Teaching to the Same Audience: Collaboration between Instruction and Special Collections Teams
Presented by
- Kayla Harris (University of Dayton)
- Heidi Gauder (Roesch Library, University of Dayton)
Description
One core value of academic library work is collaboration; done effectively, collaboration provides superior service to students, faculty and researchers. Recently, an archivist and a librarian conducted a grant-funded research project that aimed to identify the levels of collaboration that currently exist for library instruction between special collections and instruction teams. Increasingly archivists and special collections librarians are incorporating primary source instruction into their roles, and they are often encouraged to learn from their more experienced instruction colleagues about topics such as pedagogy or assessment. For instruction librarians, the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy encourages librarians to look at the research process more holistically, an aspect that is often present in primary source instruction. By interviewing department heads of both special collections and instruction teams at public and private academic libraries, the researchers gained insight into potential barriers that exist between the units, and aspirational goals for what a successful partnership would embody. This session will explore the opportunities, tensions, and values placed on instruction by both units. Participants will be prompted to reflect on their own collaborative experiences within their libraries.
About
Kayla Harris is an Archivist/Librarian for the Marian Library at the University of Dayton. Her primary responsibilities include the arrangement and description of materials, reference services, instruction, and outreach, with the goal of making the Marian Library’s unique materials accessible.
Heidi Gauder is the Coordinator of Research and Instruction at Roesch Library, University of Dayton. She chairs of the University Libraries instruction team; responsibilities include scheduling, assessing, and coordinating the work of the team. She also leads the Roesch Library research team, working to schedule and provide research services to campus constituents and visitors.
