Administrative Structures for Education Programs

Discussions about the way to organize and manage an education program within a library usually result in three options: a librarian within the reference department is assigned responsibility for the program, a coordinator is appointed with authority to enlist the help of librarians throughout the organization, or a separate department is established to run the program. Two years ago, the staff of Information Management Education Services (IME) in the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discussed other options as part of a strategic planning effort underway at the library. Nine possible models came out of a series of brainstorming sessions. These are outlined below with the advantages and disadvantages of each structure as viewed from the IME department setting. Major considerations underlying these models were the level of visibility that the model would provide to education, whether staff would be shared with other departments, and where leadership for educational programs would reside. The models are not listed in any particular order

One-on-One Instruction

There are several reasons to consider the topic of one-on-one instruction. Many reference librarians who are not primarily responsible for formal information management education (IME) may have a significant instructional role every day at the information desk or in other settings in which interactions with clients take place. In other institutions, there may not be an identified need or the resources for group instruction. In still other situations, those who have responsibility for formal IME may also participate in providing reference or other public services. In addition, those in technical services positions occasionally find themselves instructing clients in their areas of expertise. Thus, almost every library staff member will find himself in a one-on-one instructional setting at one time or another. The following are several guidelines which have proven to be useful in interactions with individuals in which education, as well as information provision, take place. Many of the guidelines will look familiar to those who conduct group instruction. Here they are modified slightly for a different setting

Textbooks for Teaching

In a previous column (MRSQ v. 8, no. 4, Winter 1989), I introduced several resources for teaching that have proven extremely useful over the past few years. In this column, I would like to add those texts that have served as reference sources. Although not used as heavily as the items on the prior list, these have answered questions or inspired ideas to help solve a particular instructional problem. This is a partial list and will be completed in a future column

The Impact of End-User Training on the Librarian's Status

End-user training's impact on the librarian’s status is to be debated at an upcoming Medical Library Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter meeting. It will share the panel platform with other topics such as “who is the end user,” “the impact of end-user searching on other library services,” and “the costs associated with end-user searching.”1 When I first grappled with this topic, I had some difficulty imagining any negative effects of end-user training on the status of librarians. This activity seemed to provide further support for the status which others have viewed as associated with automation. As Schwartz states, “Automation has helped establish librarians as experts in the design of new hardware and software products and the development of new instructional programs.”2 However, stepping back and using the editorial “we,” I find that we are still trying to sell to each other the idea that teaching users to do their own online searching is a “Good Thing.” The following is an overview of some of the arguments on both sides as they relate to the status of librarians. I have liberally used examples from the setting in which I work and conversations with colleagues

On the Other Side of the Reference Desk

In order for reference librarians to overcome feelings of inadequacy which they experience in aiding physically disabled patrons, they must educate themselves about the special needs of these patrons. This article will address the concerns, common mistakes, and difficulties involved in personal interactions with disabled individuals, particularly as they relate to the reference setting. In addition, specific steps will be described to minimize the difficult aspects of these interactions; these will be presented in terms of attitudinal and service activities. An attempt also will be made to describe aspects of these reference interactions which are unique to various health care settings

Information Literacy: Revolution in the Library

The full intent of this title is not evident until one reads several chapters and gets a picture of the challenging vision both authors have for academic libraries. Their aim, as stated on the dust cover, is to "take a close, critical look at the potential of academic libraries as key campus resources in the Information Age." As Gee writes in the preface, this is a book of "advocacy for the quality learning, research, and service that can occur on campuses where more imaginative use is made of academic libraries." The authors' intent is to challenge academic administrators to create new partnerships with librarians, and this is, indeed, a major theme. The book might have been more descriptively titled Information Literacy: Crucial Roles for Academic Libraries. It attempts, and succeeds, to go beyond reports calling for reform in higher education. The authors use these as a base, with sufficient citations, to establish where higher education is and what the major concerns are. The authors make the point that strategies for educational reform give little, if any, attention to the potential role of the academic library. They use these reports to set the stage for discussion of possible solutions involving the academic library. The book, beyond the first twenty-nine pages, is about these solutions. This is an applied and descriptive approach to information literacy, as opposed to an historical treatment

Course Integrated Instruction: Metamorphosis for the Twenty-First Century

Bibliographic instruction in health sciences libraries is on the verge of another major transformation. The force behind this is computerization interacting with repercussions of the Matheson report and a recent Association of American Medical Colleges report, both of which should be instrumental in providing guidelines for bibliographic instruction. Comparisons are made between the health sciences and general settings for bibliographic instruction and the health sciences literature after 1975 is reviewed. Information from an informal telephone survey is presented and issues of concern to health sciences librarians are described. Descriptive summary statements are made regarding the perceived state of the art and areas for future activity are outlined

Resources for Teaching

In the past few years, I have come to depend on several resources to which I turn, time and again, when teaching a session or managing an instructional program. Needless to say, colleagues are an additional and frequently-used resource. What follows are other types of sources: clearinghouses, professional organizations, and publications. I would be happy to hear from you on what you have found useful and report comments on, and additions to, this list in a future column

Merged Service Desk: 15 Years Later

Slides from presentation given at TRLN Seminar on 3/21/2014

Information Management Education

The following article reflects the broader focus I have used in my approach to this column. One of the topics I mentioned in my inaugural address was continuing education for teaching librarians.' The Ohio State Libraries program is one of the first to formally address this issue. Although the setting is not health sciences and the staff is large, the perspective and the content of the program have much to offer the readers of MRSQ. The majority of colleagues I speak with in academic medical center libraries share teaching responsibilities with their co-workers. Many of us are concerned that new and existing library staff gain teaching skills as more and more of us take on a teaching role for the library. As Virginia Tiefel notes, all of the librarians at OSU are expected to teach or be involved in the education program in some way. OSU's solution is a thoughtful and sensitive one