Growing as a Political Science Librarian

In my capacity as a liaison librarian, one of the departments I serve is our Political Science department. Over the past six years I’ve gotten more involved with political science librarianship via the ACRL Politics, Policy, and International Relations Section (PPIRS). In 2018, I answered a call for volunteers for an ad-hoc PPIRS information literacy committee which would create a new companion document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The companion document and its accompanying LibGuide were published in 2021. I’m really glad I volunteered for this committee, as it’s been rewarding in several respects.

First, it gave me the opportunity to get to know my excellent committee members. We are very fortunate to have a positive, dedicated group that has worked very well together. Writing the PPIRS companion document was time-consuming, but I wouldn’t call it difficult since we were able to make decisions about the text quickly and everyone met their deadlines. I enjoy catching up with these colleagues in meetings and at conferences and I look forward to working with them again in the future.

Second, it’s given me an opportunity to better understand the ACRL Framework. Before joining the ad-hoc committee, I was familiar with the Framework, but it wasn’t tightly integrated into my work with students and faculty. As we developed the PPIRS companion document, I got to know the Framework intimately and grew to value its emphasis on metacognition and threshold concepts. After working with the Framework for so long, I feel that it informs my reference and instruction in all disciplines at an almost subconscious level.

Third, I’ve gotten much more familiar with how political science is best taught and what instructors hope students learn. The committee began the companion document with a review of what political scientists have said about the Framework and information literacy, thus putting it in conversation with the discipline. Committee members also spoke with political science faculty at their respective institutions about their teaching so we could better ground the document. I enjoyed these conversations and have kept them going.

For those interested in learning more about the work of the ad-hoc committee, we wrote a chapter for Teaching Information Literacy by Discipline, to published this fall by ACRL. Here are some resources if you’re interested in political science teaching and learning:

• APSA Educate Website
• Journal of Political Science Education
• Incorporating Information Literacy Skills into Your Syllabus – YouTube presentation by ACRL American Political Science Association (APSA) liaison Kimberly MacVaugh

To continue this growth, I’ll be attending the 2024 APSA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in August. If you’re attending, I look forward to seeing you there!