Curriculum-Based Library Instruction: From Cultivating Faculty Relationships to Assessment

Citation

Sandra Maathuis-Smith (2015), "Curriculum-Based Library Instruction: From Cultivating Faculty Relationships to Assessment", Library Review, Vol. 64 No. 6/7, pp. 504-505. https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-03-2015-0027

Blevins and Inman have pulled together a collection of articles that describe the various roles that could be undertaken when working as a curriculum-based librarian in higher education. The chapters of this book describe and encourage readers to move from a one-shot event of library instruction to information literacy being embedded in the curriculum. Each section provides the best practice and uses case studies from a variety of American colleges and universities to illustrate real-life examples of library and information literacy programs. Although based mainly in the health sciences, the ideas and examples presented in this book can be applied in a variety of disciplines. Likewise, the modes of delivery covered are a variety of face-to-face, blended and distance learning.

The first section introduces the librarian as part of the curriculum design team and encourages librarians to redefine their roles by seeking out new opportunities within the institution and build relationships with faculty. The second section is on learning theories that will help build skills in instruction and allow for common ground when communicating and collaborating with other educators in an institution. The next section deals with instructional techniques; these chapters will help build skills in teaching and facilitate more knowledgeable conversations with faculty and instructional or educational designers. Further chapters look at different modes of delivery and a variety of ways to add information literacy programs, as well as incorporating assessment, into library instructional practice.

This book does a good job of encouraging librarians to redefine their role and become embedded in the curriculum, whether that is through serving on curriculum review committees, or as Web-based course designers or as teachers throughout the term. Readers can pick and choose from the chapters as each gives a different perspective with a description of a case study and evidence of the best practice. This is a straightforward and practical book with plenty of supporting examples and references.