Thoughts on library inductions
How can we effectively and productively pass on information literacy skills to students?
Right at the beginning of my undergraduate degree I was given a library assignment, carefully crafted to introduce me to the world of finding, evaluating and referencing sources. It was a brilliant activity similar to a scavenger hunt, leading students around the library to find and experience texts. It was also compulsory in order to pass the first year, making information literacy a core part of our first step into academia.
Now a confession: like many of my peers, I did the whole thing in bed using Amazon.
Introducing students to the library and providing them with the information literacy skills they need is a core responsibility for an academic librarian. It can also be very difficult. In this blog I will explore various ways in which this responsibility is addressed and the challenges faced when tackling it.
An age-old favourite, the induction tour allows the librarian to introduce a batch of newcomers to the library, giving them a chance to make contact and get their bearings. For the student, realistically, this is another hour on a hectic induction timetable, another block of information that will be forgotten, and another handout to go in the bin. The induction tour can also be very limiting in how it portrays the library. A tour often emphasises physical location rather than services, doesn’t allow students to gain skills through interaction with resources, and relegates the library to an external space, rather than making it a part of the overall learning experience. Some of its attributes are positive, particularly when used to explain physical processes or items – for example, our library tour includes a chance to discover and touch some of our old and rare books. However, attempting to communicate the full range of services and resources available through the academic library using an induction tour is overall ineffective and restrictive.
A variation or extension of the above would be induction activities, where students must find and explore resources themselves. This gives new students an experience of using resources, introducing them to important elements of information literacy. When run solely as a library activity separate from actual study, however, these activities can easily feel like busy work. Moreover, they can feel externalised and theoretical, losing any connection with actual study and any learning value for the student.
An interesting technique for passing on information literacy skills is the Transformation Project at George Mason University in Virginia. This is a yearlong project run by the library in which students select a topic to research, exploring and evaluating their skills in research and using resources along the way. This is quite similar to an EPQ, which is an optional independent research project done alongside A-levels in the UK. While the Transformation Project is a wonderful concept in terms of making information literacy a part of in-depth, assessed academic work, it wouldn’t be possible in every setting, as it generates a large workload. It could potentially also be overbearing – ultimately the responsibility to develop skills lies with the student as an independent individual. If you’d like to learn more about the Transformation Project, read Kevin Simon’s ‘The learning library in context: community, integration, and influence’ (Research Strategies 17, 2000, pages 123-132).
My proposal for a more effective induction technique would be a combination of positive elements of the above. My first piece of work for my undergraduate degree was a short essay, marked not so much for content as for writing style and research skills. This meant my tutors could get an insight into my current skill set and where I needed to develop. At this point in the degree, I think it’s essential that academic work and library services come together. Rather than an external, theoretical ‘extra’, the information literacy skills provided through the library must be integrated into that initial academic step.
I would work with academic staff to organise an additional short reflective piece, similar to a literature review, to be part of a student’s first submitted work, requiring the use and evaluation of different types of resources. Flagging this critical process up early in the academic experience would enable students to practice engaging with information effectively, and allow academic and library staff to note areas in need of development. Information literacy can then be a central part of actual coursework from the get-go, with library services playing an active role in a student’s academic experience.
As with any induction technique, this idea has flaws and grey areas. Would this piece of work be assessed, and if so, how and by whom? If areas for development are identified, how is this followed up? Through this post I wanted to explore the challenges of passing on information literacy skills and consolidate my thoughts into the beginnings of an actionable idea – this is of course not an attempt at a watertight, all-encompassing solution! I look forward to exploring the issue further and hearing other ways of tackling this challenge.
