From transactional to integral: Re-envisioning information literacy

Among the many legacies of academic libraries that continue to shape our daily practice, one-shot instruction sessions are perhaps the most baffling. Born out of necessity and demand, this model for teaching has continued to dominate the information literacy landscape even though it is not aligned with what we know about best practices for pedagogy and universal design for learning. The one-shot situates information literacy as an afterthought to the curriculum, with librarians as guest lecturers and instructional outsiders. In this session, we will examine the assumptions and beliefs that perpetuate this model and we will explore options for re-envisioning our instructional practice in ways that prioritize student learning over library tradition.

Before the event, attendees are encouraged to read Susanna M. Cowan’s “Information Literacy: The Battle We Won That We Lost?” (In portal: Libraries and the Academy, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2014).

Who should attend? Librarians teaching information literacy and the faculty that partner with them

Attendees to this event will have the opportunity to…

• Reflect on the narratives that shape their professional identities and organizational cultures.
• Consider the potential for re-envisioning library instructional roles, strategies, and practices that prioritize student learning needs.
• Identify potential habits and practices that can be adopted in order to advance new opportunities to evolve information literacy education.

Speaker bios

Urszula (Ula) Lechtenberg is the Learning Design Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh Library System. In this position, she works with fellow librarians and teaching faculty on embedding information literacy skills and concepts into curricula, including through digital learning objects. She holds a MS in Library and Information Science and a MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, both from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Carrie Donovan is Head of Research, Learning & Media for the Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh’s Library System. In this position, she collaborates with colleagues from the libraries and across campus to influence and enhance knowledge creation and experiential learning. She earned her MLS from Indiana University and a BA in Comparative Literature and Spanish from Indiana University.

Ula and Carrie have collaborated on many projects, including a recent publication in the College & Research LibrariesSpecial Issue on One-Shots, edited by Nicole Pagowsky entitled “Undoing our instructional past: Envisioning new models for information literacy”.

This event was organized by AMICAL’s Information Literacy Initiatives Committee.

The platform will be Zoom, which may require installation in advance of the event. Review our online event guidelines to ensure you are set up to participate with a microphone and/or web cam.