Librarians in the Lead: A Case for Interdisciplinary Faculty Collaboration on Assignment Design

Assignment design provides a potential niche for librarians to fill in improving research assignments and in providing opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration on teaching, but this can be difficult work to claim as librarians. In the 2016-2017 academic year, a team of three librarians at Utah State University, a mid-size research university, piloted an assignment design workshop for faculty. Based on a model developed by the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), our workshop’s core component was a structured, librarian-facilitated small group discussion among three to four faculty members from a range of academic departments. Interdisciplinary conversation about teaching research skills thrived in these discussions (called “charrettes”), with librarians uniquely positioned to encourage knowledge sharing in service of student learning and success. This article presents three iterations of our workshops as a case study in information literacy intervention outside traditional classroom instruction sessions, extending and redefining the role of the academic librarian as a partner in teaching and learning

Librarian Perceptions and Information Literacy Instruction Models

Purpose – This paper aims to explore both instruction librarians\u27 attitudes on teaching and how they identify themselves as teachers. Particular attention is to be paid to teaching librarians\u27 views on the effectiveness of two types of instruction models: for-credit courses and course-integrated library instruction. Design/methodology/approach – To investigate librarians\u27 attitudes towards these two models, a survey was constructed targeting librarians who teach information literacy (IL). Findings – The results indicate that there is an important relationship between the IL instruction model employed and feelings towards campus politics, perceived effectiveness of IL models, and librarians\u27 self-identification as teachers. Research limitations/implications – The survey was sent to list-servs whose readership includes high percentages of teaching librarians and received 276 responses. This is by no means an exhaustive study. The research is intended to be exploratory and to delve more deeply than the past editorials and blog posts on the issue of comparing for-credit and course-integrated instruction. Practical implications – This study can help librarians gain a better understanding of how information literacy models impact librarian perceptions of themselves and their role on campus. Originality/value – The authors seek to transform a discussion that has occurred mostly informally (in blog posts, on list-servs, and in conversations) into a formal investigation of librarians\u27 attitudes towards the two models

No Really, We Can Help with This: Librarians Facilitating Research Assignment Design

Premises: Students need scaffolded, authentic opportunities to practice and develop research skills. Interdisciplinary faculty collaboration on assignment redesign facilitates peer feedback that isn\u27t usually available. Bringing librarians to the assignment design table establishes stronger connections with and among teaching faculty and promotes deeper learning opportunities for students. Key principles: Reflect on where students get stuck. Make the implicit explicit. Scaffold the research process. Offer formative assessment and opportunities for peer learning. Consider authentic, renewable, or public-facing end products

Copyright Solutions for Institutional Repositories: A Collaboration With Subject Librarians

This work investigates using subject librarians to conduct copyright clearance in an institutional repository (IR). At Utah State University, the library assures copyright clearance for faculty scholarship, thereby garnering input of faculty scholarship into the IR. Currently, subject librarians are not widely participating in routine IR work; however, the involvement of subject librarians with the IR offers benefits to the subject librarians and the institution as a whole. This article provides a model for institutions needing new solutions for copyright clearance using subject librarians and discusses the rationale, benefits and challenges of adopting this model

Faculty Teaching and Librarian-Facilitated Assignment Design

This qualitative study explores the impact of a workshop on collaborative research assignment design that brought together an interdisciplinary group of faculty in a librarian-facilitated community of practice. Faculty participants attended the workshop, revised and implemented their assignments, and completed a follow-up interview. Themes that emerged reflected shifts in faculty teaching practices, including increased scaffolding, clarity, modeling, student collaboration, and opportunities for authentic learning. Gaining insight into how faculty approach the work of teaching directly impacts library instruction and how librarians can contribute to communities of practice among teachers in the academy

Teaching and Learning Information Synthesis: An Intervention and Rubric Based Assessment

The purpose of this research was to determine how information synthesis skills can be taught effectively, and to discover how the level of synthesis in student writing can be effectively measured. The intervention was an information synthesis lesson that broke down the synthesis process into sequenced tasks. Researchers created a rubric which they used to assess a student’s level of information synthesis demonstrated in their final research essays. A form of counting analysis was also created to see if other methods could help in measuring synthesis.Findings from the rubric analysis revealed that students appear to benefit from the synthesis lesson. The level of synthesis, however, remains low overall. In addition, the study also showed that the different measures of synthesis established were able to identify different levels of information integration. Discovering effective ways to measure and teach synthesis continues to be essential in helping students become information literate

Closing the Loop: Engaging in a Sustainable and Continuous Cycle of Authentic Assessment to Improve Library Instruction

This study demonstrates how a team of librarians sustained authentic assessment across multiple studies in order to inform changes to an information literacy curriculum. It demonstrates the cyclical and action-based nature of assessment, including closing one loop only to reopen another and begin the assessment process again, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and making changes that increase student learning. Researchers analyzed 79 English composition papers for evidence of information literacy skills, expanding upon a previous study which established information literacy skill benchmarks. Findings from the previous study led to the development of new library instruction lessons, which targeted skills students struggled with – mainly topic refinement and information synthesis. To measure the impact of the modifications, the authors used two rubrics as well as a citation analysis to identify shifts in student learning. Findings indicate that the new lessons contribute to student improvements in synthesis, topic refinement, and source variety. This study illustrates the importance of engaging in an ongoing cycle of assessment and continually making improvements to instruction practices while implementing evidence-based decisions

Resilient Pedagogy: Practical Teaching Strategies to Overcome Distance, Disruption, and Distraction

Resilient Pedagogy offers a comprehensive collection on the topics and issues surrounding resilient pedagogy framed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movements that have swept the globe. As a collection, Resilient Pedagogy is a multi-disciplinary and multi-perspective response to actions taken in different classrooms, across different institution types, and from individuals in different institutional roles with the purpose of allowing readers to explore the topics to improve their own teaching practice and support their own students through distance, disruption, and distraction

Creating Effective Staff Development Committees: A Case Study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of staff development committees (SDC) in the motivation, morale and education of library staff by relying on previous research and by using Utah State University\u27s (USU), Merrill-Cazier Library SDC as a case study. Design/methodology/approach – Discussion and analysis emerge from the documented formation of USU\u27s SDC, including its membership, goals, and evaluative practices, especially as it relates to current research in this area. Informal staff comments regarding benefits and limitations of the committee are included. Findings – Staff development has been approached from various perspectives. Most programs form as the results of formal or informal needs assessments. Goals for the program, or for the resulting staff development committee, vary and fluctuate depending on the time-specific needs of the library. Successful elements of USU\u27s SDC include its emphasis on building inter-departmental relationships and its ability to elicit feedback from every level of the library. Challenges include having clearly defined goals and meeting a variety of individual and institutional needs through the creation of related events and activities. Practical implications – This paper provides ideas on forming a staff development committee, including examples for specific events and activities. It details how to structure membership and explores literature relating to designing and implementing institutional goals for staff development. Originality/value – Many studies lack a comprehensive literature review that focuses on the scope and purpose of staff development committees. This paper combines a literature review with an explanation of how USU\u27s Library created a staff development committee to fill certain library-wide goals, including challenges and benefits that emerged as a result