Library Instruction:

Principles of learning and instructional theories are discussed and related to the challenges and problems of instruction in library user education. A suggested model of library instruction is outlined along with the strong recommendation that librarians be aggressively active in promoting information literacy before library instruction begins. Being knowledgeable and keeping abreast of new theories and principles of learning and acting upon these principles will improve instruction. Librarians must realize that information literacy is a "process" and cannot be accomplished in one lecture.     

Cartobibliographic Instruction:

This paper encourages the inclusion of cartobibliographic instruction as another path in the library instruction program. Cartographic resources including maps, globes, charts, gazetteers, and atlases are too often overlooked in such programs. Bibliographic access to, and problems associated with the use of cartographic sources, and general geographical concepts are discussed. This paper also highlights the abundance of these sources across the curriculum with special emphasis on the humanities, social sciences, and health sciences.     

Bibliographic Instruction:

In April, 1994 Mercy College completed an extended self-study in preparation for a team visit from The Commission on Higher Education, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. This article examines the impact of institutional evaluation on the library's bibliographic instruction program, and its evolution into an information literacy program responsive to changes in student demographics, curriculum content, assessment methods, and communication technologies. Three initiatives are described: (1) an effort to increase course-integrated information literacy instruction in the general education requirement; (2) development of an information literacy assessment plan; and (3) recruitment and training of information literacy peer tutors to assist public services librarians. Although still in a formative stage, eight future directions are recommended for successful implementation.     

Bibliographic Instruction:

The intent of this paper is to reinforce and demonstrate the necessity for: (1) integrating instruction into the research process; (2) achieving a balance between faculty, students, and the library to meet that goal. This goal can only be met by addressing a number of issues that have traditionally been associated with the instrinsic value of BI integration into a curriculum, the institution's support for this move, and the attitudes of faculty and librarians toward BI, and the strengths which each can bring to the research process to benefit students.     

Instruction Boot Camp: Better Instruction Through Collaborative Course Design

ABSTRACT

This case study details Oregon State University Libraries and Press’ Instruction Boot Camp, a professional development event inspired by several different instructional improvement models, where librarians have a chance to work collaboratively in small groups of four to six to redesign a library instruction session. Librarians from six different departments participated in two Instruction Boot Camp sessions in 2012. The benefits of such collaboration include drawing upon the collective wisdom of the group to design a course and having a dedicated time to work on instruction. Although our assessment did not include student-learning outcomes, participating librarians found this a useful and valuable experience.     

Instruction and Identity:

Objective: To serve a culturally-diverse user population. Design: New curricula have been developed for two credit-bearing library classes as well as single-session subject-oriented instruction in an acadmic library. Setting: A university library. Participants: Librarians and students at the UCSB library. Interventions: I have no idea what to put in here. Main Outcome Measures: There are no quantitative measures for this study.     

Providing Off-Campus Bibliographic Instruction:

Increasing numbers of students seeking a college education choose to study close to home, utilizing satellite sites of distant educational institutions. They may never travel to the parent campus and never use the parent campus library. However, they require library services and need instruction in library use. The problem is: who will provide these services and where? This article focuses on the experiences of Genesee Community College (New York) students who receive their bibliographic instruction in the library of a near-by four-year college, the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Geneseo. Cooperation between librarians at both institutions ensures that the off-campus bibliographic instruction (BI) is consistent with the BI offered on the main campus. Communication between involved faculty and librarians assures BI sessions directly related to course work. The end result is more confident students with better library skills.     

Part 9: Planning Instruction

Effective design of instruction involves choosing the best alternatives to have students achieve learning goals. Good instructional design builds backwards from clearly stated objectives, motivates students, and pays attention to cognitive load. Worked examples and problem-based learning can be very effective if accompanied with appropriate support. Students should be given opportunities to try and fail so long as failures lead to progress toward learning goals. Librarians can be very valuable sources of support for individual learners. Although librarians rarely establish learning goals, we can provide the scaffolding students need to achieve learning objectives.     

Staffing for Bibliographic Instruction:

In planning for new or expanding bibliographic programs, library administrators and instruction librarians must work together to develop strategies for using limited staff resources effectively. Issues related to who should teach, how to develop needed skills, and which instructional methodologies to adopt must be addressed. Organizations in which assumptions and priorities can be examined, and where risk-taking is encouraged, often achieve goals which otherwise might be unobtainable.     

Relating Software to Instruction:

No abstract available for this article.     

Special Libraries and Instruction:

As in any library, bibliographic instruction is a very important service of a special library. However, it is almost never referred to by this name. The sessions can be referred to as individualized orientations (for one person) or a special presentation on services (for a group of managers, scientists, engineers, etc.) These presentations and orientations are opportunities for the savvy special librarian to sell and show off the library, build a support network for the services offered, and acclimate the client to the vast information available in the library, ensuring a client base and continued existence.     

The Public and Bibliographic Instruction:

Since Bibliographic Instruction seems to be offered to many people using libraries, one could expect that a more knowledgeable public with a positive view of the information environment is being developed among its recipients. Who is the public for Bibliographic Instruction and what are they learning? Who is not being served and what are the implications of that failure? Can we define something called "Library Appreciation," and should it be taught to all clients before other library curricula?     

The History of Bibliographic Instruction:

Bibliographic instruction in academic libraries can be traced back to the pre-Civil War era in the United States. Since that time, changes in bibliographic instruction and its perception to librarians, administrators, and faculty have occurred due to emerging technology and new teaching ideas. In the past hundred years, several librarians have promoted bibliographic instruction in a variety of formats and styles. The literature in library science illustrates similarities and differences in concerns and issues of bibliographic instruction throughout its history. The writings show how far bibliographic instruction has progressed. What began as an activity in scattered libraries has become an accepted (and expected) library service with its own theory and literature.     

Structures of Bibliographic Instruction Programs:

Five structures of bibliographic instruction programs have emerged over the past twenty years: orientation; course-related instruction; course-integrated instruction; team teaching; and, separate courses. Defined by the level of cooperation between and among librarians, departmental faculty, and university administrators, the structures can be viewed on a continuum of cooperation when planning and selecting a structure for bibliographic instruction programs. This paper presents the five structures, details the requirements for cooperation, and discusses how the structures can be used to guide the development of bibliographic instruction programs.     

Evaluating Library Instruction in Academic Libraries:

This study reviews the literature on the evaluation of bibliographic instruction in academic libraries from 1980 to 1993. Four main issues are discussed: (1) the reasons why librarians are evaluating, (2) to what degree they are evaluating, (3) what specific aspects they are evaluating, and (4) which methodologies are being used. Results indicate that, despite a growing interest in the evaluation of bibliographic instruction, the same pattern of limited systematic evaluation identified in 1980 continues to exist. Barriers to the successful implementation of evaluation, as well as possible directions for the future, are also presented.     

Library User Instruction in the Curriculum:

Teaching patrons to use library resources unaided has long been recognized as highly desirable, yet the education of reference librarians to do this important instruction has been scattered and haphazard. Slow to develop and emerge as a separate course in library school curricula, this article reports that the situation has now changed, due primarily to the organized efforts and perseverance of practitioners and library and information science educators.     

Bibliographic Instruction

Initiating a bibliographic instruction program, maintaining interest, and sustaining that interest over an extended period of time requires careful planning and thorough organization. A wellrun public relations effort can mean the difference between success and failure. This paper explores the public relations demands placed on health science librarians seeking to initiate, improve or expand a bibliographic instruction program. The initial step will be to define public relations. Secondly, the role of communications in the public relations process will be analyzed. Finally, a variety of promotional techniques will be presented. Each is designed to facilitate long-term user support for bibliographic instruction.