Librarians As Teachers: a Qualitative Inquiry Into Professional Identity
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Librarians as Teachers: A Qualitative Inquiry into Professional Identity Scott Walter This study explores the development of “teacher identity” among academic librarians through a series of semistructured interviews. Drawing both on the idea of teacher identity from the literature of teacher education and on existing studies of professional stereotypes and professional identity development among academic librarians, this study explores the degree to which academic librarians think of themselves as teachers, the ways in which teaching has become a feature of their professional identity, and the factors that may influence academic librarians to adopt a “teacher identity” as part of their personal understandings of their role on campus. hen did you decide to stop a teacher, or does professional identity as being a teacher?” The ques- a teacher grow out of a regular respon- tion came to me during a job sibility for teaching? Does saying that interview; it struck me as one is a teacher refer to one’s mastery of strange. At the time it was asked, I had an identifiable set of pedagogical skills, just completed a one-hour presentation or, rather, to the way in which one ap- on the evolution of “open access” publish- proaches one’s work (in a classroom or ing and its potential impact on accepted outside of one)? These questions are of models of scholarly communication. The obvious interest to preservice teachers presentation included clear statements re- and teacher educators and have been the garding learning objectives, opportunities subject of a number of studies of “teacher for active learning through discussion, identity” over the past 15 years. What is and a brief assessment of what had been their significance for librarians? learned through a question-and-answer Librarianship is a profession in tran- session at the end of the hour. My “stu- sition, and this is especially true in the dents” that day were potential colleagues case of academic librarians.1 Changes in at a research library whose staff I was scholarly communication, advances in hoping to join. Their questions during the information technology, and new models presentation had been thoughtful and the for professional staffing of academic li- comments made as they exited the room braries all present challenges to academic complimentary. When did I decide to librarians and to the administrators who stop being a teacher? Hadn’t I just been strive to integrate library services into teaching a few minutes ago? the broader mission(s) of the college or What makes a teacher? Does holding university. As important as any of these an appropriate credential make someone issues is the fact that academic librarians Sco Walter is Associate University Librarian for Services and Associate Dean of Libraries and Professor of Library Administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; e-mail: [email protected]. 51 52 College & Research Libraries January 2008 TABLE 1 about the complexity of the Information Literacy Instruction at the instructional work required of University of Maryland librarians in this environment Year Classes ∆ Students ∆ (e.g., the difference between Taught Taught preparing for a class that consists of a library tour ver- 1994–1995 661 * 13,244 * sus one that involves the de- 1995–1996 626 –5.3% 12,003 –9.4% velopment of an assignment 1996–1997 736 +17.6% 13,951 +16.2% measuring student ability to apply critical thinking to the 1997–1998 723 –1.8% 12,629 –9.5% selection of information re- 1998–1999 759 +5% 12,711 +.6% sources that will be included 1999–2000 855 +12.6% 15,767 +24% in the final course grade), but 2000–2001 968 +13.2% 18,836 +19.5% they demonstrate that, at the most basic level, the amount 2001–2002 1,008 +4.1% 21,075 +11.9% of professional time and effort 2002–2003 1,166 +15.7% 19,172 –9% dedicated to teaching in aca- 2003–2004 1,090 –6.5% 21,980 +14.6% demic libraries has increased significantly over the past 1994–2004 +64.9% +66% decade. Given this trend, it is no are increasingly responsible for a variety surprise to find that analyses of the of activities directly related to teaching professional responsibilities enumerated and learning, and that the scope of those as part of advertisements for academic responsibilities has expanded in recent library positions in outlets such as Ameri- years to encompass instruction delivered can Libraries, College & Research Libraries in the library, across the campus, and in News, and the Chronicle of Higher Education online learning environments.2 during this time show that a commit- Academic librarians have been respon- ment to providing direct instruction to sible for direct instruction of students faculty, staff, or students is an increasingly for well over a century, but changes to the academic cur- TABLE 2 riculum, the demographics of Information Literacy Instruction at the the college student body, and University of Kansas the place of information tech- nology (especially the World Year Classes ∆ Students ∆ Taught Taught Wide Web) in higher educa- tion have all contributed to an 1994–1995 n/a * n/a * increasing focus on the role of 1995–1996 n/a * n/a * the librarian as teacher over 1996–1997 n/a * n/a * the past 30 years.3 Consider as representative examples 1997–1998 n/a * n/a * from the research library en- 1998–1999 776 * 9,025 * vironment the recent growth 1999–2000 697 –10.2% 9,540 +5.7% of the library instruction pro- grams at the University of 2000–2001 759 +8.9% 10,918 +14.4% Maryland, the University of 2001–2002 712 –6.2% 11,820 +8.3% Kansas, and Washington State 2002–2003 751 +5.5% 13,161 +11.3% University:4 2003–2004 878 +16.9% 16,556 +25.8% Admiedly, these numbers are crude and tell us nothing 1998–2004 +13.1% +83.4% A Qualitative Inquiry into Professional Identity 53 common requirement for TABLE 3 appointment.5 At least one Information Literacy Instruction at Washington study has suggested that the State University ability to demonstrate one’s Year Classes ∆ Students ∆ teaching skills can improve Taught Taught one’s chances of obtaining a 1994–1995 411 * 5,951 * position in a competitive pro- fessional market, and others 1995–1996 355 –13.6% 6,232 +4.7% have shown that there is a 1996–1997 372 +4.8% 7,439 +19.4% strong interest among many 1997–1998 516 +38.7% 9,396 +26.3% libraries in the formal evalu- ation of instruction provided 1998–1999 578 +12% 9,866 +5% by librarians.6 Even work 1999–2000 616 +6.6% 15,863 +60.8% outside the classroom—for 2000–2001 684 +11% 11,364 -28.4% example, service on the ref- erence desk, participation in 2001–2002 715 +4.5% 11,301 –.6% scholarly communications 2002–2003 934 +30.6% 13,548 +19.9% initiatives—has increasingly 2003–2004 881 –5.7% 13,495 –.4% been cast within the context 1994–2004 +114.4% +126.8% of the librarian’s role as teacher.7 Teaching skills are clearly recognized as important to the gogical skills. For the most part, these professional work of academic librarians, studies made use of quantitative research but to what degree do academic librarians methods, especially survey method. Sco think of themselves as teachers when they B. Mandernack, for example, surveyed consider their place on campus, and to librarians in Wisconsin to determine the what degree is “teacher identity” a recog- scope of their instructional responsi- nized aspect of the broader professional bilities, the ways in which they had been identity of academic librarians? prepared to meet those responsibilities, Drawing on the literature of profes- and their preferences in terms of con- sional education and professional identity tinuing education opportunities in the among academic librarians as well as the field of instruction.8 Charles D. Paerson literature of teacher education, this study and Donna W. Howell reported the re- will explore the ways in which academic sults of a national survey of instruction librarians are introduced to teaching as librarians that gathered information on part of their professional work, the degree professional responsibilities, previous to which academic librarians think of teaching experience, and job satisfaction.9 themselves as teachers, the ways in which Rebecca Albrecht and Sara Baron, Mary being a teacher has become a significant Ellen Larson and Ellen Meltzer, and Bri- feature of their professional identity, and git Shea Sullivan are among several who the factors that may influence an academ- have surveyed professional education ic librarian to adopt a “teacher identity” programs to determine the availability as part of his or her understanding of the of formal coursework on instruction for librarian’s role on campus. preservice librarians.10 Diana Shonrock and Craig Mulder used a national survey Methodology to identify core competencies for instruc- Considerable research has been conduct- tion librarians, as well as to identify the ed over the past 30 years on the education ways in which librarians preferred to pur- of instruction librarians and the ways in sue continuing education to meet those which librarians with a responsibility for competencies.11 Finally, Rebecca Albre- teaching go about improving their peda- cht, Sara Baron, and Elizabeth Blakesley 54 College & Research Libraries January 2008 Lindsay used electronic discussion lists study are their focus on descriptive data to survey instruction librarians on issues and emergent research design.18 such as how preservice and continuing Unlike earlier studies of the educa- professional education opportunities tion of instruction librarians, this study helped prepare them for different aspects will not rely on data collected from a of their instructional work, the percentage randomly selected group of practitioners of their professional time now dedicated using a carefully prepared instrument.