Three New Things To Help You Be A Better Academic Librarian

Who Says ACRL Always Makes You Pay For Something

Did you know you can now take a look at a great new book published by ACRL – totally free on the web? Well, you can. Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester, edited by Susan Gibbons and Nancy Fried, is available for anyone to read. We’ve mentioned the ethnographic student studies conducted at the University of Rochester a few times here at ACRLog. It’s well worth reading to learn the insights gathered about our undergraduate students, as well as to introduce yourself to the unique study methods used in this project.

Get Some Tips On How To Be A Better Presenter

I just discovered a new repository of multimedia digital learning materials called SciVee. Though it has a science orientation, you’ll find some interesting video presentations available. One that I recommend is titled “Ten Simple Rules for Making Good Oral Presentations“. It’s only ten minutes long and it’s chock full of good, basic tips for giving a solid presentation. If you are one of those folks who prefers reading to watching videos, you can also print out the text of the whole presentation. Whether you are a novice or have got lots of experience, go and watch this video. You will improve your presentation skills – and in turn do everyone attending your presentation a big favor.

Put Some Authentic Learning Into Your Next Instruction Session

While this new paper won’t exactly give you step-by-step instructions on how to integrate more authentic learning into your teaching methods, it should help to convince you why this essential pedagogical technique absolutely needs to be a part of your library educator’s toolkit. What is authentic learning? In a word – memorable. It’s a learning experience that has real-world relevance for the learner. As “Why Today’s Students Value Authentic Learning” tells us, “it’s more than learning by doing…authentic learning engages students in the type of multidisciplinary problem solving and critical thinking that researchers and experts use every day.” Does that sound easy? No. Does it sound like students will remember what you teach them two weeks later? Yes. If you want to get inspired to put some authentic learning into your instruction sessions, take a look at this paper.

PS – It’s That Time of the Year

Who will be the next ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year? Well, that’s up to you – if you care to nominate someone. The deadline is December 7, 2007. You can find information on all the awards at the ACRL web site.