Exiting the One-Shot Cycle

The one-shot library instruction session is a bane of our collective existence in academic libraries. The academic literature (and conference programs) are replete with discussion of this issue. As a subject liaison, my information literacy instruction has been conducted almost exclusively in one-shot class sessions. The sessions (and the subject guides I often create specifically for the classes) are the main contact I have with students, so they’ve been an important part of my work (and identity!) as a subject specialist.

Over recent semesters, however, I’ve noticed that the effectiveness of the sessions has been diminishing. This conclusion is based on a lack of engagement from the classes I visit and the low number of follow-up consultations that I receive after the classes. The number of sessions I’ve done in a semester has ranged from 7-10, so I didn’t feel I was overworked; the one-shot just wasn’t working well. After talking with my supervisor about the issue, she indicated that she’d be supportive of me trying something different. With this support, I decided not to do one-shots for the fall semester.

In lieu of the instruction session, I decided to add learning modules and videos to my existing class LibGuides which would explain how to use our discovery layer, databases, ILL, etc. I would also put together brief lesson plans for instructors to introduce library resources if they chose to do so. In communicating the change to professors, I indicated it was at times jarring having me come into class and felt the professors were better positioned to help students. I also emphasized that I would still be available to help students with their research individually. After putting all this together, I worried a bit about the consequences. Would professors be disappointed? Would this greatly disrupt their class preparation? Would they be less likely to work with me in the future?

My initial fears were unfounded; I sensed some disappointment in professors’ email responses, but they understood my rationale for making the change and agreed to facilitate the library introduction themselves. The consequences are still unknown, however. I haven’t yet done any research consultations with students from the classes where this change was instituted, so I don’t know how it’s affected student research. I’m going to follow up with instructors after the semester to get their assessment of this change. If instructors feel strongly enough that it’s a bad change, I may reconsider my decision.

I hope my experience will be helpful for others considering this change. Good luck with the remainder of your fall!