Invited Presentation at the LAI/CILIP Ireland Annual Joint Conference, Belfast, 19th April 2012.

1. The Teaching Librarian in
Education: Strategies for Skills
Development
Claire McGuinness
School of Information & Library
Studies, UCD

2. Session Outline
1. Changing role of academic librarians
2. Skills & knowledge for effective teaching
3. Professional development

3. Academic Librarians
“To complement the hybrid library
environment, academic LIS
professionals have evolved to become
new hybrid information professionals,
encouraged by a process of work
assimilation between disciplines and
across professional boundaries, posing
questions about the true professional
identity of contemporary academic
librarianship”
(Wilson & Halpin, 2006, p.79)

4. Your View....
2 minutes...
• What, in your experience, are the key factors
currently driving change in information
work?

5. Drivers of Change

6. Dealing with Change
Fear of extinction –
adapt or die
“On the one hand, librarians require the dynamic, ruthless pursuit of new
roles if they wish to survive. On the other hand, they require empathy, tireless
dedication to a cause, commitment, and a service for free orientation – if not
for the survival of librarians, then at least for the benefit of society at large”
(Fourie, 2004, p.62)
“We live in a post-modern environment in which the traditional concept of an
academic library is increasingly becoming something of an anachronism”
(Biddiscombe, 2002, p.228-9)

7. Dealing with Change
Go with the flow –
but don’t get swept away
“Although still intermediaries, [librarians] are moving away from being
the traditional facilitator in the library context, but applying the same
enabling skills on a broader canvas. They are using these enabling skills
in novel ways to bring enquirer and information together”
(Biddiscombe, 2000)
“the complexity of both the information landscape and the
organisational arena demand both breadth and depth in skills and
knowledge for jobs that require cross-functional and highly-specialised
competencies”
(Corrall, 2010, p.584)

8. Academic Librarians’ Perceptions
Beliefs about Core Library functions in 5 years time:
• Teacher of information literacy and related skills (82%)
• Subject-based information expert in library (74%)
• Custodian of print and digital archives (73%)
• Administrator dealing with purchasing of info. services (69%)
• Manager of IRs and digital information (61%)
• Facilitator for e-learning /virtual learning (50%)
• Manager of metadata issues (43%)
*307 academic librarians responded to survey
Source: RIN & CURL (2007) - Researchers’ Use of Academic Libraries and their Services.

9. Recent Comments
The Guardian, March 22nd 2012 – results of a live chat panel re
academic librarian’s role
• Role of librarian is basically unchanged – support institutions in
delivery of research and learning strategies
• Libraries are about supporting study, rather than storing books
• Librarians must become good marketeers
• Relationships & collaboration with academic colleagues paramount
• Libraries must demonstrate their value
• Communication skills are key
• Professional education for librarians is out-of-date quickly
• Librarians must challenge negative perceptions of role
(Contributors quoted were Simon Bains, Jo Webb, Andy Priestner, Ned Potter, Ann Rossiter)

10. Teaching
• “Librarians teach. [...] the subject of much
angst, soul-searching and self-justification
by academic librarians [...], this statement
would now be accepted almost without
argument both within the library world and
largely by our colleagues in the wider
academic community” (Powis, 2008, p.6)
• Corrall (2010) identifies awareness of
information literacy and recognition of the
teaching role of librarians as two of the key
trends influencing the academic librarians’
role

11. The “Blended Librarian”
“We define the “blended librarian” as an academic librarian
who combines the traditional skill set of librarianship with
the information technologist’s hardware/software skills, and
the instructional or educational designer’s ability to apply
technology appropriately in the teaching learning process”
(Bell & Shank, 2004)
Blurring of boundaries between the
responsibilities of librarians, IT professionals and
other academic support services

12. Your View...
3 minutes....
• What skills do we need now?
• What skills will we need in 5-10 years?

13. Skills needed Now
Skills currently used in role*
• Interpersonal Skills (90%)
• Customer Service Skills (89%)
• ICT Skills (85%)
• General Management Skills
(73%)
• Info Evaluation Skills (72%)
• Training Skills (71%)
• Info Management Skills (70%)
• Online Communication Skills
(66%)
• Marketing Skills (60%)
• Business Skills (53%)
• Decision Support Skills (50%)
• Teaching Skills (50%)
• Cataloguing Skills (47%)
• Classification Skills (46%)
• Web Publishing Skills (32%)
*Sample size 3240. Librarians across all sectors
Source: CILIP. Defining our Professional Future, July 2010

14. Skills needed in 10 years time
Skills used a lot or a little more*
• Online Communication Skills
(88%)
• ICT Skills (83%)
• Business Skills (81%)
• Marketing Skills (78%)
• Info Evaluation Skills (72%
• Web Publishing Skills (71%)
• Info Management Skills (70%)
• Fundraising Skills (65%)
• General Management Skills
(64%)
• Customer Service Skills (63%)
• Training Skills (63%)
• Decision Support Skills (60%)
• Teaching Skills (58%)
• Interpersonal Skills (50%)
*Sample Size 3037-3175. Librarians across all sectors
Source: CILIP. Defining our Professional Future, July 2010

15. Typical Teaching Activities
Conroy & Boden, 2007*
• On the spot support (93%)
• Small group teaching (92%)
• Writing training guides (91%)
• Delivering presentations (85%)
• One-to-one sessions (83%)
• Large group sessions (71%)
• Staff development (10%)
• Online support (5%)
• Mentoring (3%)
*Sample Size 463
Libraries across all sectors
Bewick & Corrall, 2010*
• On the spot support (94%)
• Writing training guides (93%)
• Small group teaching (91%)
• One-to-one sessions (90%)
• Large group sessions (79%)
• Other forms (15%)
*Sample Size 82
Subject librarians in UK HE Institutions

16. Teaching Skills Needed?
Library & Information Science Education in Europe: Joint
Curriculum Development and Bologna Perspectives, Aug. 2005
It is essential for LIS students:
• To be aware of information literacy as a concept
• To become information literate themselves
• To learn about key aspects of teaching information literacy
(Kajberg & Lørring, 2005, p.67).

17. Teaching Skills Needed?
An instructional module for LIS professionals should cover:
• Curriculum design and planning
• Understanding learners and learning theory
• Understanding basic concepts, theories and practice of
teaching
• Understanding the context for teaching and learning
Kajberg & Lørring, 2005

18. Teaching Skills Needed?
ACRL Standards for Proficiencies for
Instruction Librarians and Coordinators,
2008
1. Administrative skills
2. Assessment and evaluation skills
3. Communication skills
4. Curriculum knowledge
5. IL integration skills
6. Instructional design skills
7. Leadership skills
8. Planning skills
9. Presentation skills
10. Promotion skills
11. Subject expertise
12. Teaching skills

19. Reflective Practice
“A teaching programme aimed as a preparation for
professional practice has [...] to accommodate
more than a definitive statement of the subject, it
must be an introduction to thinking, asking
questions, and interpreting, and should instil the
same critical thinking skills that are prerequisites
for information literacy”
(Foster, 2006, p.492)

20. Learning to Teach
How skills were developed:*
• Trial and error (72%)
• On-the-job (59%)
• Non-accredited course
(31%)
• Accredited course (30%)
*n=463 librarians across all sectors
Boden & Conroy, 2007 (UK)
How skills were developed:*
• No training (32%)
• One or half-day course or
seminar (43%)
• Weekend course 5%
• Module within professional
degree programme 15%
• Full teaching qual 7%
*n=74 academic librarians
McGuinness, 2009 (Ireland)
Instructional training not usually a core element of professional
education for LIS professionals

21. Learning to Teach
• “Professional education for librarians has to anticipate
changes and developments in professional tasks, roles
and expectations, both at the macro level of the
profession as a whole and the micro level of different
library specialties [...] The challenges facing educators are
significant, with some employers and graduates
questioning the value of academic preparation for
professional practice, while others see both initial and
continuing education as a worthwhile investment, but
want flexible, tailored provision, not just a standard
offer.” ”
(Corrall, 2010, p.568)

22. CPD Methods
Formal Informal
Structured
Full educational programmes (e.g.
diplomas, certificates, etc)
Short courses
Workshops or seminars
Online learning modules
Communities of practice
Professional learning
communities
Mentoring
Self-Directed Mentoring/buddying
Journal Clubs
Publishing articles in the scholarly or
professional literature
Peer evaluation of teaching
Delivering conference presentations
or attending conferences
Writing grant applications
Participating in group funded projects
Applying for teaching awards
Staff development committees
Blogging
Journal-keeping
Developing a teaching portfolio
Reading the scholarly or
professional literature
“Following” relevant persons
on Twitter
Subscribing to blogs, RSS feeds,
social sharing sites, etc

23. Reflective Approaches
• “Reflective professionals should thus be able to draw on, or
contribute to, many sources of evidence, and use them to
inform their teaching practices” (Pollard, 2008, p.11)
• Blogging
• Journal-keeping
• Developing a teaching portfolio
• Peer evaluation of teaching
• Reading the scholarly or professional literature
• Publishing articles in the scholarly or professional literature
• Presenting at conferences

24. Blogging
• Blogs written by librarians - “liblogs”
• Overall blog collective – “biblioblogosphere”
(Crawford, 2010)
Technorati search, March 2012:
• 3100 Blogs using search term “library”
• 978 Blogs using search term “librarian”
“Librarians and information scientists may assume that because of the informal
nature of blogs, the information conveyed in them is only personal and casual
and won’t contribute to their professional development. But they should be
aware of the professional potential of the blogs’ content – the opportunity to
exploit information on the blogs”
(Aharony, 2009, p.179)

25. Teaching Portfolios
• “A collection of evidence
about your teaching and
your students’ learning and
a reflection on that
evidence” (Biggs & Tang,
2007, p.266)
• A way to “clearly
communicate our teaching
successes to those outside
our immediate field”
(Hochstein, 2004, p.141)
• Introduction
• Teaching
qualifications/achievements
• Teaching Philosophy
• Design of Teaching/Approaches
• Enactment of Teaching, including
work samples
• Teaching outcomes, including
evidence from students/colleagues
• Other professional activities
related to teaching
• Reflection
• Additional Evidence

26. Library Association of Ireland
Continuing Professional Development
“The Education Committee has recommended that all LAI members
should engage in 25 hours CPD per annum. The CPD activity may
include:
• Post-qualification academic courses ( further degrees, single
modules)
• Attendance at courses/conferences/workshop
• Publications
• Professional association activities
• Professional reading”
Source: http://www.libraryassociation.ie/education-committee-cpd/continuing-professional-development-
learning-portfolio/

27. CILIP
Continuing Professional Development
CILIP Qualifications
• Certification (information and library assistants ) & Chartership
(practising librarians and information managers)
• Involve identifying a mentor, and creating Personal
(Professional) Development Plans
• Collecting evidence of CPD and submitting a portfolio

28. Blended Approach to CPD
Devise a personal blend of formal & informal activities
E.g.
• Attend one formal training opportunity per year (e.g. ANLTC workshop,
weekend course, etc)
• Attend two conferences per year – one at home, one abroad (if funding
available) OR present paper/poster at one conference per year
• Read two scholarly/professional articles per month – identify relevant journals
and check ToC regularly
• Set up RSS feeds from blogs/sites of professional interest/set up relevant
“follows” on Twitter
• Set up “Google Alerts” for articles on topics of interest
• Start own blog and update regularly (e.g. monthly) or post contributions to
other blogs
• Join one CoP or committee and commit to that
• Gradually build up a Teaching Portfolio over one year

29. Thank you!
Contact details
• claire.mcguinness@ucd.ie
• Twitter @cmcguinness
• Web: http://www.ucd.ie/sils/staff/drclairemcguinness/

30. References
• Aharony, N. (2009). Librarians and information scientists in the blogosphere:
An exploratory analysis. Library & Information Science Research, 31(3), 174-
181
• Anyangwe, E. (2012, March 22nd). Professional development advice for
academic librarians. The Guardian. Accessed at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-
education-network/blog/2012/mar/22/professional-development-for-academic-librarians
• Bell, S.J. & Shank, J. (2004). The blended librarian: A blueprint for redefining
the teaching and learning role of academic librarians. College & Research
Libraries News, 65(7), 372‐375
• Bewick, L., & Corrall, S. (2010). Developing librarians as teachers: A study of their
pedagogical knowledge. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 42 2),
97-110

31. References
• Biddiscombe, R. (2002). Learning support professionals: The changing role of
subject specialists in UK academic libraries. Program, 36 (4), 228-35
• Biddiscombe,R. (2000). The changing role of the information professional in
support of learning and research. Advances in Librarianship, 23, 63-64
• Biggs, J. B. and Tang, C. Teaching for quality learning at university. (3rd ed.).
Open University Press/Mc Graw-Hill Education, 2007
• CILIP. (2010). Defining our Professional Future. Accessed at:
http://www.cilip.org.uk/about-us/cilipfuture/Documents/Defining%20Our%20Professional%20Future%20-
%20Report%20to%20CILIP%20Council%20July%202010.pdf
• Conroy, H. & Boden, D. (2007). Teachers, Trainers, Educators, Enablers: What
skills do we need and where do we get them? Presentation given at Umbrella,
29 June 2007. Accessed at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/special-interest-
groups/personnel/Documents/PTEGTeachersTrainers.pdf

32. References
• Corrall, S. (2010). Educating the academic librarian as a blended professional: A
review and case study. Library Management, 31(8/9), 567-593
• Foster, A. E. (2006). Information literacy for the information profession:
Experiences from Aberystwyth. Aslib Proceedings, 58(6), 488-501
• Fourie, I. (2004). Librarians and the claiming of new roles: how can we try to
make a difference? Aslib Proceedings, 56 (1), 62-74
• Hochstein, S. (2004). You mean you teach? I thought you were a librarian! Using
teaching portfolios to think about and improve instruction in academic libraries.
In Thomas, D. B., Tammany, R., Baier, R., Owen, E. & Mercado, H. (Eds.).
Reflective teaching: A bridge to learning. (pp. 139-144). Ann Arbor, MI: Pierian
Press, 2004

33. References
• Kajberg, L. and Lørring, L. (Eds.). European Curriculum Reflections on Library
and Information Science Education. Copenhagen: The Royal School of Library
and Information Science, 2005. Accessed at:
http://www.library.utt.ro/LIS_Bologna.pdf
• McGuinness, C. (2009). Information Skills Training Practices in Irish Higher
Education. Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, 61(3), 262-281
• Pollard, A. Reflective Teaching (3rd ed.). London: Continuum, 2008
• Powis, C. (2008). Towards the professionalisation of practice in teaching.
Relay: The Journal of the University College and Research Group (CILIP), 58, 6-
9.

34. References
• RIN & CURL (2007). Researchers’ Use of Academic Libraries and their Services:
A report commissioned by the Research Information Network and the
Consortium of Research Libraries.
• Wilson, K. M., & Halpin, E. (2006). Convergence and professional identity in
the academic library. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 38(2),
79-91