Page 36 - Volume_14

Jurnal PPM: Journal of Malaysian Librarians
Vol. 14, 2020

Therefore, well-trained human resources will be the main priority to invest and build
sustainable school libraries 4.0. A researcher, Noh (2015), claimed that the era of
Library 4.0 is likely to be realized in the near future. She further suggests that the future
essential keywords and concepts of Library 4.0 will be Intelligent Library, Makerspace,
Context-Aware Technology, Open Source, Big Data, Cloud Service, Augmented
Reality, and State-of-the-art Display. The role of teacher librarians will be very
significant in making all of these concepts applicable to the library; training the Teacher
Librarian 4.0 must be a top priority. The current education trends have evolved together
with the advancement of technology. Digital technologies will influence and impact the
school library management. These will also impact school library budgets, staffing,
school library management systems, reference resources and services and the use of
digital devices and digital resources in school libraries (Farmer, 2019, Softlink, 2019).

According to Kachel & Lance (2018), the status of school librarian staff are changing as
the implementation of school technology initiatives impact library programmes and
staffing. The present education trends which introduce STEAM/STEM programmes,
maker education, blended learning, integrated learning systems, and Future Ready
Schools may need the expertise of school librarians to assist teachers to utilize the
changes in technology-based innovations in their classrooms. The increasing need for
instructional support to implement school reforms or improvement initiatives will impact
the changing roles of school librarians where they are expected to work and provide
professional development to assist new educational developments such as new reading
programmes, digital learning, blended or online learning and flipped learning. School
librarians have transformed into technology leaders as well as educational instructors
and are no longer stereotypically bookish (Johnston, 2015; Lewis, 2016).

Problem statement/ Research questions/ Objectives
Consequently, professionally trained, and qualified teacher librarians with much-needed
credentials, will further help to develop and enhance Malaysian school libraries to
become the centre of the teaching and learning environment of digital schools. Qualified
teacher librarians will contribute and make a difference to the students’ learning
achievements. The question is, are we ready and prepared for future school libraries 4.0?
The author of School Libraries in a Time of Change: How to Survive and Thrive; Craver,
(2019), believes that teacher librarians need to be ready with new 4.0 technology,
instructional reforms, the redesign of the physical layout of school libraries and the full
implementation of resource-based learning in schools. Hence, this study aims to
investigate the interests and needs among library media teachers (Guru Perpustakaan dan

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