Cultivating Information Literacy Instruction Practices in a Virtual Environment
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation
Conference Strand
Outreach and Partnership
Target Audience
Higher Education
Second Target Audience
K-12
Location
Individual Papers
Relevance
Two university librarians will share their experiences teaching information literacy in virtual environments and address the changes that hybrid learning has had on our library instruction.
Proposal
Like many institutions, academic libraries were greatly impacted by the sudden arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in changes to hours of operation, material accessibility, and everyday tasks. This presentation highlights how the full spectrum of our research and instruction practices were impacted with the shift to an online learning environment.
Information literacy instruction is challenging even during a typical semester. COVID-19 provided an unexpected albeit needed opportunity to reexamine our information practices and pedagogy, particularly outside of the traditional classroom environment. Some changes that we made include the introduction of virtual research appointments, a virtual drop-in reference desk, shifting a required library seminar to a webinar format, and teaching in classes where there were both students physically present and students attending remotely. We will bring our unique perspectives as two librarians with different backgrounds: one with several years of teaching experience and one entry-level librarian who started in the midst of COVID-19.
As we reflect on how our instruction services and pedagogical practices evolved, we consider both the recognized benefits and our missteps when teaching in virtual spaces. The pandemic has necessitated that higher education institutions develop strategies for serving students in hybrid, fluid learning spaces. As the “new normal” has become routine, we are asking questions and encouraging dialogue about what we will take with us, what will be left behind, and how to frame information literacy instruction venturing forward into a post-pandemic academic landscape.
Presentation Description
Like many institutions, academic libraries were greatly impacted by the sudden arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation will highlight how the full spectrum of our research and instruction practices were impacted with the shift to an online learning environment, ranging from virtual appointments to teaching in hybrid classrooms. Presenters will discuss specific instructional changes made in response to COVID-19, and explore how those changes may impact the framing of information literacy instruction in the future academic landscape.
Keywords
Information Literacy; Library Instruction; Pedagogy; Academic Libraries; Virtual Learning
Publication Type and Release Option
Event
Recommended Citation
Hahn, Amanda and Eckler, Kathryn, "Cultivating Information Literacy Instruction Practices in a Virtual Environment" (2022). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 43.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2022/2022/43
Cultivating Information Literacy Instruction Practices in a Virtual Environment
Individual Papers
Like many institutions, academic libraries were greatly impacted by the sudden arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in changes to hours of operation, material accessibility, and everyday tasks. This presentation highlights how the full spectrum of our research and instruction practices were impacted with the shift to an online learning environment.
Information literacy instruction is challenging even during a typical semester. COVID-19 provided an unexpected albeit needed opportunity to reexamine our information practices and pedagogy, particularly outside of the traditional classroom environment. Some changes that we made include the introduction of virtual research appointments, a virtual drop-in reference desk, shifting a required library seminar to a webinar format, and teaching in classes where there were both students physically present and students attending remotely. We will bring our unique perspectives as two librarians with different backgrounds: one with several years of teaching experience and one entry-level librarian who started in the midst of COVID-19.
As we reflect on how our instruction services and pedagogical practices evolved, we consider both the recognized benefits and our missteps when teaching in virtual spaces. The pandemic has necessitated that higher education institutions develop strategies for serving students in hybrid, fluid learning spaces. As the “new normal” has become routine, we are asking questions and encouraging dialogue about what we will take with us, what will be left behind, and how to frame information literacy instruction venturing forward into a post-pandemic academic landscape.
