It's been an exciting week. Today I am "done" with work until the new year, and it's looking like an exciting 2012.
Here's a quick rundown of the past 10 or so days:
1) Went to the Detroit Center last Wednesday to "float" during a grants workshop hosted by the UM Library and the Nonprofit Enterprise for Work for local non-profit organizations. It was exciting to see how library and database resources can be used for organizations who are doing such important work. My days at the Mott Foundation came back to me as we moved fluidly through the Foundation Center's website looking at funder's and grants that applied to the non-profits missions. It was a really cool experience to be there and see yet another facet of what the Library does.
2) Almost have finished "dscribing" part my Community Information Seminar from last semester. Dscribing means taking the lecture slides from the course and ensuring that all of the content and images are "open" for use by others. We collect lecture slides from our guest speakers, they decide the level of licensing they want (Creative Commons) and we publish it. When we're finished, you can view the course here (http://open.umich.edu/education/si). Topics included information technology development, the Open.Michigan movement, social media use in Egypt, local informatics, and more!
3) I'm published! As part of my SI 641: Information Literacy for Teaching and Learning class, we had to observe 20 hours of instruction, teach two face-to-face lessons, and create a project related to information literacy. Then, we were asked by our Professor, Kristin Fontichiaro, to write a chapter for a book about one or more of our experiences. The book, Information Literacy in the Wild, was edited by Kristin and includes a forward by School of Information Dean Jeffrey MacKie-Mason. You can download it free via Smashwords or in .pdf format. Please feel free to share widely!
4) Finally, I'm going to take a break next week and start blogging again after the new year. Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season and best wishes into 2012!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
connect2edinfo - becoming a professional
Becoming a professional is a lot of work. Not only is there an actual lot of work to do inside of work, but there's a lot to do outside of work, too.
I decided a while ago that I wanted to change my Twitter name, that I wanted to create a website, and - after matriculating into the Higher Education program - that I wanted to change my blog's domain name. Whew!
You might ask why... and the answer is strictly professional. My old Twitter name - abundntsunshine - meant nothing, particularly because I live in Michigan where we don't have a lot of sunshine. I wanted to create a website because, hey, that's what information professionals do, right? And, I wanted to change the blog domain name from being solely about libraries to being more inclusive of my interest in higher education (not that I believe we shouldn't still live.love.libraries). More than anything, I wanted to create a cohesive online profile.
So then the challenges started. Not only would I have to come up with a semi-creative and relevant Twitter and blog domain name, but I'd have to find the time to change all of the links in various spaces. Between LinkedIn, my School of Information profile, Facebook, Twitter, and my resume, it's nearly impossible to keep up with everything - let alone change three important pieces of information everywhere. That's why it's taken me until December to do so. But I'm pretty satisfied with the results.
Connect2EdInfo is my new Twitter (@connect2edinfo) and blog domain (connect2edinfo.blogspot.com), and my website is simple - alissatalleypixley.com. It was my attempt to keep my online profile professional, and for it to represent what I'm interested in and what I hope to work on in my career.
It's a lot of work to continually put myself out there in a way that is representative of my professionalism. But I think it's worth it - more and more people are reading my blog and it's my hope that the new name change will begin attracting broader audiences on Twitter and on the web. Enjoy (and thanks for reading this self-promoting post :) - hopefully there are some lessons learned for all.
I decided a while ago that I wanted to change my Twitter name, that I wanted to create a website, and - after matriculating into the Higher Education program - that I wanted to change my blog's domain name. Whew!
You might ask why... and the answer is strictly professional. My old Twitter name - abundntsunshine - meant nothing, particularly because I live in Michigan where we don't have a lot of sunshine. I wanted to create a website because, hey, that's what information professionals do, right? And, I wanted to change the blog domain name from being solely about libraries to being more inclusive of my interest in higher education (not that I believe we shouldn't still live.love.libraries). More than anything, I wanted to create a cohesive online profile.
So then the challenges started. Not only would I have to come up with a semi-creative and relevant Twitter and blog domain name, but I'd have to find the time to change all of the links in various spaces. Between LinkedIn, my School of Information profile, Facebook, Twitter, and my resume, it's nearly impossible to keep up with everything - let alone change three important pieces of information everywhere. That's why it's taken me until December to do so. But I'm pretty satisfied with the results.
Connect2EdInfo is my new Twitter (@connect2edinfo) and blog domain (connect2edinfo.blogspot.com), and my website is simple - alissatalleypixley.com. It was my attempt to keep my online profile professional, and for it to represent what I'm interested in and what I hope to work on in my career.
It's a lot of work to continually put myself out there in a way that is representative of my professionalism. But I think it's worth it - more and more people are reading my blog and it's my hope that the new name change will begin attracting broader audiences on Twitter and on the web. Enjoy (and thanks for reading this self-promoting post :) - hopefully there are some lessons learned for all.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Changing World of Academia
Last Thursday, I attended the HASTAC pre-conference on alternative jobs in academia. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but the workshop was definitely a learning experience. It turns out, the pre-conference workshop was primarily populated by Ph.D. students in the humanities, arts, and sciences fields who were considering professional jobs in academia because they either did not want, or were not sure they could get, tenure-track positions. Now, I am not a Ph.D. student, nor do I have plans to become one, so the tone of the conference initially threw me off.
Then I started thinking about how this workshop would end up affecting higher education in general. What I deducted was that jobs in administration, and actually all over academia, could become more competitive with more Ph.D's applying for non-tenure-track jobs. At first, it seemed having a bachelor's degree would allow one to get jobs in higher education. Then I realized to do what I wanted to do (become a librarian, or obtain another position in higher education) would require a Master's degree. Having found two master's programs by which I was enthused (Information and Higher Education), I thought I would have a very good chance at contending for jobs in my areas of interest. Now it's occurring to me that those jobs may increasingly become more competitive due to people with even higher degrees applying.
It's just something to ponder - and not something I'm necessarily worried about. I still believe that my degrees are valuable - and those degrees do not even display my work experience or service to the community. But, it was eye-opening to realize that higher education is rapidly changing (at the conference I heard there were something like 600 jobs for every 1000 Ph.D's). It just reminded me that it's important to stay on top of what's going on in my fields and that it's important to continue to think to the future - the future that is evolving very quickly.
Then I started thinking about how this workshop would end up affecting higher education in general. What I deducted was that jobs in administration, and actually all over academia, could become more competitive with more Ph.D's applying for non-tenure-track jobs. At first, it seemed having a bachelor's degree would allow one to get jobs in higher education. Then I realized to do what I wanted to do (become a librarian, or obtain another position in higher education) would require a Master's degree. Having found two master's programs by which I was enthused (Information and Higher Education), I thought I would have a very good chance at contending for jobs in my areas of interest. Now it's occurring to me that those jobs may increasingly become more competitive due to people with even higher degrees applying.
It's just something to ponder - and not something I'm necessarily worried about. I still believe that my degrees are valuable - and those degrees do not even display my work experience or service to the community. But, it was eye-opening to realize that higher education is rapidly changing (at the conference I heard there were something like 600 jobs for every 1000 Ph.D's). It just reminded me that it's important to stay on top of what's going on in my fields and that it's important to continue to think to the future - the future that is evolving very quickly.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Instructional Reflections
As it's nearing the end of the term and I'll be attending the HASTAC Pre-conference Workshop called Alt-Ac: Alternative Academic Careers Workshop in just around an hour (which I'll blog about next week), tonight's post is taken from a draft of a chapter that I'm writing for my Information Literacy course this semester. For the class, we had to observe 20 hours of instruction and then teach two information literacy-related courses (all of which I did at the UM Library), and then write a chapter about it. The chapter will part of a book that includes chapters from each student and will be published as an e-book and then also printed by the Espresso Book Machine. So, with no further ado, here's a portion of my chapter...
What you learned that other people should know about to improve their own practice
Instruction at the library is something many librarians can do by choice. It’s a requirement for some positions, and is expected that should assistance be needed to instruct or float (walking around to help students stay on track during the session), librarians will step up. There are library resources for instructors including teaching outlines, informal mentors, and research-based practice on which to draw. However as a beginning instructor teaching topics on which I needed fluency, I needed to do a significant amount of work on my own. This pre-work came to be what made me comfortable teaching, and it has played an important role in my teaching effectiveness. So, to all instructors just starting out (or those who want to revisit their practice), I present to you my lessons learned and recommendations for diving into information literacy-based instruction as an information literate instructor.
1) Observe sessions
I had the chance to observe many types of workshops with different instructors (and one at another local university) and was able to glean an incredible amount from actively observing. I learned about keeping energy up (especially if you’re teaching undergraduates at 8:30 in the morning), being prepared for the topic, and different strategies such as walking around the room while talking. Observation time can give you the chance to sort out your teaching style and think about what you like and didn’t care during different types of workshops.
Take the time to sit in on a variety of instructional sessions and don’t be afraid to step out of the box to observe workshops that are in a different field or even location (such as a public library or other university, if you’re an academic librarian). Ask colleagues in your workplace if you can watch their sessions, or even float if you feel comfortable. Sit in on technology workshops, citation workshops, database workshops, and other types of sessions that can give you a varied view of instruction. While you may be teaching workshops on how to format citations, the instructor for that database class might have a teaching style that is more “you.” By observing different instructors in different settings with different topics, you’ll gain a more rounded view of what instruction means for students and for you as an instructor.
2) Consider your audience
Instructing undergraduates, PhDs, faculty and staff within a few weeks of one another really caused me to think about the audience of the workshop while I was preparing to teach and actually instructing. Teaching different types of groups requires thinking about the prior knowledge of the participant (while admitting it’s impossible to actually know this - especially when teaching a one-shot workshop), the basic skills they may or may not have, and why they are attending the session. More specifically, undergraduates may or may not have visited the library before, and one can cautiously assume they are familiar with computers in terms of web browsing, but they quite possibly are only at the database workshop because it’s required for their class. On the contrary, participants who attend the computer basics workshop are presumably there because they feel they are lacking computer skills and really want to absorb the workshop materials.
3) Conduct background information on previously taught sessions
Most of the sessions I taught had been taught before by many different people. I was provided with teaching outlines, but this only gave me part of the story. It was incredibly useful to talk to instructors who’d taught the session before to find out what works well and what doesn’t work so well (for example, some databases might not handle simultaneous use as well as others - and that’s helpful to know!), and how participants might react to the material. In a database workshop I co-taught, by talking with my co-instructor prior, I knew that one part of the workshop might take longer than predicted, so we needed to keep an eye on the time. Again, this was useful knowledge to have before getting in front of the class.
Reaching out to other instructors to prep and debrief workshops is an effective way to network with colleagues and improve your instruction. Looking back up to lesson learned #1, see if you can observe a workshop you’ll teach in the future and then chat with them afterwards to talk through some of the parts that were great or a bit confusing. Most colleagues should be open to this discussion.
4) Practice, and then practice again (by self and with others)
This might feel like an obvious step to take, but I’ve observed instructors who were clearly not as prepared as they could have been (and I’ve been there too!) - one of the steps for moving through the session was out of place, their designated search didn’t bring up the right results, or they left out a major part of the workshop.
Prior to teaching, I set aside time at least one week in advance to talk with colleagues and then actually sit down to practice working through the material. I follow all of the prescribed steps for the workshop (“now we’re going to go to the library homepage, and in the main search bar type ‘Children and Media.’ This will bring up a page that...) and talk myself through what I’m going to say. When time allows or I’m feeling particularly uncomfortable about a topic, I will practice in front of other colleagues or classmates to get feedback. By practicing , and practicing, and practicing, I’ve learned that being prepared is huge in feeling effective and comfortable in front of a classroom. I’ve also learned that you can’t predict everything that will happen, but that by being prepared for what you can control, the moments that you can’t are much easier to handle.
5) Co-teach
Not everyone might agree that co-teaching is effective or even something they want to do, but if you can find a colleague with whom you work well, having a co-instructor can be very useful to learning instructional skills and teaching styles. I found a co-instructor who’s teaching style and prep style both compliment and supplement mine. It’s been a great experience to work with someone who has his own teaching identity but who is willing to talk through instructional strategies and sessions (part of the practice part in #4!) and who is there for support during the workshop and after to provide feedback (see #7). Co-teaching can be a great way to start getting your feet wet in the vast instructional waters.
6) Teach!
Dive in and do it! Until you start teaching, you can’t possibly start to reflect and improve on what you can do better. When I started teaching, I did not have a teaching style and was merely trying to get through the material. By working with a co-instructor, having my mentor observe my sessions, reviewing the workshop evaluations from participants, and reflecting alone I was able to get critical feedback that has improved my teaching. I found that the more I taught, the more comfortable I got with different audiences (making quips about dissertation writing with PhDs, telling undergraduates that this tool will really save them time - because who wants to spend more time on citations then you have to) and the more comfortable I got in general. And the only want to do this was to start teaching - ready or not!
7) Reflect and debrief
This may be the most important step, not necessarily to start instructing, but definitely for becoming a more effective instructor. Having a co-teach or observer at some of your first sessions (and even as you progress) can make all the difference in being a great instructor. At the beginning of my teaching, I stayed behind the podium and, as mentioned earlier, just tried to get through the material. After receiving feedback, I started walking around the room, pointing more to the screen and became more interactive in my teaching style. I also worked through some of the examples in the workshop that simply didn’t work as well as I wanted. Additionally, reflection has helped me consider what I need to do more of in terms of preparation -- more practice, more background information, whether I want a co-instructor or not. These are valuable lessons on which to build for each and every instructional session I teach. Don’t be afraid to do this outside work - take this time in your office to write notes, or wait til you get home and can sit and think for a few minutes outside of the setting. It will be critical to improving your teaching to debrief each session, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Think about what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what you can improve on next time. A couple of bullet points can put things into perspective. And if a session had a lot of issues, think about how you can prevent them if possible, and more forward to making the next workshop that much better.
What you learned that other people should know about to improve their own practice
Instruction at the library is something many librarians can do by choice. It’s a requirement for some positions, and is expected that should assistance be needed to instruct or float (walking around to help students stay on track during the session), librarians will step up. There are library resources for instructors including teaching outlines, informal mentors, and research-based practice on which to draw. However as a beginning instructor teaching topics on which I needed fluency, I needed to do a significant amount of work on my own. This pre-work came to be what made me comfortable teaching, and it has played an important role in my teaching effectiveness. So, to all instructors just starting out (or those who want to revisit their practice), I present to you my lessons learned and recommendations for diving into information literacy-based instruction as an information literate instructor.
1) Observe sessions
I had the chance to observe many types of workshops with different instructors (and one at another local university) and was able to glean an incredible amount from actively observing. I learned about keeping energy up (especially if you’re teaching undergraduates at 8:30 in the morning), being prepared for the topic, and different strategies such as walking around the room while talking. Observation time can give you the chance to sort out your teaching style and think about what you like and didn’t care during different types of workshops.
Take the time to sit in on a variety of instructional sessions and don’t be afraid to step out of the box to observe workshops that are in a different field or even location (such as a public library or other university, if you’re an academic librarian). Ask colleagues in your workplace if you can watch their sessions, or even float if you feel comfortable. Sit in on technology workshops, citation workshops, database workshops, and other types of sessions that can give you a varied view of instruction. While you may be teaching workshops on how to format citations, the instructor for that database class might have a teaching style that is more “you.” By observing different instructors in different settings with different topics, you’ll gain a more rounded view of what instruction means for students and for you as an instructor.
2) Consider your audience
Instructing undergraduates, PhDs, faculty and staff within a few weeks of one another really caused me to think about the audience of the workshop while I was preparing to teach and actually instructing. Teaching different types of groups requires thinking about the prior knowledge of the participant (while admitting it’s impossible to actually know this - especially when teaching a one-shot workshop), the basic skills they may or may not have, and why they are attending the session. More specifically, undergraduates may or may not have visited the library before, and one can cautiously assume they are familiar with computers in terms of web browsing, but they quite possibly are only at the database workshop because it’s required for their class. On the contrary, participants who attend the computer basics workshop are presumably there because they feel they are lacking computer skills and really want to absorb the workshop materials.
3) Conduct background information on previously taught sessions
Most of the sessions I taught had been taught before by many different people. I was provided with teaching outlines, but this only gave me part of the story. It was incredibly useful to talk to instructors who’d taught the session before to find out what works well and what doesn’t work so well (for example, some databases might not handle simultaneous use as well as others - and that’s helpful to know!), and how participants might react to the material. In a database workshop I co-taught, by talking with my co-instructor prior, I knew that one part of the workshop might take longer than predicted, so we needed to keep an eye on the time. Again, this was useful knowledge to have before getting in front of the class.
Reaching out to other instructors to prep and debrief workshops is an effective way to network with colleagues and improve your instruction. Looking back up to lesson learned #1, see if you can observe a workshop you’ll teach in the future and then chat with them afterwards to talk through some of the parts that were great or a bit confusing. Most colleagues should be open to this discussion.
4) Practice, and then practice again (by self and with others)
This might feel like an obvious step to take, but I’ve observed instructors who were clearly not as prepared as they could have been (and I’ve been there too!) - one of the steps for moving through the session was out of place, their designated search didn’t bring up the right results, or they left out a major part of the workshop.
Prior to teaching, I set aside time at least one week in advance to talk with colleagues and then actually sit down to practice working through the material. I follow all of the prescribed steps for the workshop (“now we’re going to go to the library homepage, and in the main search bar type ‘Children and Media.’ This will bring up a page that...) and talk myself through what I’m going to say. When time allows or I’m feeling particularly uncomfortable about a topic, I will practice in front of other colleagues or classmates to get feedback. By practicing , and practicing, and practicing, I’ve learned that being prepared is huge in feeling effective and comfortable in front of a classroom. I’ve also learned that you can’t predict everything that will happen, but that by being prepared for what you can control, the moments that you can’t are much easier to handle.
5) Co-teach
Not everyone might agree that co-teaching is effective or even something they want to do, but if you can find a colleague with whom you work well, having a co-instructor can be very useful to learning instructional skills and teaching styles. I found a co-instructor who’s teaching style and prep style both compliment and supplement mine. It’s been a great experience to work with someone who has his own teaching identity but who is willing to talk through instructional strategies and sessions (part of the practice part in #4!) and who is there for support during the workshop and after to provide feedback (see #7). Co-teaching can be a great way to start getting your feet wet in the vast instructional waters.
6) Teach!
Dive in and do it! Until you start teaching, you can’t possibly start to reflect and improve on what you can do better. When I started teaching, I did not have a teaching style and was merely trying to get through the material. By working with a co-instructor, having my mentor observe my sessions, reviewing the workshop evaluations from participants, and reflecting alone I was able to get critical feedback that has improved my teaching. I found that the more I taught, the more comfortable I got with different audiences (making quips about dissertation writing with PhDs, telling undergraduates that this tool will really save them time - because who wants to spend more time on citations then you have to) and the more comfortable I got in general. And the only want to do this was to start teaching - ready or not!
7) Reflect and debrief
This may be the most important step, not necessarily to start instructing, but definitely for becoming a more effective instructor. Having a co-teach or observer at some of your first sessions (and even as you progress) can make all the difference in being a great instructor. At the beginning of my teaching, I stayed behind the podium and, as mentioned earlier, just tried to get through the material. After receiving feedback, I started walking around the room, pointing more to the screen and became more interactive in my teaching style. I also worked through some of the examples in the workshop that simply didn’t work as well as I wanted. Additionally, reflection has helped me consider what I need to do more of in terms of preparation -- more practice, more background information, whether I want a co-instructor or not. These are valuable lessons on which to build for each and every instructional session I teach. Don’t be afraid to do this outside work - take this time in your office to write notes, or wait til you get home and can sit and think for a few minutes outside of the setting. It will be critical to improving your teaching to debrief each session, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Think about what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what you can improve on next time. A couple of bullet points can put things into perspective. And if a session had a lot of issues, think about how you can prevent them if possible, and more forward to making the next workshop that much better.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Taking this week off from writing to gear up for the end of the semester. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Connecting Developments - Detroit Center
Last week was busy and exciting for many reasons. On Wednesday, I visited another library, which I wrote about here and Thursday I had a chance to go to the Detroit Center, a UM-sponsored center downtown that houses UM projects such as UM Semester in Detroit, School of Social Work Technical Assistance, the Ginsberg Center, and many more that you can read about on their website.
The work at the Detroit Center is something in which I'll be engaged through May 2012. As part of my internship, I'm required to commit to a project in my second year of my graduate program that not only enhances my own professional development, but also helps fulfill a need in the library. I've always been interested in outreach and knew that the outreach librarians here at UM were doing interesting work. Once I learned more about their goals and projects, and started thinking more about my higher education degree, I was even more excited to work with them.
The library is at the Detroit Center to provide research assistance to the projects. Part of the work we're doing now is thinking about how to connect the correct librarian to the appropriate project. It's exciting to see things coming together. Other goals for the library at the Detroit Center include providing resources for grants, and helping the project leaders think about how they can use library resources to enhance their work.
This relates to my visit to the nearby academic library last week in one direct way. One of the Dean's visions was to create more partnerships and collaborations. UM is not perfect and thus one of my career goals is to create more partnerships between university libraries, university resources, and the surrounding communities that need them. The Detroit Center is a great example of how this is happening NOW and has a lot of potential to develop further.
The work at the Detroit Center is something in which I'll be engaged through May 2012. As part of my internship, I'm required to commit to a project in my second year of my graduate program that not only enhances my own professional development, but also helps fulfill a need in the library. I've always been interested in outreach and knew that the outreach librarians here at UM were doing interesting work. Once I learned more about their goals and projects, and started thinking more about my higher education degree, I was even more excited to work with them.
The library is at the Detroit Center to provide research assistance to the projects. Part of the work we're doing now is thinking about how to connect the correct librarian to the appropriate project. It's exciting to see things coming together. Other goals for the library at the Detroit Center include providing resources for grants, and helping the project leaders think about how they can use library resources to enhance their work.
This relates to my visit to the nearby academic library last week in one direct way. One of the Dean's visions was to create more partnerships and collaborations. UM is not perfect and thus one of my career goals is to create more partnerships between university libraries, university resources, and the surrounding communities that need them. The Detroit Center is a great example of how this is happening NOW and has a lot of potential to develop further.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Continual Professional Development
Professional practice means something different with each new professional development. This week, I had the valuable opportunity to visit another academic library, talk with their instruction coordinator, observe an instructional session, and have a conversation with the library's Dean. Having only spent time at the University of Michigan Library and one public library, this experience was both eye-opening and a great lesson learned.
Each of the pieces of my visit to the other university library was worthwhile in it's own way. The discussion with the instruction coordinator allowed me to peer into the inner-workings of how another library structures it's staff and views instruction. The instructional observation showed me how an actual lesson was constructed and executed at another library. The conversation with the Dean provided me with an inside view of an administrator's priorities and vision for the changing world of academia from the perspective of libraries and higher education.
The structure of this other academic library was very different from UM's library. The staff there are tenure-track faculty which allows them different challenges and opportunities within their work. The person I spoke with discussed their own goals and the goals of the instructional staff, but said that because there is no supervisor telling them what to do, that they have a lot of freedom in their positions and can focus on what they feel is important.
Another interesting piece of our discussion focused on the instructional goals that this librarian identified. Information literacy came up several times in the conversation which led me to believe that this was a large focus for his/her work. Additionally, the focus for this person's work was on the research process and helping students understand that process, as well as sources, in a more embedded way meaning that they believed the focus should not be on "one-shot workshops" but rather on intentional learning that included follow up.
The instructional observation also provided me a different view of this type of work. The instructional session was held in a large lab and the instructor "took over" the computers because there was not a large projection screen on which to show the demonstrations. There was time left over for students to work on their research while the instructor floated around.
The conversation with the Dean was very interesting to me, as I like to take a big picture view of situations. Without revealing too much, the focus of her/his vision was on partnerships and collaborations. They believe that the future success of libraries on university or college campuses depends on this. For me, this was exciting because it's exactly what I want to do in my career.
I probably could have written about 10 pages of reflection after my visit yesterday in conjunction with my visit today to the Detroit Center (which I'll focus on connecting next week) but for now I'll leave it at this and the overall value add to my professional development. The greatest lesson I learned was how continually learning and expanding my view of libraries and higher education can only enhance my career. The networking is key, yes, but especially because it's a great way to see what's going on on the ground in these fields which will continue to inform my work as I move forward.
Each of the pieces of my visit to the other university library was worthwhile in it's own way. The discussion with the instruction coordinator allowed me to peer into the inner-workings of how another library structures it's staff and views instruction. The instructional observation showed me how an actual lesson was constructed and executed at another library. The conversation with the Dean provided me with an inside view of an administrator's priorities and vision for the changing world of academia from the perspective of libraries and higher education.
The structure of this other academic library was very different from UM's library. The staff there are tenure-track faculty which allows them different challenges and opportunities within their work. The person I spoke with discussed their own goals and the goals of the instructional staff, but said that because there is no supervisor telling them what to do, that they have a lot of freedom in their positions and can focus on what they feel is important.
Another interesting piece of our discussion focused on the instructional goals that this librarian identified. Information literacy came up several times in the conversation which led me to believe that this was a large focus for his/her work. Additionally, the focus for this person's work was on the research process and helping students understand that process, as well as sources, in a more embedded way meaning that they believed the focus should not be on "one-shot workshops" but rather on intentional learning that included follow up.
The instructional observation also provided me a different view of this type of work. The instructional session was held in a large lab and the instructor "took over" the computers because there was not a large projection screen on which to show the demonstrations. There was time left over for students to work on their research while the instructor floated around.
The conversation with the Dean was very interesting to me, as I like to take a big picture view of situations. Without revealing too much, the focus of her/his vision was on partnerships and collaborations. They believe that the future success of libraries on university or college campuses depends on this. For me, this was exciting because it's exactly what I want to do in my career.
I probably could have written about 10 pages of reflection after my visit yesterday in conjunction with my visit today to the Detroit Center (which I'll focus on connecting next week) but for now I'll leave it at this and the overall value add to my professional development. The greatest lesson I learned was how continually learning and expanding my view of libraries and higher education can only enhance my career. The networking is key, yes, but especially because it's a great way to see what's going on on the ground in these fields which will continue to inform my work as I move forward.
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