Librarian? Teacher? Navigator?

Information Literacy, Library Instruction, and the Changing

Role of Librarian

Stephanie Perentesis, Library Instruction CoordinatorSara Miller, Assistant Library Instruction Coordinator

Michelle Allen, Instruction LibrarianBenjamin Oberdick, Instruction Librarian

Unit Goals

• Instruction in constantly changing environments and formats

• Tours, classroom instruction, online materials, and more

• From pre-college programs to emeriti faculty

Unit Goals - Pedagogy

• Collaboration with first-year writing program

• Best practices for teaching and learning

A day in the life...

8:00 AM

It’s the first week of class, and an instructor calls you with the following request:

“I need a library session for my 50 first-year writing students tomorrow morning. They need to learn how to search JSTOR, search the catalog, find primary sources, and do MLA citations. They also need to get a basic orientation to the library. We have half an hour.”

What would you do?

What's the best choice?

1. Give pointers for the instructor to do his or her own session

2. Direct instructor to library instruction request form online 3. Offer to work with the instructor to create an alternate

plan4. Give instructor a link to online tutorials5. Clear your schedule and do the session6. Other?

10:00 AM

You’re working reference, and a student asks where she can find the print journals for sports medicine. You ask if she’s looking for a specific article, and she tells you that her assignment requires her to have a print copy of any recent journal article on sports science, and she’s “not allowed to use the Internet.” All the sports science journals are received electronically – and have been so for the past 6 years. Her assignment is due tomorrow.

What would you do?

What's the best choice?

1. Try looking at the assignment to confirm what the instructor actually wants

2. Explain that a PDF article is the same as print3. Tell the student that there's no way to complete the

assignment as written without talking to the professor

4. Other? 

2:00 PM

You’re at a library-wide meeting about proposed changes to the library’s home page. You're concerned because, according to your observations of students’ information-seeking behavior, the changes seem like they will create confusion among users.  

What would you do?

What's the best choice?

1. After the meeting, send an e-mail to all library staff highlighting the details of what's wrong on the page

2. Present alternative options, along with rationale, that support wider information literacy objectives

3. E-mail web designer and her supervisor to request a private meeting

4. Other?

4:00 PM

A librarian colleague calls you and says, “Help! I have a class coming up soon and I need some fresh ideas for teaching!”

What would you do?

What's the best choice?

1. Schedule a meeting with him to get more details on the class and help brainstorm ideas for the session

2. Tell him you'll teach the class for him in order to show him how to do it

3. Send him a bibliography about learning theory 4. Other? 

• Flexible and adaptable

• Student needs always at the forefront

• Information literacy is much larger than just classes, tours, or teaching

Librarian, teacher, navigator, and negotiator

Contact Us

Stephanie Perentesisperente1@mail.lib.msu.edu 517.884.0836

Sara Millersmiller@mail.lib.msu.edu517.884.0835

Michelle Allenallenm38@mail.lib.msu.edu 517.884.0892

Benjamin Oberdickoberdic1@mail.lib.msu.edu517.884.0895