Sarah Peters, PhD.

My librarian re-energizes me and keeps
me from getting in an instruction rut.

Background

I’ve had positive experiences working with librarians since I was a graduate assistant at Texas A&M in 2003, but I really appreciate the collaborative nature of the ECU Library, which emphasizes customization, as opposed to “canned” sessions.

Expectations

• Develop information literacy curriculum for instruction sessions specific to departmental strategies
• Communicate with us about discipline specific resources
• Teach us to use unfamiliar tools

What Works

We have conversations about goals that are not just one-sided, with back-and-forth discussions about approaches and post-session reflections for improvement. We have professional respect for each other and engage before, during, and after instruction sessions.

Advice to Librarians

• Maintain open discussion and display willingness to adapt and experiment.
• Focus on evaluation techniques and embed in interactive instruction sessions.
• Try to have consistent face-to-face conversations, as faculty are overwhelmed with emails and seeing their librarian’s face helps reorganize priorities.
• Conduct brainstorming sessions with faculty to create learning goals, as opposed to focusing on specific tools.

Sarah Peters, P hD, is the Chair of the English & Languages Department at East Central University in Ada, OK.