Teacher-Librarian

School Librarian Careers

Teacher-librarians are experts in information technologies, curators of library resources, teachers of information literacy skills, and promoters of life-long learning in students. They are also experts in integrating information technology into curriculum areas as mandated by the province, district and school.

The role of Teacher-librarians is multifaceted. It typically involves assisting students and staff with developing the skills needed to locate, analyze, evaluate and apply information from various media, databases, and technology sources.

They may also be responsible for curriculum instruction, resource development, and coordinating programs to promote student learning and literacy.

The role of the teacher-librarian is constantly evolving as information, and communications technologies continue to innovate.

Qualifications and Certification Requirements

Teacher-librarians typically have a bachelor’s degree in Education or an equivalent field. They possess a BC Teacher Regulation Branch certificate of qualification (COQ) and typically have several years of classroom teaching experience.

Furthermore, teacher-librarians generally have a Master’s Degree in Library Science or have completed a Teacher-Librarian Diploma; or post-baccalaureate professional studies in school librarianship. Teacher-librarians may belong to the BC Teacher-Librarians Association.

Teacher-Librarian Salary

Teacher-librarians are typically members of the BC Teachers Federation and are represented by the local union branch in each district.  As such, they are paid an annual salary according to their assigned TQS category/level.  This category is determined by the Teacher Qualification Service, an agency responsible for evaluating a teacher’s qualifications and years of education for salary purposes.

Depending on a teacher-librarian’s experience level and their district of employment, their salary may fall below or above these ranges. Below is an average minimum and maximum salary range for each TQS category.

Remote and Rural Allowance

There are some additional allowances paid to some teachers in certain districts. In many districts, allowances are paid to teachers who hold positions of special responsibility, such as department head, head teacher, a teacher in charge, or teacher coordinator.

In addition, teachers in some districts are paid a remote and rural allowance to aid in the recruiting efforts of districts in remote communities and to recognize the difficulty of working in a remote community. The allowance is $2,947 per FTE annually as of July 1, 2023. When paid monthly, for example, a full-time continuing employee would receive an additional allowance of $294 per month for 10 months or $245 per month for 12 months. Teachers on call (TOCs) are not eligible to receive this allowance.

To view districts’ individual salary grids, and to find out which offers these allowances, check out the Salary Finder tool.

Training and Educational Programs

The following is a list of universities that offers teacher-librarianship programs in British Columbia by region. Start your teacher-librarian career by enrolling in one of these programs.

Employment Opportunities

Find teacher-librarian jobs on Makeafuture.ca under the ‘teachers and administrators’ position category.

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