One of my closest friends is a librarian, and every day I’m reminded of the incredible role librarians play in sparking a love of reading and strengthening literacy in our schools and communities. Sharing an article published in today’s edition of Education Review to highlight how our librarians can help to lift literacy outcomes ~
Teacher librarians promote reading, guide literature discovery, and teach research skills
Amid the literacy debate in schools, one factor has been overlooked: the decline in the number of teacher librarians in schools.
Disadvantaged Australian students’ literacy results are sliding, and the Productivity Commission report, Building a skilled and adaptable workforce, has underlined what that means for our future.
According to Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) numbers quoted in the report, students’ reading literacy fell by the equivalent of one and a half years of schooling between 2003 and 2022. More than half of disadvantaged 15-year-olds are now not proficient readers.
A role that’s vanished
Teacher librarians (teachers with specialist training in libraries and information) used to be a fixture in schools. They promoted reading, guided literature discovery, and taught research skills.
Over the past two decades, their presence has thinned dramatically. In South Australia, for instance, fewer than one in four schools now employs a qualified teacher librarian. Many schools rely instead on library technicians, untrained staff, or even parent volunteers.
This decline has real effects. Schools with teacher librarians consistently show stronger literacy outcomes. These professionals are uniquely placed to support both reading skill and reading enjoyment, at a time when Gen Z reports the lowest participation in reading for pleasure of any generation.
New South Wales shows what’s possible. Its Library Policy mandates teacher librarian hours based on enrolment numbers in a school, explicitly recognising the role’s impact.
The evidence is clear: when a qualified teacher librarian is present, literacy results improve. Algorithms cannot replicate this. Google doesn’t cultivate discernment, vocabulary or a love of books.
What needs to change
If Australia is serious about reversing literacy decline, restoring teacher librarians must be part of the solution. That means:
- Reinstating a qualified teacher librarian in every primary school, using the NSW system as a template
- Measuring what matters: not just literacy proficiency but reading enjoyment
- Equipping teacher librarians with supportive tools – technology can make resource curation, discovery and literacy support more efficient, freeing librarians to spend more time directly engaging with students
Why it matters
Reading proficiency is one of the strongest predictors of later workforce participation. Teacher librarians are one of the few roles designed to lift both skill and motivation at scale.
The Productivity Commission has put literacy back on the national agenda. Restoring teacher librarians is a simple, evidence-based step.
Written by Colin Bell, chief executive of library management solution
