Introduction

This book is for, and about, the unsung yet critically important group of professional academic librarians, who strive to facilitate learning among students and library users, and who frequently do this whilst juggling a range of other library tasks and responsibilities. The world of the Teaching Librarian is diverse, challenging and often contrary. Sometimes, the role is barely recognised; at other times is it all encompassing, and viewed as the cornerstone of information service provision. Sometimes librarians feel confident and well-prepared for this role; often, they feel intimidated, ill-equipped and insufficiently trained. It is a job that can be maddening, rewarding, arduous, exciting and transformative – all at the same time. It is also a job that remains curiously undefined and poorly understood outside of librarianship. It is a job that many librarians both dread and embrace, while there are those within the profession who do not believe that librarians should teach at all. Whether you are a librarian who only teaches occasionally, or whether teaching is the activity that occupies virtually all of your working hours, this book is for you. If you are a student of information and library work, you will also find much of interest here, as you develop an understanding of the diverse nature of academic librarianship, and the inextricable link between information literacy and learning, which informs your role. And for those whose task it is to prepare professional librarians for the workplace, this book offers useful insight into the skills, knowledge and expertise that Teaching Librarians require to perform the instructional role confidently and effectively.

The book has emerged from more than a decade’s involvement in information literacy, as a practising librarian, student, academic, researcher, faculty member and author. Research has shown that the role of Teaching Librarian is viewed as important, and that information skills are considered essential within higher education; yet, in practice, librarians find that they must continually engage in marketing, promotion and outreach, to ensure that they reach their target student base. The embedding of information literacy instruction in academic curricula is inconsistent; while there are many successful programmes, there are also many which are beset by difficulties, and some which enjoy initial success, only to fade away when circumstances change. Much depends on the cooperation and support of academics and administrators in the librarians’ institutions. While “information literacy” is now widely recognised as an important research domain and area of professional practice within Library and Information Science (LIS), communicating this agenda effectively to other disciplines and professions has proved challenging. However, a sign that this is beginning to change was evident in the US Presidential Proclamation on Information Literacy in late 2009 (White House, 2009).

This book has a number of objectives. First, as a practical primer, it is designed to support Teaching Librarians at all levels of experience; for instance, those who are confident instructors, but who wish to advance their skills and knowledge and to explore, in depth, the concepts of professional development and reflective practice. Equally, it is aimed at librarians who perhaps feel that they have not received sufficient training to perform the role as they would wish, and who are uncertain about what is expected of them. Lack of confidence in one’s own ability to teach is a known cause of stress among academic librarians (Davis, 2007), especially when it is considered that instructional training is still not a core component of pre-service professional education in many Schools of Library and Information Science. In this book, the skills, tools, and methods of instruction are set out and discussed in the specific context of information literacy instruction. Recognised instructional and implementation challenges are also addressed, with suggestions for how Teaching Librarians might overcome difficulties through reflection, research and the practical application of knowledge.

However, although important, the book is not solely concerned with the “mechanics” of teaching and learning, and seeks to address a wider agenda. Self-development and self-understanding in the role of Teaching Librarian is seen as crucial to effective performance and perception of self-efficacy (Jacobs, 2008). An additional aim of the book is, therefore, the encouragement of reflective practice among Teaching Librarians, and the development of a “teacher identity”, which can inform, and serve as the basis for, all teaching and learning activities that are undertaken. In the book, the nature and responsibilities of the Teaching Librarian role are discussed and analyzed, along with the internal and external factors that influence and shape it. Individual and group-based strategies for professional self development are presented, while end-of-chapter exercises and reflection give readers the opportunity to think about their own roles and responsibilities in the spirit of constructive self-analysis.

The book has six chapters. The first two chapters provide the context for consideration of the Teaching Librarian role. Chapter 1 explores the relationship between librarians’ professional identity and the evolution of the information literacy instruction. Asking “who is the Teaching Librarian?”, the chapter examines the various factors and trends that have influenced the development of the role, including the rise of the information literacy movement, the progressive, though sometimes limiting effect of academic librarians’ own role conceptions, as well as the strong influence of academics’ conceptions and attitudes on how the role is perceived, and integrated within higher education. The chapter also analyses the educational requirements of librarians with teaching responsibilities, suggesting a range of topics, skill sets and strategic concerns which could be included on pre-service professional education programmes. Chapter 2 takes a wider view, outlining ten significant trends and concepts that are influencing the development of the Teaching Librarian role in academia, ranging from internal factors, such as personal pedagogical philosophy and reflective practice, to external trends, including the diversification of the student body, the importance of information literacy for researchers, and the need for new strategies for collaboration and advocacy.

Chapters 3, 4 and 5 are concerned with the “nuts-and-bolts” of teaching, learning, and reflective practice, and are designed to furnish Teaching Librarians with the basic knowledge, skills, and strategies to confidently handle any teaching situation in which they find themselves, as well as the means to constructively evaluate their own performance and to progress in their careers. Chapter 3 works through eight key areas of competence which aim to provide a thorough grounding in the techniques of teaching and learning, with specific reference to the context of information literacy instruction. All stages of the teaching and learning process are covered, from planning, to the selection and design of teaching methods, to the implemention of appropriate assessment and evaluation tools. Chapter 4, by contrast, takes a problem-based approach, and suggests solutions to some of the real-life challenges or “confidence zappers” that crop up frequently in information literacy teaching, from unmotivated students to the limitations of the “one-shot” session. Chapter 5 focuses attention on the “reflective” librarian, and discusses the practical means of professional development and advancement, including evaluation of teaching performance, peer-mentoring, creating teaching portfolios and writing grant applications, amongst other methods.

Finally, Chapter 6 presents the results of a qualitative survey which was carried out among 38 Irish academic librarians in October 2010. To provide some favour of the real lives of Teaching Librarians, the survey participants were invited to share their personal experiences of teaching, their conceptions of “teacher identity,” the challenges and motivations of their work, and their overall feelings about the role they play in their institutions. The themes discussed in this chapter will hopefully offer some reassurance to you, as fellow Teaching Librarians, that your experiences are universal, and that the Community of Practice is, indeed, as worldwide one.

The overarching objective of this book is to help to instil confidence, and to offer a clear guide for Teaching Librarians in terms of the knowledge, skills and tools required to perform the role. Although challenges exist, it is hoped that the knowledge and tools described here will equip Teaching Librarians with the means to face these challenges effectively.