Instruction - Information Literacy & Providing Transformative Learning Experiences
Report from the Un-Retreat, January 7, 2014
Session Summary:
The sessions focused on Instruction resulted in excellent conversation, ideas, and approaches to the role
of instruction within the University Library. The mix of attendees in both sessions led to a variety of
questions, including some basic, philosophical questions raised by staff for whom the concept and role
of instruction is unfamiliar. In many ways this resulted in a very different conversation than one that
would have taken place solely among librarians and demonstrated the need for the Library to continue
sharing information about the various roles the library plays on campus more broadly among all library
personnel.
The outcomes that follow largely reflect the discussion of Session #1, in which the conversation focused
more directly on strategic goals focused on teaching students. The participants in Session #2 expanded
the conversation to consider whether non-students/non-affiliates are or should be targets of instruction
efforts by the Library. Sessions about what instruction means in the Library, who provides it, and for
what audiences, would be a positive step toward uniting our various perceptions about instruction, and
could be especially illuminating for those in the Library (faculty, APs, staff, and GAs) who are not
involved in this area of our services.
The sessions consisted of the following:
 Session #1: 4 faculty, 2 AP, 3 staff
 Session #2: 4 faculty, 2 AP, 3 staff
Challenge:
The Library is challenged with educating our students and learners and engaging deeply with the
teaching and learning activities on this campus. The library’s instruction story needs to be widely shared
within the Library and integrated in a compelling way in the Library’s mission and strategic planning. The
Unretreat raised numerous questions: Whose role is it to provide instruction, where, and to what
degree? What is the instructional role of various library staff and services? When, where, and how
should we be providing library instruction to our students? What information literacy skills should
students possess when they graduate?
There were two primary goals suggested.
Goal 1:
Understand, define, and illustrate what constitutes a transformative learning experience in the library
setting in order for the Library to participate in facilitating the university’s goal to prepare students for
the information world in which they will live and work.
Strategies to achieve this goal:
 Identify and articulate information literacy skills and strategies students need to be successful.
 Provide students with appropriate, relevant learning opportunities and experiences that develop
information literacy skills necessary for the 21st century. These experiences are not limited to a
classroom and may occur during a consultation or reference encounter (online or in person), or at a
service desk.
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Move to incorporate library instruction into those classes that fulfill the University’s Advanced
Composition requirement. As this is the only course ALL students at the University must take, it
assures ALL students will receive some degree of information literacy instruction.
Note: Discussions and meetings relevant to library instruction and Advanced Composition courses
have begun through the User Education Committee.
Increase the visibility of the library’s various instructional resources and opportunities.
Advocate for greater consistency for promoting subject databases on library unit pages that will
provide users more intuitive access to subject resources. This could be as simple as providing a link
to subject databases in a consistent location on each library’s page or the development of a portal of
library databases tagged by subject and format coverage.
Note: This strategy is directly related to the web/CMS development.
Goal 2:
Develop and establish best practices and guidelines for the provision of user instruction in multiple
settings. This includes asynchronous, synchronous, and blended learning opportunities, as well as
interactions through reference services (in person and chat) and access service points.
Strategies to achieve this goal:
 Charge the User Education Committee to begin conversations and development of best
practices documentation. These conversations should include broad consultation with those
representing the wide variety of service points and instructional services listed above.
 Communicate and advocate for adoption of best practices.
 Provide greater access to training opportunities related to instruction within the library. This
includes opening Hub Training to those beyond the Hub and providing additional training similar
to that provided at GA Training. A strong need to increase awareness of such opportunities
within the library was stated by several participants.
 Revise the library’s “Statement on Learning Goals” to reflect both upcoming changes in the
Information Literacy Competency Standards and the campus goals for “transformative learning
experiences.”
 Create opportunities, on a voluntary basis, for feedback on classroom instruction provided by
the Coordinator for Information Literacy and Instruction or another librarian in coordination
with the Coordinator.
 Create a culture of shared experience as it relates to instruction, including opportunities to
observe colleagues teach.
Note: This is closely related to discussion currently taking place in the User Education
Committee focused on establishing instructional support and learning opportunities similar to
those of the Instructor College at the University of Michigan Library.
Next steps:
Follow-up discussions to address the outcomes from the Unretreat should take place with the AUL for
Services, the Coordinator for Information Literacy and Instruction, and the User Education Committee.
Taking advantage of the momentum and engagement created by the Unretreat discussions, the User
Education Committee discussed the Unretreat report at its February 10 committee meeting. Overall the
Committee believes that there are many positive instruction experiences taking place within the Library.
The spectrum of instructional needs is broad and there are many modes and methods of instruction that
exist to support this spectrum. These include first-year instruction in the Undergraduate Library, subject
and discipline specific instruction by liaison librarians, the Savvy Researcher workshop series,
development of instructional learning objects, and the priority of instruction integration into reference
services. These programs serve as a strong foundation from which to build additional programs in order
to more deeply engage with campus teaching and learning programs.
The User Education Committee reviewed all of the strategies in the Unretreat report to identify those
that have the most potential. Over the coming year, the User Education Committee proposes to take the
lead in these areas, which the committee identified as the crucial priorities for furthering our instruction
programs:
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Explore the Concept of Transformative Learning – The committee will examine how the campus
is using this concept in order to define transformative learning. Specifically the committee will
engage the questions - What is transformative learning? What does it look like in the context of
the Library?
Define Instruction Priorities by User Population – There is confusion about the Library’s user
groups and our responsibilities working with the different groups in instructional endeavors.
While this is generally important, there is a particular need to clarify our instructional services
for non-affiliates, including school groups, and this will need to be collaboratively defined with
those who are leading the library’s outreach efforts.
Identify Instructional Responsibilities of Librarians and Staff – The report of the Task Force on
Subject Specialist Roles and Responsibilities provides a useful foundation for more clearly
defining and addressing the instructional expectations for those in public services; however, the
scope of those involved in instruction extends far beyond the subject specialists and
encompasses both formal instruction as well as the instructional role enacted at a service desk.
Providing training relative to roles and responsibilities will be the follow-on task.
Develop a Program for Advanced Composition Courses - The committee will create a structure
for moving forward the conversations for integrating library instruction into Advanced
Composition courses that engages the subject specialists who are liaisons to the departments
offering these courses.