First Impressions and the Reference Encounter: The Influence of Affect and Clothing on Librarian Approachability

Whether or not a librarian appears approachable in public service environments is critical to providing excellent service, conveying a welcoming space, and encouraging library users to engage with one of the key intellectual venues on our campuses. This study used an image-rating method to assess the influence of affect and attire on patron impressions of librarian approachability. Findings suggest that librarian behaviors do matter, with specific treatments resulting in increased or decreased perceptions of approachability. These findings not only support common sense assessments that an attentive and welcoming environment is essential to encouraging patrons to engage with librarians; they also provide information on specific behaviors that affect approachability, allowing librarians to distinguish between a range of presentation styles that can be readily employed in public service

Play On? Comparing Active Learning Techniques for Information Literacy Instruction in the Public Speaking Course

Actively engaging students in information literacy instruction is the foundation of the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (relatively new) Framework for Information Literacy. Yet, missing from the library literature are studies that examine the effectiveness of one active learning approach versus another. This paper reports on a research project that aimed to do just that: use two discrete active learning techniques to teach information literacy concepts, particularly those situated in the ACRL Frame, “Authority is Constructed and Contextual.” Twenty-two sections of a public speaking course were randomly assigned to one of three treatments. A play technique was used with one sample of students, a website evaluation activity was used with another, and a control group received no library instruction. Both active learning techniques led to gains in information literacy scores that were significantly higher than those of the control group. However, there were no significant differences in results based on the technique used. These findings suggest that, despite the hype that surrounds it, game-based pedagogy is only one of many effective approaches to teaching information literacy