This article proposes that understanding information literacy as a social practice is a threshold concept for academic information literacy librarians. While the social nature of information literacy has been theorized for more than 25 years, the noted theory-to-practice gap in this area suggests a new question to be raised. This study explores…

This qualitative study examines how academic librarians understand, conceptualize, and describe their teacher identity. The role of the academic librarian has greatly changed due to the advent of information technology. Traditionally, they were generalists, who were responsible for selecting and maintaining library collections. Academic librarian…

This study compares the perspectives of academic library administrators, library school educators, and academic librarians with respect to academic instructional librarianship. A nine-item questionnaire was administered to 14 educators, 10 library administrators, and 13 instructional librarians. The survey included items related to important…

Librarians at a community college in New York City identified that, unassisted, undergraduate students often find it difficult to categorize the various information formats they are locating and citing, such as a newspaper article, a book, a scholarly article, a blog or wiki entry, or a reference source. Due to their untrained approach defining…

The last ten years in school library research reflect an expanded definition of information literacy along with a stronger emphasis on in-depth information literacy development, concluding that a fundamental shift in instruction provided by school librarians is needed; one that not only helps students find information, but develops students'…

Education for Instruction Librarians has traditionally centered upon the acquisition of practical classroom skills. While this approach has merit, from a sociocultural perspective of learning, student development emerges more completely through engagement with the communal activities and values that constitute professional practices rather than…

This paper presents the results of a Delphi study conducted over a two-month period in 2011. The purpose of the study was to identify reference sources that should be covered in basic reference courses taught in LIS programs in the United States. The Delphi method was selected for its appropriateness in soliciting expert opinions and assessing the…

This paper presents a descriptive model of the subject matter taught in courses on expert search in ALA-accredited programs, answering the question: What is taught in formal professional education on search expertise? The model emerged from a grounded content analysis of 44 course descriptions and 16 syllabi, and was validated via a review of…

Although mentoring is widely valued and encouraged within librarianship, it has been conceived mostly as a professional relationship that occurs after one has obtained a position. Thus, mentoring among LIS students is not customary--largely because internships and field experiences are not universally required. To address this problem, the…

This research explores the professionalization of Library and Information Science (LIS) students who participated in a peer-tutoring service, "Research Rescue." Research Rescue was a collaboration of the Chapman Learning Commons and the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS) at the University of British Columbia. The…

Reports the results of a survey which collected the syllabi of library school courses that mentioned bibliographic instruction over a three-year period (1983 to 1986). An analysis of these syllabi is used to identify trends in bibliographic instruction curriculum. (CLB)

Describes a survey of academic librarians that examined the actual and preferred methods by which they gain knowledge relevant to bibliographic instruction. It is concluded that current training in bibliographic instruction is often insufficient and that organized continuing education courses are needed. The questionnaire used is appended. (four…

Eight papers from the 1991 ALISE (Association for Library and Information Science Education) conference are presented. Highlights include the early years of library education, the status of doctoral programs, bibliographic instruction and the library school curriculum, evaluation of faculty, recruitment of international students, and gender-based…

Reports the results of a survey of U.K. librarians that examined where practitioners received training for user education. The finding that training was predominantly received outside of the library school setting is discussed in terms of the need for user education courses within library school curriculums. (CLB)