For immediate release | February 3, 2020
Meeting the challenge of teaching information literacy
CHICAGO — While the profession has generated many books on information literacy, none to date have validated exactly why it is so difficult to teach. In her new book “Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Information Literacy,” published by ALA Editions, Michelle Reale posits that examining and reflecting on the reality of those factors is what will enable practitioners to meet the challenge of their important mandate. Using the same warm and conversational tone as in her previous works, she:
- uses personal anecdotes to lay out the key reasons that teaching information literacy is so challenging, from the limited amount of time given to instructors and lack of collaboration with faculty to one’s own anxieties about the work;
- examines how these factors are related and where librarians fit in;
- validates readers’ struggles and frustrations through an honest discussion of the emotional labor of librarianship, including “imposter syndrome,” stress, and burnout;
- offers a variety of approaches, strategies, and topics of focus that will assist readers in their daily practice;
- looks at how a vibrant community of practice can foster positive change both personally and institutionally; and
- presents “Points to Ponder” at the end of each chapter that encourage readers to self-reflect and then transform personal insights into action.
Reale is a professor and access services and outreach librarian at Arcadia University. Her other books include “Inquiry and Research: A Relational Approach in the Classroom,” “The Indispensable Academic Librarian: Teaching and Collaborating for Change,” “Mentoring and Managing Students in the Academic Library,” “Becoming an Embedded Librarian,” and “Becoming a Reflective Librarian and Teacher: Strategies for Mindful Academic Practice.” Her research interests are embedded librarianship, mentoring, narrative inquiry, poetic inquiry, and reflective practice.
ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. ALA Editions and ALA Neal-Schuman publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. ALA authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact ALA Editions at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5052 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.
Related Links
"Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Information Literacy"
"Teaching Media Literacy, Second Edition"
"The One-Shot Library Instruction Survival Guide, Second Edition"
Contact:
Rob Christopher
Marketing Coordinator
American Library Association
ALA Publishing
rchristopher@ala.org3122805052
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