When
Where
Please join us for an online conversation with Kirsten Hostetler of Project Information Literacy, hosted by the University of Arizona’s School of Information. Please register in advance.
Dr. Hostetler’s Provocation Series essay, The iSchool Equation, looks at the disconnect between the teaching responsibilities many librarians have, and the comparative lack of support for developing teaching skills in many LIS programs.
Do you remember the first time you faced a class? Does this sound familiar? “The minute I walked in the room the plan I had meticulously prepared was immediately abandoned when faced with the reality of teaching actual students.”
This conversation will focus on solutions: how pedagogy and information literacy instruction can be more intentionally integrated into the LIS curriculum so that “Librarians don’t have to enter the classroom for the first time without the training to teach.”
Drawing on the experiences she heard from librarians in her research, Dr. Hostetler lays out four recommendations, and highlights existing models, including UArizona’s Graduate Certificate in Instruction and Teaching for Librarians and Information Professionals.
We know there are a lot of library workers — from students to ‘seasoned’ — who have felt underprepared for instructional roles, or for the changes those roles are seeing in content, delivery, and philosophy. This misalignment is not new, but as Dr. Hostetler writes:
At this moment, when the threat of misinformation gains increased attention, there’s a new, more widespread audience for what librarians are teaching and how they teach it.
In this conversation moderated by Nicole Pagowsky, we will also hear from Monica Lourenco and Sarah O’Hare, two recent UArizona graduates, about their experiences in the transition from MLIS programs to teaching roles. Yvonne Mery will provide additional insights on the development of UArizona’s model program, and how it is evolving to serve the profession.
The session will end with an opportunity for participants to ask Dr. Hostetler questions.