Collaboration Between Teachers and School Librarians in Primary Schools from the Teachers’ Perspective

Damijana Medved and Jurka Lepičnik Vodopivec

Summary:  Collaboration among stakeholders in primary schools generally leads to better student learning outcomes and greater satisfaction among parents, staff and the community as a whole. Nevertheless, such collaboration also gives rise to challenges, dilemmas and questions that require continuous attention and the search for optimal solutions. This qualitative study examines collaboration between teachers and school librarians from the teachers’ perspective. Seven primary-school teachers participated in the study, two of whom reported very poor collaboration with school librarians. Overall, however, the results show that teachers are favourably disposed towards collaboration with the school library and regard it as a source of support for both their own professional development and their students’ learning progress and development. They emphasise the personal qualities of school librarians and recognise the importance of support from school management, including the provision of financial resources for the library’s operation.