ALICE Library Instructional Toolbox
The Appalachian College Association (ACA) Teaching Learning and Technology Roundtable (TLTR) met at Mars Hill College in June, 1998. A seed of an idea from Michael Sturgeon (Lee) was shared then with Tony Krug (Carson-Newman) and Anne Chase (Berea), who took the concept back to the first ACA Librarians' Steering Committee meeting at MeadowView in July, 1998. The idea was cultivated there, then next discussed with Tish Emerson (Mellon Foundation) at the 1998 Tech Summit. As the Teaching and Technology: Stage II grant was developing, we were sure we had a good collaborative project and worked with the idea further at the November 1998 Steering Committee Meeting.
A Subcommittee of the Steering Committee headed by Cynthia Peterson (Bluefield) worked on drafting the General Purpose and Rationale at the February, 1999, Steering Committee meeting. The General Purpose and Rationale were presented to the Spring 1999 Reference Conference at the University of Charleston in April, 1999. At the December 1999 Steering Committee meeting, clearer definition was given for developing the team and nominations were invited from Appalachian Library Information Cooperative and Exchange (ALICE) library directors. The Steering Committee reviewed the nominations and selected a team of six in February, 2000. Michael Sturgeon stepped forward to provide the team leadership in March, 2000.
The general purpose and rationale are followed by a program to begin to address that purpose and a budget to accomplish the program.
Toolbox Team General Purpose and Rationale
Knowledge of library use and information literacy are of primary importance to success in the classroom and they are skills that can be used for life. To this end, ALICE proposes a two-fold program to be developed by the librarians of its 33 institutions that can be used by all librarians in their instructional programs.
To develop a group of instructional tools to be used in the teaching of basic research methodology and skills. Since most librarians agree on what constitutes the basics, we are confident that "generic" tools can be developed which can be used by the libraries, either "as is" or with a small amount of editing by each institution. These tools may include a variety of print, audiovisual, and computer-assisted tutorials and instruction that can be presented in traditional classes, one-on-one, independently, or via distance education programs.
To develop a clearinghouse of instructional tools and toolkits and web sites to use in teaching advanced research methodology and skills. Advanced research methods are often discipline and course-specific. Sharing what we have developed as well as identifying tools from other institutions outside the ACA will aid librarians as we develop our own tools for teaching advanced research methods within specific disciplines.
Some examples for the program are: (1) Create tutorials to teach basic library skills; (2) Create a toolkit to assist with the research process; (3) Provide a clearinghouse to share locally developed toolkits (print as well as electronic); and (4) Provide a web site to share locally developed instructional materials as well as identify best practices developed outside the ACA that will be useful to our libraries.
The rationale behind this two-fold program is as follows:
1. To improve the transference of basic information skills to library users, whether they be students, faculty, or other members of the college/university community.
2. To maximize the effectiveness of the reference staff as they deliver information literacy components.
3. To leverage the resources and expertise of librarians across ACA institutions.
4. To provide a foundation for institutions upon which they can build instructional programs appropriate to the local curriculum.
5. To allow students and faculty to obtain instruction independent of geographic constraints across ACA institutions.
6. To encourage self-sufficient patrons. Students and faculty will be able independently to access this information at point of need.
7. To allow our constituents to become life-long learners.
8. To maximize the utilization of our collections by providing discipline and course-specific instructional tools and encouraging inter-institutional collaboration.
Expected Results of the Program:
The following changes are expected as a result of the proposed two-fold program:
1. All instructors will have access to the aggregate of information literacy tools available.
2. Librarians will be freed to work and teach higher level library use instead of spending the majority of their time teaching the basics.
3. The quality of research will be raised across the ACA campuses through better quality instruction as a result of the blended base.
4. New channels of collaboration and cooperation will be forged for reference and information literacy librarians to work together.
Action Program for the Library Instruction Toolbox Team
The Toolbox Team has been selected to develop and implement a strategy to accomplish the purposes and rationale set forth above. Dr. Emerson suggested (when meeting with Drs. Chase and Krug at the 1998 Tech Summit) that we would want to contact the Five College consortium concerning collaborative efforts underway there. (The librarians of the Five College consortium have also benefited from Mellon Foundation support.) The Steering Committee determined that an effective way to capitalize on the Team's visit to the Five College consortium would be to launch the Toolbox Team from the ALICE Spring Conference, typically devoted to Reference and Library Public Service issues.
Chris Hannon, Smith College, agreed to offer a keynote address for our conference on moving from cooperation to collaboration. She also will participate on a panel discussion (including the Team leader and Steering Committee members) with conference participants on collaborative strategies for the Team to investigate during their trip to the Five Colleges. Each of the Team members will present a brief "best practices" session at the conference to provide participants with a baseline of where ALICE libraries are in library instruction on the web.
The Team will need a planning session before going to Massachusetts and a debriefing session upon returning. We anticipate they would work on the toolbox as an overload during the fall semester, with a conference call in September and in October to facilitate working together, and a meeting in November to reach some conclusion to their efforts. Finally, the Team should report back to the Spring 2001 ALICE Library Public Services Conference, and should be allowed a meeting in February to plan their work in that conference.
In addition, Team members observed the ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) preconference (to the ALA Annual Conference) session, "Library Instruction on the Web" as being extremely germane to the efforts of the Team. Team members suggested this experience be included as a Team activity.
Team: Rob Behary, Wheeling Jesuit; Susan Foster-Harper, University of Charleston; Bruce Kocour, Carson-Newman; Heather May, Bethany; Roger Myers, Maryville; Derek Smith, University of the South; and Michael Sturgeon, Lee. (Although originally selected for the Team, Derek Smith has withdrawn. He is moving to Canada.)