In a letter circulated to schools this week, staff were told that restructures in 2027 will see teacher librarians redeployed to other curriculum areas and that school libraries will most likely be managed by library assistants or student support officers in future.
“Decisions like these show a lack of understanding of the deep expertise that teacher librarians bring to their roles, and the value they provide to schools,” Jessica Coates, ALIA’s Director of Policy, Education, Research & Training, says.
“With dual education and library qualifications, teacher librarians are uniquely placed to ensure the library has the best resources to align with the curriculum, provide expert support to faculty and, most importantly, meet the needs of students across the school.”
With artificial intelligence and misinformation increasingly part of daily life, Coates explained that the foundational critical thinking and research skills that teacher librarians bring to schools are needed more than ever.
“International research shows that if you want to get young people reading, a school library staffed by qualified teacher librarians is the best investment a school can make,” she said.
“Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle need to consult further and to provide greater detail and transparency about how this decision will impact staff and students.”
Only last month, for the fifth year, Students Need School Libraries (SNSL) celebrated Australian School Library Day during Children’s Book Week.
On that day, school communities paused to recognise how essential school libraries and teacher librarians are in ensuring that reading is a part of everyday life and that students have access to fabulous books and resources.
SNSL co-cordinator Elise Ellerman told EducationHQ that qualified teacher librarians have a direct impact on literacy, on information literacy, critical literacy and media literacy and a student’s wellbeing, along with student success and student outcomes.
“But also, importantly teacher workload – because you’re supporting teachers with planning, with teaching, with assessment, curation of sources for their units of work, co-planning, co-teaching,” she said.
In an era of instant online content, generative AI, and fake news, students need to be explicitly taught how to evaluate information, Ellerman explained.
School library representatives across the country say they are concerned with Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle’s decision.
Martha Itzcovitz, president of the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) pointed out that while library assistants and student support officers make an invaluable contribution to the day-to-day operation of school libraries, they cannot be expected to replace the specialist educational expertise of qualified teacher librarians.
“A thriving school library requires both skilled support staff and qualified professional leadership,” she said.
“Removing teacher librarians does not simply change who works in a school library - it changes what that library can provide to its students and teachers.”
Karen Seeneevassen, president of the School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW), has queried the impact this decision will have on the whole school community.
"This decision diminishes the value of the school library for them,” she lamented.
“Removing qualified teacher librarians will impact programs and services, while also putting immense pressure on non-teaching staff to keep an under-resourced school library operational.
“There is a high risk that these school libraries will cease to function to the immeasurable detriment of students and learning outcomes.”
ALIA and ACSL has called upon Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle to urgently reconsider the decision and to ensure student reading, media and digital literacy, and critical thinking will continue to be supported in their schools in 2027 and beyond.
