Getting Schooled on Instruction: A Needs Assessment on Teaching Competencies for Librarians

Objectives: "Instruction" is a competency defined by the Medical Library Association and is a job requirement for many public services librarians. However, little opportunity for training in pedagogy exists in formal training venues, such as library school, resulting in librarians learning how to teach on their own. Therefore, one of the primary competencies for librarians involved in health sciences curricula lacks an academic foundation and is largely consigned to situational, experiential learning. The research questions are: How do librarians learn to teach? What specific pedagogical skills do librarians need?

Methods: A 10-item survey on pedagogical training needs for health sciences and academic librarians will be sent to distribution lists of several library associations. Participants are asked to identify current teaching topics, how they learned to teach, and which of 38 areas of pedagogical training are needed. Face and content validity will be tested prior to survey launch. Data collection will conclude in early 2022. Demographic and quantitative content questions will be presented as categorical percentages, and subgroup data will be reported using cross-tabulation analysis. Qualitative responses will be coded to derive themes. Comparisons between experiences of health sciences librarians and general academic librarians will be explored.

Results: Preliminary results from a small-sample pilot survey indicate that “Curriculum and instructional development”, “Assessment methods”, “How to ensure deep learning rather than surface learning, and “Effective active learning” are among areas of highest need. “Observing other instructors” and “On the job training” were among the most frequently selected methods for pedagogical training, while “Courses in library school” received zero selections. Final data analysis will be completed by April 2022 and results from the full study will be reported at the meeting.

Conclusions: Respondents from the pilot survey indicated a strong need for more formal and accessible opportunities for gaining skills and knowledge in instruction. As the methods for gaining skills and mastery of this competency are not standardized, they inherently risk having content gaps, becoming experientially stagnant, and leading to potential instruction irrelevance for learners. Recommendations and conclusions derived from the full study will be presented at the meeting.