Library instruction: Difference between revisions

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'''Library instruction''', also called '''bibliographic instruction (BI)''', '''user education''' and '''library orientation''', consists of "instructional programs designed to teach library users how to locate the information they need quickly and effectively. [It] usually covers the library's system of organizing materials, the structure of the literature of the field, research methodologies appropriate to the [[discipline|academic discipline]], and specific resources and finding tools ([[library catalog]], indexes and abstracting services, [[bibliographic database]]s, etc.)".<ref>{{cite book| chapter=bibliographic instruction (BI) | page=71 | title=Dictionary for Library and Information Science |last=Reitz |first= Joan | middle=M. |publisher= Libraries Unlimited | ___location= Westport, Connecticut | year= 2004| isbn=1-56308-075-7 }}</ref> It prepares individuals to make immediate and lifelong use of information effectively by teaching the concepts and logic of information access and evaluation, and by fostering information independence and critical thinking.

==History==

Library instruction "began in the nineteenth century, with instruction in library use offered by a number of libraries in the United States between 1876 and 1910, and then ramped up in the early twentieth century".<ref>{{cite book|chapter= Information Literacy Instruction |page=2429 |last=Grassian |first=Esther S. |last2= Kaplowitz | first2= Joan R. | title = Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition |DOI= 10.1081/E-ELIS3-120043277 |publisher= Taylor & Francis | ___location= Boca Raton, Florida| volume = 3| editor= Marcia J. Bates| year=2010 | isbn= 978-0-8493-9712-7}}</ref> In a 1912 American Library Association survey, 57% of respondents offered required or elective library instruction courses.<ref>{{cite journal| title=User education in academic libraries: A century in retrospect| last=Tucker |first=John |middle=Mark |journal= Library Trends |year=1980 |volume=28 |pages=9–27 | url= http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/7115/librarytrendsv29i1c_opt.pdf?sequence=1}}</ref>

"Academic library instruction was for the most part dormant in the library profession from the late 1930s until the early 1960s. Some librarians were still participating in classroom instruction but the literature shows little activity on the topic.... Academic library instruction mushroomed during the 1960s and early 1970s. This resulted in the founding of the Library Orientation Exchange (LOEX), a non-profit, self-supporting educational clearinghouse, in the early 1970s. The first conference was held at Eastern Michigan in 1973 and has been held annually around the United States ever since. The LOEX borrowing collection consists of print materials such as one page handouts, bibliographies, and subject guides; instructional videos and audio tapes; and CD-ROMS. By 1999, LOEX had over 650 members in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Australia, Israel, Lebanon, and South Africa."<ref>{{cite journal | last=Lorenzen |first= Michael |year= 2001 |title= A Brief History of Library Instruction in the United States of America| journal= Illinois Libraries |volume=83 |issue=2 |pages=8–18 |url=http://www.libraryinstruction.com/lihistory.html}}</ref>

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==Formats==

Library instruction "occurs in various forms such as formal class settings, small group sessions, one-on-one encounters, written guides and brochures, audiovisual presentations,and computer-assisted instruction (CAI)".<ref>{{cite journal|title = The history of bibliographic instruction: Changing trends from books to the electronic world | last = Salony |first = Mary |middle= F| journal= The Reference Librarian | volume = 24| issue = 51/52|date=July 1995 | pages = 31–51 |doi=10.1300/J120v24n51_06 |url = http://libsnap.dom.edu/Reserves/Removed%20Reserves/LIS764Cason/LIS764Cason_History.pdf | issn= 0276-3877 | issn2=1541-1117}}</ref>

"Course-related instruction has long been viewed as one of the most effective user education methods. A complication of course-related instruction, however, is the requirement for faculty cooperation and the faculty member's authority to decide when instruction is given and who receives it. In short, librarians have limited control over course-related instruction. These forms of instruction are also very staff-intensive, and this is exacerbated by the high ratio of students to librarians that exists in most institutions".<ref>{{cite journal| last=Teifel |first=Virginia |middle = M |date=Fall 1995 |title= Library user education: Examining its past, projecting its future |journal= Library Trends |volume= 44 |issue=2 |pages= 318–338 |url=http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/8026/librarytrendsv44i2h_opt.pdf?sequence=1 }}</ref>

Some university libraries offer specialized instructional sessions. At these sessions the librarian works one-on-one with a user to assist him or her with specific research goals. These sessions are sometimes referred to as a "term paper clinic" or a "research consultation."

Another option for library instruction consists of ''one-shot'' instruction sessions. This slang term refers to "formal instruction given in a single session, as opposed to instruction extended over two or more sessions".<ref>{{cite book| chapter=one-shot | page=499 | title=Dictionary for Library and Information Science |last=Reitz |first= Joan | middle=M. |publisher= Libraries Unlimited | ___location= Westport, Connecticut | year= 2004| isbn=1-56308-075-7 }}</ref> These class meetings are often held just before a term paper is assigned, and the goal of the librarian is to orient the class to the best library sources for use in a term paper.

==See also==