The Australian School Libraries Research Project

Australian School Libraries Research Project Report 1: A snapshot of Australian teacher librarians

Professional Development

To remain engaged in a profession, individuals need to participate in a range of PD activities. In this sample group 30.5% did not participate in or appear to have access to any PD activity.

Figure 21: Australian TLs: PD participation, all schools

Figures 21-22 indicates that approximately 45 – 50% of the participants in this sample group had either presented at a conference, published in professional journals, organised PD outside the school or been involved in organising a conference during the last 2 years. Figure 22 indicates that there are some disparities between states, where non-participation rates are highest in WA and VIC. Conferences remain an important avenue for professional development and many TLs are active providers and organisers of PD for teachers in their schools.

Figure 22: Australian TLs: PD access and participation, by state

 

Figure 23: Australian TLs: PD access and participation, by school type

Figure 23 indicates that approximately 45 - 50%TLs across sectors are actively engaged in PD ranging from conferences, outside school PD and publishing in professional journals. Christian, Catholic and schools designated as Other have the highest non-participation and access rates for PD. These results suggest that TLs are generally a pro-active and engaged group with regard to accessing and participating in PD. However, greater access and participation can only benefit the professional development of the profession as a whole.

Figure 24: Australian TLs: Use of electronic PD resources, all schools

Figures 24 and 25 indicates that 40-45% of TLs in this survey group accessed a range of electronic PD resources, with Alumni being the most popular. Even though technology is an important component of twenty-first century library services, approximately 19% of TLs do not use any online PD resources.

Figure 25: Australian TLs: Use of electronic PD resources by state

While OZTLNet is heavily used by 50% of TLs in this survey group, there are some discrepancies in usage between the states. Generally, TLs in the ACT, QLD and SA are less likely to access PD using electronic resources. 50% of TLs in TAS however, are using a range of electronic resources to access and participate in professional development online. Interestingly, the American listserv LMNet is also heavily used by TLs across Australia.