Library Instruction: A Guide for Introverts
If you are an introvert like me, you might dread the idea of having 30+ sets of eyes focused on you multiple times a day. Social interaction drains an introvert’s energy. Additionally, introverts tend to spend a lot of time processing new information internally. It can be nerve-racking to adapt a lesson on the spot to meet the differing needs of each class. I want to share the tips and tricks I use to help me manage my expectations, my energy levels, and my effectiveness as an instructor.
Before Class
Touch base with the professor. Ask the professor what they want their students to get out of the session and how responsive the class is. This information helps me prepare my learning goals and sets my expectations for how engaged the class will be during discussion or activities. There is nothing worse than having a great discussion laid out and then getting blank stares from the class. Knowing that might be the case ahead of time prevents a lot of anxiety and loss of stability in the moment.
Outline the lesson in detail. Writing down my step-by-step process keeps my focus on the learning outcomes, and having that solid foundation to fall back on gives me more confidence to solicit and apply ad-lib student input to the points I make. In my lesson plan, I include group activities that allow me to “rest” and process the session while the students engage in the activity. This gives me time to refocus and rebalance if necessary. I also have backup activities or more complex information on hand if time and the class dynamic seem open to that. In the case that a class is not responsive, I have backup examples, questions, or discussion points at the ready to keep the session flowing. (I actually rarely have had to use these since I find that focusing discussion and activities on elements that are directly applicable to the class or assignment makes students more willing to contribute.)
Practice the lesson. This includes how I want to phrase specific ideas (and writing keywords down on the lesson plan I take to class with me to jog my memory) and going through the motions of conducting a test library search to make sure the website is working the way I expect it to. Related to this:
Prepare for the unexpected as much as possible. I adapt my search demonstration to off-the-cuff student topics to keep the lesson relevant. This means I cannot practice with a pre-determined topic and go into class knowing to avoid, for example, a full-text article link that happens to be broken. Sometimes such an issue inconveniently arises just as I am explaining how easy full-text access is. However, I can prepare how to handle the situation and to retain focus on showing students how the resource works without overwhelming them, as well as who to contact when it does not work.
Drink water.
Go to the bathroom before class starts. Yes, really! This seems intuitive, but if I do not make it an actual step in my process, I forget to do it because of everything else I am thinking about in preparation for the instruction session. Nothing distracts me more than an insistent bladder, and the goal is to have the fewest factors on my mind while teaching.
During Class
Drink water. I have a water bottle with me and take sips during the built-in break times, or any time as needed. I had not anticipated how quickly my throat dries out while speaking!
Keep focused. I can be thrown off by a new or unexpected idea and spiral down the rabbit hole of examining that idea. But during class is not the time! I do not let a weird comment or interruption occupy my thoughts and instead fall back on my lesson plan to refocus the conversation and my attention on the learning outcome.
Be flexible. Outlining my lesson and preparing for the unexpected frees up mental space for me to answer questions, expand on student-provided examples, and customize the lesson on the fly. It is more helpful, useful, and relevant to the students to do so rather than stick to a rigid script that will not meet the needs of every class.
After Class
Drink water. Hydration is important!
Review feedback. I usually wait a few hours to a day before doing this so that I can process my own experience of the session before taking student experiences and potential modifications into account. This is also the time to ruminate over any weird comments or ideas that came up.
Pat myself on the back. I’m done! (For now.)
As you can see, most of the steps occur during the prep phase. Understanding why I am in front of that particular class, what my goals for that lesson are, and how I am going to achieve those goals provide the solid foundation I need to stay on target and be comfortable with flexibility. It is really about moving my internal information processing time into the prep stage where it is most effective instead of trying to fight a losing battle against my introversion while in front of a class.
Time and experience will make this process easier. In the six months I have been providing library instruction, I have already noticed an improvement in my comfort level in front of a class by embracing my introversion and taking the steps listed above.
I have two final thoughts to share:
Stay confident. You already have the skills to think through problems and conduct research. Any lesson you teach will help students become more information literate. If you try something in class and it does not work, just change or remove it for the next class. I learned very quickly that lesson planning, like many aspects of librarianship, is an iterative process, and that is okay.
You are not alone. The idea of seeking out another person to interact with and further draining your social energy after teaching these sessions seems counterintuitive, but chances are high you have a colleague, friend, or family member who shares the same experiences. Talking that out, confirming that you are not alone or weird (or an imposter) for being drained by a significant part of your job can help alleviate the stress from teaching as an introvert.
Back in 2012, when the impending date of destruction and doom of December 21, 2012 – based on the Mayan calendar not going beyond that particular date – lingered in our subconscious and played out on daily media, I often enjoyed the History Channel’s programming on apocalyptic events which could have spelled the demise of humanity and even our planet. Over-the-top, theatrical programs detailing the worst-case scenarios of solar flares, collisions with extraterrestrial bodies, deadly pandemics, violent volcanic eruptions, threat of nuclear annihilation and the overthrown of humanity by artificial intelligence were a nightly regular, even to the point that the History Channel had its own Armageddon Week, which I enthusiastically (maybe not the right choice of word) watched. When December 22, 2012 heralded its arrival with birds chirping, the sun still faithfully in the sky, and holiday shoppers scuttling for last-minute bargains, I emerged from my bunker bed, and I had to chuckle to myself. The History Channel would now have to re-do about ninety percent of its programming.
Regardless of the apocalypse not occurring on that particular date, or any other date predicted in the history of mankind, the notion that one day there may be no us and no Earth and the events leading up to that cataclysmic hour have been the topic of concern and discussion since the dawn of our modern species. Most world religions touch upon the end times and the demise of our planet, which is usually defined by exceptionally violent natural catastrophes and the final showdown between good and evil. It is of such poignant interest that the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) named ABC-CLIO’s “End of Days: An Encyclopedia of the Apocalypse in World Religions” (ed. Wendell G. Johnson) as one of the most noteworthy reference publications of 2017. The unveiling of the 2018 Outstanding References Sources List on which this encyclopedia appears occurred at the ALA’s Midwinter Meeting held in Denver, Colorado, earlier this month. (http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/02/reference-experts-announce-annual-outstanding-reference-sources-list-adults)
Intrigued, I investigated what this reference could contain. Was such a dismal reference source in high demand? I would have no qualms adding this to my own personal collection, as it looks very interesting. (Am I the only one who is really serious about that?) The encyclopedia covers a range of religions and philosophical views from various time periods, including the apocalypse as interpreted by the Judeo-Christian biblical figures Abraham, Enoch, Baruch, John, Peter, and Paul. For a more scientific approach to how everything will all end, there is discussion of cosmology, such as the theory of the universe ending in what is known as the Big Crunch. This encyclopedia references the religious views about eschatology as held by Roman Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Entries can be located about how the apocalypse has weaved its way into the mainstream, both past and present. In medieval times, it was Dante’s Inferno which kept its readers in dire fear of a never-ending afterlife marked with descending levels of cringe-worthy punishment based on the nature of an unfortunate soul’s actions in his or her time on Earth. Today, stories occurring with the end times all but dominate pop culture: The Walking Dead, Left Behind, and The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and The Divergent literature and movies series have amassed critical acclaim and blockbuster status. Cult leaders who proclaimed themselves to be sent by God (or whatever other name attributed to any given deity) to save as many souls as possible before the End Times are also touched upon in this reference. I immediately think of being back in high school in 1993 when David Koresh held down his fort in Waco, Texas in a violent standoff. His saga is a recent television mini-series on Paramount Network. Koresh and other individuals such as Jim Jones and Harold Camping are mentioned in this encyclopedia. (https://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOGreenwood/product.aspx?pc=A4838C)
After reading the reviews, I believe that “End of Days: An Encyclopedia of the Apocalypse in World Religions” would be a welcomed addition to any academic or public library. There is certainly no shortage of interest in the apocalypse; an interest which will not wane anytime soon. This reference is definitely going to take up a permanent residence in my personal library – or at least as long as the world is still here.
Happy Fair Use Week
Copyright resources from ARLIS/NA – http://bit.ly/2ETM8Az
Taking account for the fundamental principles of copyright and the meaning of copyright ownership, a panel presented very current information, recommendations and future plans for digital materials in libraries, archives, museums and galleries. Interesting suggestion to include the MARC 542 field in individual records to describe the rights allowed. From several hundred ways to describe rights, DPLA has worked with others to narrow the field to twelve, giving specifics on what is/is not allowed. e.g. PDUS – public domain United States. Also news, the rolling date will begin in 2019 for works in public domain, adding a year from 1923, in one year increments. Risk assessments were reviewed including, for academic libraries operated under state systems, for sovereign immunity.
Bringing archives into the undergraduate classroom
Image courtesy Jessica Showalter
A partnership between Penn State Altoona Library Director Bonnie Imler and history instructor Jared Frederick is giving undergraduate students hands-on experience working with historical archives. Their experience offers some strategies for librarians seeking to bring archives into the undergraduate classroom.
Students in Frederick’s fall 2017 HIST 112 course examined some of the library’s over 500 WWII-era letters as part of their introduction to public history, which Frederick describes as “the concept of sharing culture and the past through programming and techniques at historic sites, museums, libraries, and parks.” Each student chose one letter-writer and then followed him or her through the war. Later, they wrote biographical essays about their chosen letter-writer.
Imler says, “Many of these students had never worked with archives before. Connecting them with these primary documents lets the students be historians and do original research. Plus, since the letters were written by correspondents who were former Penn State Altoona students themselves, reading them helps today’s students engage with our university history and makes it personal.”
The Collection
Image courtesy Jessica Showalter
The letters are part of the library’s Robert E. Eiche collection. Eiche, for whom the library is named, served as Penn State Altoona’s first campus director from its founding in 1939 until 1968. When many of the campus’s students and faculty enlisted in the military during WWII, Eiche kept up correspondence with them. Their letters describe their training, deployment all over the world, and their struggles to reintegrate when they returned home after the war. Many of the letters express gratitude for Eiche’s continued correspondence and news from home throughout the war.
Imler worked with the Penn State Libraries Preservation, Conservation, and Digitization department to get the letters de-acidified and catalogued. Former student Kallie Sheets and current staff member Jessica Showalter entered metadata about the letters into a database, recording information such as the letter’s author, the author’s military affiliation, the letter’s place of origin, and an abstract of its contents. The database allows researchers to quickly search the hundreds of letters.
Hands-on research
Students visited the Historical Archives room and examined the letters as well as related ephemera including V-mail, Christmas cards, and photographs. Most of the letters are hand-written, so Frederick’s students had the opportunity to decipher and transcribe the manuscripts.
Imler says, “They learned some strategies for handling and interpreting physical materials, and they got a feel for the environment of a reading room.” Frederick praised the physical space. He says, “The recent creation of our archive room in the library provided a wonderful work space ideal for concentration and research.”
Using digital archives
Imler also taught the students how to track down more information about the letter-writers using several of the library’s databases of digitized archival materials. Frederick says, “Many library databases were of immeasurable assistance. Newspaper Archives provided much material regarding the personal, local details of service members researched by my students, including some other notes they sent home. Ancestry.com offered the more bureaucratic perspective of the war, giving enlistment information, pension benefits, burial details, and the occasional photograph.”
Making student research visible
The biographical essays written by Frederick’s students are now part of the Eiche WWII Letters collection. Imler says, “Including the biographical essays with the letters will serve as a valuable resource for researchers in the future. Plus, it gave these students an opportunity to write for an audience beyond the classroom and to contribute to our university’s legacy.”
Looking forward
Imler and Frederick’s partnership is ongoing. Frederick is planning to use reproductions of the letters in an upcoming exhibit to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, which Imler will promote with an interactive display in the library. Imler’s display will allow patrons to examine physical copies of the letters as well as explore a digital exhibit that will be customized to the patron’s interests.
Looking forward, Frederick adds, “Ideally, I would like to see the letters in some book form–either transcriptions or converted into a narrative. I also think the story of the letters would make for a compelling documentary, which I think WPSU could and should produce.”
Building a virtual reality lab
Penn State’s IMEX Lab (Image courtesy Jessica Showalter)
I was floored when I experienced Virtual Reality for the first time at Penn State’s new IMEX (Immersive Experiences) Lab. And I almost ended up on the floor—thankfully, IMEX Media Consultant Dan Getz was there acting as a spotter so I did not dive into the desk in front of me. The lab, which was created and funded by Teaching and Learning with Technology (a Unit of Enterprise IT), offers some useful lessons for libraries considering making space for a VR lab.
More and more researchers are using VR in fields including health care, engineering, travel, training, design, gaming, and storytelling, and libraries are seeking to keep up with the trend. According to the American Library Association’s new initiative, the Center for the Future of Libraries, “Libraries have long served as points for the public’s first exposure to new technologies, and they could again play that role with virtual reality . . . There is a significant push to bring virtual reality to education with many innovators focusing on two of the key services of libraries—collections and spaces.”
A range of equipment
Libraries planning to incorporate VR may be interested in the inventory of a space like the IMEX Lab. The lab offers equipment ranging from inexpensive Google Cardboard headsets, to mid-range 360-degree cameras that capture views in every direction simultaneously, to high-end Oculus Rift VR headsets and high-powered computers with video cards fast enough to run the VR equipment. It also has a soundbooth, a 2-monitor curved display allowing for multiple viewers of the same video, and six iMacs loaded with Adobe Premiere for 360-degree video editing.
A dedicated space
While lending equipment at a circulation desk is one possibility for libraries considering VR, having a dedicated space is important. First, the space offers access to specialized equipment and software. On top of that, it means expert help is always available (Getz’s office is integrated into the lab). It also gives users the ability to move around in VR environments safely.
“Once you are immersed in VR, you forget your physical surroundings,” Getz said. “We came up with several design strategies to keep viewers safe and comfortable while they are in VR. Our pinwheel design [pictured above] for our viewing pods features chairs with very heavy bases so they don’t tip over if viewers lean, and the chairs are also dual-pivot so that viewers can spin to explore their 360-degree videos. The tall walls of the pinwheel give viewers a sense of privacy so they don’t feel self-conscious.” Plus, as mentioned earlier, Getz can serve as a guide and spotter when someone is using one of the taped-off areas designated for the two Oculus Rift stations in the lab.
A service model
Development of the IMEX lab is ongoing. Getz explained, “The lab is less than a year old, and we are still trying to scale the service model.” Currently, the service model includes working with faculty to design assignments and then supporting them with workshops that introduce 360-degree video, teach the basics of using the cameras, and teach how to edit the videos in Adobe Premiere.
Getz also described how the IMEX lab works in concert with other units, including the Media Commons and the Maker Commons. For example, Getz explained, “Using Blocks by Google, a student can design a 3D model in VR, download the design, and send it over to our 3D printers in the Maker Commons to have it printed.”
Getz added that he and his colleagues are working to develop an app that would sync videos being watched by multiple viewers. “If an instructor is teaching with a 360-degree video, it could create confusion because students wearing headsets can look in any direction they wish and have individualized paths. With this app, the instructor could pause the video with a control device and project a specific moment and direction on a screen so that multiple viewers could discuss the same thing.”
The opportunities created by VR are exciting, but the new technology could present some barriers to entry. With this in mind, the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries emphasizes the importance of VR being accessible and affordable for all. According to the Center, “Even as VR helps provide more equitable access to content, it could also become the next realm of exclusive content . . . [which] could provide challenges to libraries’ mission toward equitable access as well as concerns for cataloguing and organizing these exclusives.”
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