ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries July/August 1 9 9 6 /4 3 7 Conference Circuit Lib rary instruction for changing tim es B y G a r y B . T h o m p s o n The 25th Workshop on Instruction in Library Use T he five Canadian librarians in attendance at the inaugural LOEX (Library Orientation Exchange) Conference in 1971 were so im­ pressed by the proceedings that they decided to establish a similar seminar for librarians from their two provinces. In 1972 the first Workshop on Instruction in Library Use (WILU) was held at the University of Western Ontario and it has been held every year since then, either in On­ tario or Quebec province. The 25th anniver­ sary Workshop on Instruction in Library Use held at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada, May 15– 17, attracted close to 100 par­ ticipants, 20 percent of whom were from the United States. The forces challenging academ ic libraries to day The keynote speaker was Roma Harris, vice­ provost and registrar and professor in the School of Library Science at the University of Western Ontario, who identified three forces challeng­ ing academic libraries today: greater demands for services, expanding electronic information resources, and smaller budgets and smaller staffs, especially professional librarians. Some critics of library instruction think that academic libraries should deliver information and stop forcing students to learn how to use libraries, while others believe that students must become more self-reliant and find information with mini­ mal help. Citing studies o f user behavior done by her­ self, Gloria Leckie and Heidi Julien, Carol Kulthau and Cerise Oberman, Harris pointed out that students are bewildered by the variety o f electronic resources, frequently encounter problems searching these databases without as­ sistance, are anxious about how to pick and narrow down a research topic, and are over­ whelmed by the mountains of citations. She stated that librarians must teach the entire re­ search process, including selecting the indexes, choosing the topic, narrowing the focus, de­ veloping search strategies, selecting relevant ci­ tations, and evaluating the intellectual content of the sources located. Librarians must teach students how to take full advantage of elec­ tronic resources by encouraging the discovery process and developing discerning minds, to separate the chaff from the wheat. Harris posed this dilemma: “In the examples o f the misdirected patrons, the ONLY reason their problems were identified was because a librarian noticed them struggling, approached them, and worked with them to find out what they were trying to accomplish. How many people will now fall through the cracks, walk­ ing away empty-handed or, at best, poorly in­ formed by the technological front-ends to our self-service arrangements.” High-touch help Today there is much talk about the virtual li­ brary and the virtual university, but people do not live and work in virtual reality. Harris pointed out that high tech requires “high-touch” help: “educating users to navigate and under­ stand the role of information, and to use criti­ cal thinking in the evaluation o f material they retrieve, is, by definition, a labor-intensive pro­ cess, whether it be carried out by librarians or faculty members. There is not much question that if we are to have an educated, thoughtful population we must find ways to ensure that people do not drown in ignorance as a result o f swimming in a sea of data.” She concluded G ary B. T hom pson is h e a d o f in fo rm a tio n services a t C lev elan d State University; e -m a il: g .th om p so n @ p o p m a il.csu o h io .ed u mailto:g.thompson@popmail.csuohio.edu 4 3 8 /C&RL News by saying that librarians are the best gatekeepers to ensure that the widest range of information remains a public good accessible to all seg­ ments o f the population. As the costs o f educa­ tion rise, students will demand that academic libraries provide assistance and instruction on using the electronic resources. “There is no question about whether the need exists to in­ struct users and to teach them to use critical thought in negotiating the complex world of information. The question is whether we can succeed in claiming the resources necessary to provide this education.” The hum an factor in teaching an d learning The other conference highlight was a breakout session entitled “Reflective Teaching and Think­ ing” given by Donald Morgenson, professor emeritus and winner o f many teaching awards at W ilfrid Laurier University. Like Harris, M orgenson addressed the human factor in teaching and learning in this highly technologi­ cal educational environment. He implored li­ brarians to help reverse the decline in reflec­ tive thought and to transform students into critical and conceptual thinkers actively in­ volved in the learning process. With the trans­ fer o f more and more data into computer stor­ age, there is a danger that knowledge may becom e compressed into small “info-nuggets” and that longer and more fully developed dis­ courses on these subjects may be lost. Morgenson pointed out that every research tool, whether it be a pencil or a computer, has its limitations as well as its benefits. If we are not careful, reliance upon electronic and Inter­ net resources may restrict researchers to a lim­ ited number o f resources, in brief and bland versions, filtered by others based upon com­ mercial gain, efficiency, and ease o f use. Li­ brarians must teach students to assess and in­ terpret what they read, to discern the good from the bad, and to take the time to apply critical thinking to the research process. Computers may make research seem too easy and too fast, resulting in quick and dirty research. Morgenson agreed with those librarians who convened recently at the New York Public Li­ brary to discuss the future of libraries. They concluded that the future library must be a ha­ ven for people wanting access to electronic in­ formation and a human gathering place for people interested in research, reading, reflec­ tion, discussion, and dialogue. This place will need computers, but it will also need librarians to educate and guide patrons so that they are well-informed citizens with a solid understand­ ing o f the facts to make informed judgments about issues facing the country and the world. Innovations in instruction In another breakout session, Shabiran Rahman (University of Waterloo) presented the results o f her extensive survey o f undergraduate and graduate students and faculty, which probed such questions as how faculty encourage stu­ dents to learn about the library, how students acquire library skills, how useful students think library instruction is, and which materials and which services students think are the most im­ portant to them. Many presenters at this conference demon­ strated the versatility o f Web browser software for making library instruction more attractive, more creative, and more rewarding for teach­ ers and students. Web browsers also may be Today there is much talk about the virtual lib rary and the virtual university, but people do not live and w o rk in virtual reality. more cost-effective since the materials are al­ ways available to students at a moment’s no­ tice and can be easily adapted to new uses. The poster sessions offered several innova­ tive ideas: a “certificate o f participation in li­ brary workshops” to let faculty know that stu­ d e n ts r e c e iv e d th e n e e d e d in s tru c tio n (Laurentian University), “Elements o f a Good Library Research Paper Assignment” for use by teaching faculty (Wabash College), “English 102e-Technical Writing on the World Wide W eb” including a virtual classroom (University o f Waterloo), and an interactive CD-ROM for teaching library and information-gathering skills (Wascana Institute in Regina). T a lk : Form al an d inform al Much of the formal and informal talk at the conference centered around the growth of elec­ tronic resources and information technology, the cuts in library budget and staff resources, and their combined impact on the outlook for library instruction everywhere. ■