially my plan was to look at ways to develop innovative networking for school librarians and to focus on the role that existing social media could play in developing these networks. Was it possible for the networks built online to translate into something meaningful in the real world? And could the transitory connections made at international conferences be somehow sustained in the longer term?

The inspiration for this topic came about as a result of background reading and experiences in curating my own professional connections and learning. I had found that school-based professional development (PD) sessions rarely targeted library matters, and while library conferences were useful, they happened infrequently and often required travelling great distances at significant cost (or had been unavailable due to the pandemic). Online courses were an option, though were of variable quality and did not provide the same opportunities to engage with colleagues. Then there was social media: Instagram had pretty pictures but was light on content. Facebook groups offered some inspiration but there were occasional conflicts between members. And while Twitter had been fabulous, people kept threatening to leave due to ownership concerns and it seemed to have lost some of its sheen of late. There was nothing that was, in the immortal words of Goldilocks, “just right.”

After a 3 year hiatus, I was finally able to attend my first in-person PD at the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS) with librarians from across Switzerland in November 2022. It was such a delight to meet with colleagues in person again and to bounce ideas off one another. Most educators in a school setting operate as part of a department and are able to pop into the classroom next door or head to the staffroom to ask a question of their faculty counterpart, many international librarians do not have this opportunity. It can make for an isolating experience at times, making networking and PD particularly important in order for us to keep abreast of developments in the field and to remain connected to our peers. It was no surprise that on that rainy November day in Lausanne we were all thrilled to get the band back together. I was just so sad that it wouldn’t be repeated until May. How could I wait that long to engage again with these wonderful, inspiring colleagues?

My interactions in Lausanne made me realise that what I had was anecdotal evidence that we enjoyed and benefited from in-person collaboration. What I needed was some actual data. So I set about collecting it. I put together a survey focused on professional learning and networking preferences and was pleased to receive responses from librarians in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Malaysia, Qatar, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States.

I found that over half of school librarians don’t receive PD related to librarianship in their workplace, but the majority are given funding by their employer to undertake professional learning. Unsurprisingly, Covid put a hold on in-person learning and networking but it is beginning again in earnest, with 41% attending an in-person conference, 5% completing an in-person course, and 3% participating in a job-a-like since 2021. This compares with 77%, 46%, and 8% pre-Covid, respectively, and 0% for all three types of PD during Covid.

Of the reasons respondents provided for engaging in professional learning and networking opportunities in the preceding 5 years (2017-2022), 92% wanted to improve professionally and had a desire to upskill, 74% did so for personal interest and enjoyment, while 23% needed to for professional accreditation reasons. Of those who did not undertake professional learning in the specified timeframe, 31% cited the cost involved, 26% gave distance reasons and Covid or governmental restrictions, and 23% listed time as the biggest barrier. Now I had some data, what would I do with it?

My intended project was mentioned in a previous ISN article on the resident scholar program and Francois Stalder from the American International School of Budapest, subsequently got in touch. During Covid he started a fantastic online “jobalike” for language teachers where they would meet virtually and share resources. This has now become an enormous online repository of information and the meetings have continued despite everyone returning to the classroom. Chatting with Francois was the catalyst I needed to get my project back on track. I had found something “just right.”

I knew, however, that I couldn’t go it alone. Part of what I wanted to overcome was the isolation of being a lone librarian working away on my (literal) mountain to create learning opportunities. I immediately thought of Madison Dearnaley of Madison’s Library fame. We had been wanting to work together for a while but hadn’t found the right time or project; would this be our Goldilocks moment? Thankfully she loved the idea and we started planning immediately. We want to create on-demand professional learning and engagement opportunities for school librarians and other library professionals around the world, particularly those new to the profession or who haven’t received formal training. Watch this space for the innovative school librarian professional learning network known as “The Library Academy”.

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