Tag Archives: library instruction

From Instruction Anxiety to Instruction Confidence: Lessons from an Accidental Teacher

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Lindsay Grubin Wong
Georgia State University Library – Dunwoody
Learning & Engagement Librarian
lwong11@gsu.edu

Abstract

Many academic librarians enter instructional roles without formal training in education, often leading to feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome. This reflective article explores the process of developing confidence as a librarian instructor through lived experience rather than formal pedagogical training. Drawing on personal experiences, it examines common early challenges such as overpreparing, overexplaining, and focusing on performance over student learning. It also highlights key shifts that supported growth, including redefining instructional roles, prioritizing student-centered learning, embracing reflection, and seeking mentorship and community. By emphasizing vulnerability, authenticity, and gradual skill development, this article offers practical insights and encouragement for new librarians navigating instruction for the first time.

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We should be doing this! Librarians benefit from designing and grading library assignments

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By Glenn Ellen Starr Stilling
Appalachian State University Libraries (retired)
gess@hey.com

Abstract

Throughout my career, my job focused heavily on library instruction. After the first few years, I started to wonder how much impact my work was actually having. I found a way to add meaning and relevance to my work by increasing my involvement with library assignments. I offered to design library assignments, share them with the course instructors for their feedback, and also, if the instructors were interested, grade them. In this article, I reflect on twenty years of working with library assignments. I discuss the following: Work done in this area by librarians at Appalachian State University; why I felt compelled to do this work, even though it was not the norm; benefits, challenges, and lessons learned;  learning theory that I applied to all the assignments I developed; two library assignments for which I taught library sessions and graded students’ work many times; a grading rubric for one assignment; a partial example of high A level work for one assignment; and a document that can be used during library sessions and/or as a librarian-graded assignment.

Keywords: Library instruction, Student assignments, Grading, Job satisfaction, Job feedback

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Strategies for Staying Sane While Providing Research Support and Instruction in High Enrollment or Research-Intensive Programs

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By Julia E. Rodriguez
Nursing, Health Sciences & Scholarly Communications Librarian, Oakland University
and Elizabeth R. Bucciarelli
Health Sciences Librarian & Liaison Librarian Team Leader, Eastern Michigan University

Abstract

Managing the duties of an academic liaison librarian can be a challenge, especially when the liaison departments have high student enrollments. Two librarians from separate comprehensive Michigan universities assigned to the schools of Health Sciences and Nursing, representing ~4,000 students per semester and with 37 years combined experience, discuss a myriad of strategies used to provide instruction and research support both in-person and online for high enrollment programs and tips for keeping sane.

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The Game of Research: [Board] Gamification of Library Instruction

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , , ,

Nicole Tekulve, Chapel Cowden, Jaime Myers
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Faced with the annual revision of curriculum and activities for first-year Rhetoric and Composition courses, a group of instruction librarians at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) created a versatile board game, based on The Game of Life, to address the pitfalls and rewards of the research process. Librarians quickly learned, however, that creating an engaging, meaningful, and fast-paced game for library instruction is no small feat. Developing The Game of Research was a reminder that, just as librarians encourage students to be adaptive and creative in their research, we must also be adaptive and creative in our curriculum design in order to meet information literacy and course learning objectives. To that end, The Game of Research not only underwent many revisions but it also prompted the creation of a second game, The Research Road, based upon common learning objectives.

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