lit review: Defining Relevancy

You might think that I picked up Defining Relevancy: Managing the New Academic Library, edited by Janet McNeil Hurlbert and published by Libraries Unlimited in 2008, just to read the chapter "Opportunities for Small and Medium-Sized College Archives in the Digital Age" by Carole P. Johnson. OK, well I did; but, the chapter was not insightful for this research project. [Sorry, if you want to find out about that chapter, I encourage you to seek out the book.] I did find a few other chapters to be more fitting to my cause and so will discuss them here.

Christopher Cox, "Changing Demographics: Meet the Students and Faculty of the Future" explains Millennials as 'diverse' (p.3). To my surprise, this group was born between 1982 and 2002 (really, I had no idea the scope was that wide). Qualities that Cox explores of this diverse group, with which we are all speaking for the considerable future in academia, are:

• 'they are ethnically diverse and celebrate diversity',
• 'they are nontraditional',
• 'they expect choices and instant gratification' [yeah, I'll say],
• 'they are digital natives',
• 'they enjoy gaming and media', and
• 'they learn best experientially and collaboratively' (p.4-12).

Naturally, I focused on the description of learning experimentally and collaboratively as my sessions have built in more and more of these elements. Cox encourages problem-based and active learning over lecture-based classes. He also encourages using online and offline collaborative spaces.

Section III groups together three information literacy articles worth noting by Sterngold, Lombard and LeVan, and Steffen. Let me start with the case study by Lombard and LeVan.

Emmett Lombard and Sally LeVan's, "Faculty and Information Literacy Case Study" provides insights on two need of faculty--scholarship and teaching support. The cumulative data, harvested comments, results, and appended questions are all included in this case study. If you are looking for the faculty's voice on these issues, this article may provide insights. Perhaps what I took most from this study was the methodology and the questions themselves. In my own survey of faculty, I might have benefited from this short, multiple-choice format, at least to begin the conversation. I will keep that in mind for next time I do a survey.

Arthur H. Sterngold provides some interesting insight with "Rhetoric Versus Reality: A Faculty Perspective on Information Literacy Instruction". I must admit; this fellow had me intrigued from the first sentence. Sterngold proposes that "librarians serve more as consultants to faculty than as direct providers of IL instruction" (p.85). Yes I know, this argument is not popular with my colleagues; but, he does provide a faculty's perspective and it should be heard in order to understand that perspective at the very least. It is only a 10-paged article; get a copy and see what Sterngold says in his own words.

Susan Swords Steffen's article, "Through the Information Literacy Lens: Managing the College Library in the Twenty-First Century", discusses the pressures of reduced resources  to scale-back or eliminate information literacy. She argues that despite this, successful information literacy can be provided and incorporated into other aspects such as serving users, reorganizing library spaces, using technology, and emphasizing the importance of information literacy for students.

Once again, I have turned to library literature for inspiration with my endeavours on information literacy. Although the library does provide a close relationship and some good insights, the archives must find their own path for literacy instruction. In this way, I believe that archives will define their own relevancy within the academic sector and beyond.

Discover Deeper Meanings: Just Add Archives

or, the session at WILU. 

[Much to my shock and dismay, WILU does not stand for Wendy’s Information Literacy Universe!?!]

On 8 May, Amber Klatt and I were fortunate to make a presentation to ten, enthusiastic participants at the Workshop for Instruction in Library Use (WILU) on the campus of the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. We had 45, carefully-planned, jam-packed minutes to unfold our research. Here’s the nutshell version.

Everyone introduced themselves and told us briefly about their favourite teacher; why was that person your favourite? This provided some good insights for us all. After a quick review of the agenda, it was “get to work” time. We divided the participants into smaller groups. Our handout had two sets of questions and the participants were given reproduced archival material that matched one of those sets. This allowed us to reproduce an activity that would normally happen when students come to the Archives. [Curious? Here is the history activity; here is the biology activity.] The activity ended with a larger discussion on the question, “Why would a third year student seek out these resources?” Conscious of the clock, Amber launched into a short lecture on the benefits of our research to students, faculty, us and the Archives. [I picked up at that point, bragging that since 2007, 1400 students have had an Archives class! But, I digress.] I briefly explained the six methods that we used to deliver our classes to students and the factors that unconsciously structured our choices. Finally, it was the participants turn to think about ideas for their own classes. Amber explained an activity whereby everyone would write down a class delivery idea, then share it with someone, and then share both of those ideas with someone else. In this way, participants would come out of the session with four, new ideas to bring home with them.

Amber and I structured the session to provide an experience for the participants—not a lecture. We wanted them to step into the shoes of a student for the activity, then step back into the educator role to examine that activity, and finally leave with some new ideas. Our evaluation slips reflected that we were successful in doing just that. Thanks to everyone who participated for making it such a great session.

Here are some of my parting thoughts that I shared with the group, and will now share with you:

·         Archives are not passive places.

·         Archives are relevant to curriculum at the university level. Our research has proven that!

·         Archives can contribute to literacy instruction in meaningful ways.

·         With the right tools and partnerships, an Archivist can be an active educator. Amber Klatt (now a graduate of the B.Ed. program) added a depth to the classes and questions that I could not have done alone.