Goals for the New Year

I am sure people have said it, but the semester is over! The holiday’s are almost over, with New Years just around the corner. With that in mind, I thought I would make some goals for myself in regards to information literacy and my other job duties.

I have not done New Years resolutions in years, but felt that it was a good excuse for some goal setting and accountability.

This past semester, I have been working on improving my teaching. Whether via reflections, observations, or presentations, it has been a constant this semester. I firmly believe that you can always improve as an information literacy instructor, as a new librarian or even a seasoned one.

For next semester, I have a couple things in mind.

1. Observation. This past semester, I observed a couple of librarians teach and reflected on their methods (blog post about that coming soon). I don’t know about you, but it terrifies me when people observe me teach. My face turns red, I get nervous, and makes me feel self conscious. So, this semester, I need to get past that fear and I am going to ask some fellow colleagues to observe me.
2. Fear of failing. OK, this is not a goal, but it’s something I have and this sometimes prevents me from trying some experimental methods in the classroom. I have heard encouragement from other librarians about how it’s “Ok to fail,” but it’s easier said done. This coming semester, I hope to get past this fear.
3. Integrating the framework more. Like a lot of librarians, I have been trying to implement some concepts into my library instruction sessions. One does not simply fit 6 concepts into one session, so it’s important to plan ahead. My goal is to include 2 concepts of the framework into each class and keep a log to mark my progress.
4. As always, more assessment. This is not my most favorite topic, but it is an important one. As I started this semester, I will continue to do a post assessment for my library sessions. I would also like to implement more assessment throughout the class.

I wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year! See you all in 2017.