The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Teacher–librarian (TL) Dawn Keer is an anomaly in the Edmonton Catholic school system. Keer, who taught in K–12 classrooms for 17 years before obtaining her masters in library and information studies, is currently the only teacher–librarian working in the district who is both a certificated teacher and a professional librarian.—Photo by Koni Macdonald

"I love teaching and interacting with students," says Keer. "I also love working alongside classroom teachers with a lesson or a unit of study. It really assists students when a teacher covers the curricular content in a subject area and the TL can teach the students the research skills and strategies they need to deepen their understanding of their topic through research."

Keer enjoys linking resources to students’ needs and teaching courses related to information literacy. Her current position at Archbishop MacDonald Academic High School in Edmonton includes teaching the theory of knowledge to Grade 11 and 12 international baccalaureate diploma students and introducing all Grade 10 students to the world of information and information management tools within the context of an inquiry-based research project.

One of the biggest changes Keer has seen in her 15 years of working as a teacher–librarian has been due to "the amazingly easy access to information that challenges students with a mind-numbing deluge of information," she says. "Helping students to access information has often been seen as the main role of the librarian. However, teaching students to read critically, to make good decisions about the information they choose to use for academic purposes and to cite those sources appropriately is much more challenging and time-consuming."

Keer is also a sessional lecturer in the teacher–librarianship by distance learning program for master of education students at the University of Alberta.