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Teaching in a Tea House

Alexandria Knight (Esther Grassian, UCLA College Library)

Buk Binder (Marsha Schnirring, Occidental College)

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LOEX 2007 Conference Session Reprise… With permission: Brad Sietz, LOEX

Director Original Presenters:

Esther Grassian, UCLA Catherine Haras, California State

University, Los Angeles Billy Pashaie, East L.A. College (now at

Cypress College)

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Surprising LILi Data re Teaching!

…in a Tea House (USC)

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They’re also teaching… …in Spanish, Chinese, Hindi &

American Sign Language (Alameda County Library)

Archiving VOIP (Voice Over IP) Library Sessions (National University)

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LILi? What? Why? How? Lessons Learned Further Research

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LILi: Lifelong Information Literacy Informal Group of Librarians Spectrum of California Libraries Investigating IL Definitions, Standards &

Instruction GOAL: Suggestions re Sequenced, Lifelong

ILI Curriculum

http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/lili/index.htm

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Why? Lit Review Hypothesis: ILI efforts across various

types of libraries are not sequentially coordinated.

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More… Interesting surprises re AASL and

ACRL’s Blueprint for Collaboration

http://tinyurl.com/38d45t

IFLA and UNESCO don’t mention sequential ILI

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Even more… Pipeline & Lifelong ILI Underdeveloped Cross-Institutional Collaboration Limited

or Non-Existent Obstacles

Budget Time Personnel

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California-Specific Problems Fewest FTE Library Media Teachers

(LMTs) in Nation No State IL Mandate

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How? LILi Methodology: Survey Instrument

Broad IL Definition Goal re ILI in California: To ID…

current practice gaps overlaps

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Issues IL Offered, but Not Labeled as IL Instruction Differs Even Within

Institutions

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Questions… # of Surveys to Use No Funding Soliciting Broad Cross-Section of

Responses Consciousness-Raising Decision: 1 Zoomerang Survey

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No Precedent

First Grassroots IL Survey Across All Types of Libraries

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Data Collection Two Question Reviews by Expert Spring 2006 Pilot Fall 2006 Final Survey Mounted

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More Issues… Difficult to Determine Total # of

California Libraries Missing Numbers…

Academic Library Branches Public Library Departments Private School Libraries or Library Media

Centers

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Numbers Available Public Libraries: 1,153 Special Libraries: 1,017 Academic Libraries: 346 Public School Libraries or Library Media

Centers: 6,340 TOTAL: 8,856

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Survey Responses 300 Total Responses Geographically Distributed Across

California 247 Usable Responses

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Issues Results Cannot be Generalized Interesting Data Tell Anecdotal Story Reflects Range of Current IL Practice in

California Survey Analysis=Significance &

Broadest Interest

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Sample {n=247}

Academic = 32% Public = 16% School = 48% Special = 1% Other = 5% 98% have an operating Library or

Library Media Center

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Serving a range of populations Up to 500 = 11% 501-5000 = 48% 5,001-20,000 = 16% 20,001-50,000 = 12% Over 50,000 = 11%

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4 Preliminary Findings Professional Instruction using IL

standards Teaching infrequently assessed and not

mandatory Articulation beyond the institution is rare Achievements and obstacles common

across libraries

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1. Professional instruction using IL standards

The number of libraries…

Offering instruction 76%

With a definition of IL 69%

Using professionally developed standards 71%

Using Librarians to teach (MLS/MLIS) 74%

For school or course-related assignments•44% High school•36% Undergraduates

95%

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Type of instruction

•Point of use or 1-on-1 90%

•Informational web pages 71%

•Group instruction 67%•Instructional materials (bibliographies, finding aids)

62%

•Interactive tutorials 21%•For ILI, few use blogs (7%), RSS feeds (4%), podcasts (2%) or wikis (2%)

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2. Teaching not assessed frequently and not mandatory

Number of libraries…

Without formal assessment practices

43%

With mandatory ILI 18%

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We are teaching the same topics

Overlapping instruction

Library catalog 95%

Locating materials 89%

How the web works 67%

Basic computer functions 51%

Surprises: •36% teach evaluation of periodical articles•18% teach blogs and wikis

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3. Articulation Beyond the Institution is Rare

Only 7 of 247 libraries reported contact or collaboration with a sequencing institution

Only 48% include “ability to engage in lifelong learning” in their IL definition

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4. Achievements & Obstacles Common Across Libraries

Highly valued achievements {N=195} empowered users establishing course-integrated or

sequenced instruction collaboration with faculty ILI required or reaches most of their

users community support for ILI

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4. Achievements & Obstacles Common Across Libraries

Challenges to ILI {N=195} faculty resistance staffing time funding poor outreach no mandate a very small number noted lack of IL or poor

quality IL at preceding (feeder) institution as impediment to instruction

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Data for Academic Institutions

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27 Community Colleges

Reach the following:

Middle school students 7%

High school students 30%

High school faculty 15%

Parents of college students 7%

General public adults 41%

General public teens 30%

Senior citizens 30%

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27 Community Colleges

All respondents assess student learning 81% formally assess 100% informally assess 70% use “direct” assessment 30% use “indirect”

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27 Community Colleges Shasta College

Teaches distinguishing among & using different types of images

Santa Rosa Junior College Teaches problem-solving & decision-

making

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17 California State Universities (CSU)

Reach the following:

Elementary school students 18%

Middle school students 29%

High school students 65%

Undergraduate/Graduates 100%

College faculty 82%

General public 35%

Senior Citizens 29%

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17 California State Universities

All respondents assess student learning

100% informally assess89% formally assess

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21 Private Colleges & Universities Use ACRL Standards + Big 6 (U of

Redlands) Teach not to procrastinate (Loyola

Marymount) Teach how to set up alerts, use

clipboard, get database help (Samuel Merritt College)

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12 University of California Libraries UC Irvine

Teaches elementary school, junior high & high school students & faculty

Reaches every freshperson (4000/year) UC Santa Barbara

Does IL in social settings Uses cellphones

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Data For Other Types of Libraries

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40 Public Libraries

Santa Clara County >100,000 users 80 full-time librarians Use iPods & publicize widely Reach 101-205/year

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More public libraries… Outreach to schools

“Visit schools doing all day sessions for classes” (Palos Verdes District, Peninsula Center Library)

Berkeley Public Library No classes 81-100% of users have serious or profound

IL needs

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3 Special Libraries

Boeing Library >100,000 users 47 full-time & 3 part-time librarians Teach “how to avoid copyright

problems” Publicity: Corporate Intranet &

Business Partner Staff Meetings

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Lessons Learned

1. Need 4 Different Surveys2. Focus on Smaller Geographic

Area as Model3. Ask Directly re Sequential IL4. Funding Needed for Professional

Survey

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Further Research Is Needed

Goal: An information literate populace