Keep on Learnin’

Many of us who teach in libraries feel underprepared. Some of us never had a course in library school on how to do it. Some of us are so old there wasn’t a course on the books when we got our degrees. (I’m not naming names.) But hey, we take life-long learning seriously. And luckily, apart from our professional literature and lists like ILI-L. the ACRL Instruction Section’s discussion list, blogs, and more, there are plenty of formal opportunities to keep learning.

One is WILU, a Canadian conference that provides an intimate and stimulating chance to live and breathe instruction with other practitioners. I recommend it highly. Registration opens today. Don’t wait too long – these conferences fill fast.

Both LOEX and LOEX of the West offer similiar annual conferences, but both are full for this year. But put next year on your calendar – their limited seats fill almost before you can sneeze.

Want something even more intense? There’s Immersion. No, it’s not a religious experience, though it may be life-changing. Simmons is hosting the annual event this year in Boston; congratulations to those accepted. The University of Houston and the University of Texas at Austin will be co-hosting a regional Immersion program at the University of Houston from July 14-19, 2006 – but don’t worry if you’re not a Texan, no visa required.

And wait, there’s more! The ACRL Institute for Information Literacy has just announced a new Immersion program: “The Intentional Teacher” – in which participants can examine their practice through autobriography, student persepctives, the colleague as a resource, and the research literature. Details will be available later this month.

Even veteran teachers have plenty to learn. After all, each year we get a whole new crop of students. And the information landscape keeps on changing. If you haven’t explored these opportunities yet, take a look.

Author: Barbara Fister

I'm an academic librarian at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Like all librarians at our small, liberal arts institution I am involved in reference, collection development, and shared management of the library. My area of specialization is instruction, with research interests also in media literacy, popular literacy, publishing, and assessment. View all posts by Barbara Fister