As academic librarians, most of us are responsible for library instruction. As a result, we have to learn and develop a pedagogical or andragogical theory or framework. It is vital for those of us who engage with our students that we, as academic librarians, continue to sharpen our skills, so asking our fellow colleagues is one of those ways we can unpack our own teaching styles. In this blog post, Chelsea Misquith, the Public Health and Research Support Librarian at the Brown University Library, gives some insight into library instruction.
Jamia: How did you develop your instruction style?
Chelsea: I sort of fell into instruction by accident. I was always interested in teaching people how to access information outside of librarianship. For example, when I was an undergraduate student, I conducted informational tours of the university for prospective and current students and their families and volunteered as a sexual health educator after graduating. Later, when I was in graduate school for my degree in librarianship, I had the opportunity to teach some workshops on using the 3D printer at a couple of my jobs. I absolutely enjoyed doing it! That experience also taught me the importance of participatory learning and learner-centered instruction in teaching new skills. I still use the same approaches to instruction in my job today.
Jamia: How do you keep updated on the latest instruction style and techniques?
Chelsea: I have a few different ways to keep up with the latest in instruction style and techniques:
- Keeping up with ACRL recommendations and reports
- Learning from colleagues from a variety of library listservs, including many of the Medical Library Association Caucuses
- Keeping up with relevant discussions on Twitter! Some hashtags I find helpful are #critlibs #medlibs #SystematicReviews #ExpertSearching #AcademicTwitter #LibraryTwitter
- Exchanging tips and tricks with colleagues at work
Jamia: Can you please discuss your most used instruction assessment tools?
Chelsea: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been doing much more online instruction (via Zoom). I use a mix of formative and summative assessment tools. I usually use Zoom’s poll feature or in-class activities to quickly assess where attendees are at during my sessions and use the responses to inform the rest of my instruction session. I also use a short form or survey (via Qualtrics or Google Forms) to assess attendees’ overall (self-reported) knowledge at the end of the class and gather feedback.
Conclusion:
The Fall semester is underway, so there is currently a busyness around library instruction and student engagement. Remember to take the time to reflect on your instruction sessions. Also, remember that, if you do reference, the one-on-one moments with students are considered library instruction; the time with them is building upon their knowledge, which is the heart of instruction. Below are some questions that came to mind when reading Chelsea’s interview, and I hope that they can be helpful to you. The questions are not an exhaustive list; however, I think that they are an excellent start to your reflection time. Remember, many organizations and associations have instruction groups; if you can join them, please do. If you cannot join them, remember social media; Chelsea did a great job of listing hashtags to follow for great tips and tricks. Lastly, I will say many great academic librarians like sharing their insights, as Chelsea did in this blog post.
Takeaways to Consider:
- What transferable skills are you able to utilize in regard to library instruction?
- How are you staying current on the latest instruction techniques?
- During the Fall, are there any professional development opportunities that you can take to improve your instructional skills?
- How is your assessment of the library going thus far?
- Have you utilized any of the data from your assessments to change your instruction sessions?
- Do you have a colleague who can give you feedback about your instruction session(s)?
- Can you co-teach a session with someone with a different style from yours?
- Are you able to try something different, like creating workshops or collaborating with teaching faculty on a workshop?
Resources
- The Benefits of Library Twitter by Melissa DeWitt
- Pedagogy:Outreach: Twitter—“We host Twitter chats every other month using the hashtag #DLFteach. Learn more about the DLF Digital Library Pedagogy Group on our wiki page.”
Infobase has many great tools for academic librarians. Consider checking those out!
Biography: Chelsea Misquith is the Public Health and Research Support Librarian at the Brown University Library in Providence, RI. In this role, she supports research and instruction at the School of Public Health and leads the literature review support service for the health and biomedical sciences. She graduated with her Master of Information (MI) in Library and Information Science in June 2017. She is also the current Chair of the Medical Library Association’s Social Justice and Health Disparities Caucus. She loves trying new food, exploring new places, and spending time by the water in her free time.
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