THE LIBRARIAN IN THE ACADEMY: EXPLORING THE INSTRUCTIONAL ROLE OF LIBRARIANS ...

199 Pages·2005·0.41 MB·English

THE LIBRARIAN IN THE ACADEMY:

EXPLORING THE INSTRUCTIONAL ROLE

OF LIBRARIANS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

By

SCOTT LOUIS WALTER

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Education

August 2005

© Copyright by SCOTT LOUIS WALTER, 2005
All Rights Reserved
© Copyright by SCOTT LOUIS WALTER, 2005
All Rights Reserved
To the Faculty of Washington State University:

The members of the Committee appointed to examine the dissertation of
SCOTT LOUIS WALTER find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted.

___________________________________
Chair

___________________________________

___________________________________

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No project so very long in progress comes to conclusion without the assistance of
many friends, colleagues, and teachers. I would like to express my appreciation,
especially, to my advisor, Forrest Parkay, who has been a good colleague and an
invaluable guide through this process. The other members of my committee, Gail Furman
and Don Reed, have likewise been valuable colleagues and teachers since I first arrived at
Washington State. Appreciation is also due to the many other members of the WSU
faculty with whom I have worked over the years, especially Barbara Gupta, Willie
Heggins, Todd Johnson, Judy Mitchell, Dawn Shinew, and Kelly Ward. Each of them
helped to make WSU (and especially Cleveland Hall) a wonderful place for me to call
home.
It is not uncommon to find recognition in these pages of reference librarians and
others who helped an author to locate materials used in the completion of a dissertation.
Since I came to WSU as a reference librarian, it is fair to say that I had a leg up in this
area. Still, while few of my library colleagues provided me, for example, with the
traditional assistance completing my literature review(s), they were invaluable sources of
data for the research projects described in the pages that follow. Corey Johnson, Beth
Lindsay, Lorena O’English, and others participated in one or more of these studies,
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helped me to hone my interpretation of their significance, or collaborated with me to
carry out the projects that grew out of what I learned through my research. Our
professional relationship has continued since I left Pullman, and I look forward to
working with each of them long into the future.
Finally, I must acknowledge the support I have received over the years from one
of my first advisors, B. Edward McClellan, Professor of History of Education and
Adjunct Professor of History and American Studies at Indiana University. Ed helped me
to find my place in teacher education and has remained a good friend even as I veered far
off the academic course we originally charted together.
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THE LIBRARIAN IN THE ACADEMY:

EXPLORING THE INSTRUCTIONAL ROLE

OF LIBRARIANS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
ABSTRACT
Abstract

by Scott Louis Walter, Ph.D.
Washington State University
August 2005

Chair: Forrest W. Parkay
This dissertation presents three studies around the theme of the role of the
librarian as teacher in the higher education environment. The first study explores the
development of “teacher identity” among academic librarians through a series of semi-
structured interviews with information professionals committed to their work as teachers.
Drawing both on the idea of teacher identity from the literature of teacher education and
on existing studies of professional stereotypes and professional identity development
among academic librarians, this study explores the degree to which academic librarians
think of themselves as teachers, the ways in which teaching has become a feature of their
professional identity, and the factors that may influence an academic librarian to adopt a
“teacher identity” as part of his or her personal understanding of his or her role on
campus. The second study explores the role that teaching librarians can play in
supporting campus-wide diversity initiatives. It describes the development and delivery
of an information needs assessment instrument directed at students affiliated with one of
four “minority cultural centers” on a college campus and the opportunities identified
through that assessment activity for substantive and sustainable collaborative
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instructional programming between the academic library and the Office of Multicultural
Student Services. The final study draws on the literature of “instructional improvement”
and faculty development to explore the ways in which academic librarians pursue
professional development in the area of teaching and learning. This study reports the
results of a national survey of professional practices among academic librarians on their
efforts to improve their work as teachers. Survey results suggest an active professional
development interest among librarians in topics related to teaching and learning, as well
as a number of lessons that can be drawn from the literature of higher education for
library administrators committed to supporting that interest and to developing formal
programs for the assessment of instructional performance among academic librarians.
Together, the three essays provide a framework for future action by teaching librarians
and by library administrators committed to supporting the professional development of
librarians as teachers and to promoting the instructional role of the academic library.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................................................iii
ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................v
TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................vii
LIST OF TABLES..............................................................................................................x
DEDICATION...................................................................................................................xi
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1
Format.............................................................................................................................8
Definition of Terms........................................................................................................9
Notes.............................................................................................................................12
LIBRARIANS AS TEACHERS: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY INTO PROFESSIONAL
IDENTITY........................................................................................................................13
Introduction...................................................................................................................13
Methodology.................................................................................................................16
Review of the Literature...............................................................................................19
Teacher Identity and Learning to Teach...................................................................19
Librarians Learning to Teach....................................................................................22
Professional Identity and the Librarian.....................................................................30
Themes in the Study of Teacher Identity Among Academic Librarians......................34
The Centrality of Teaching.......................................................................................35
The Importance of Collegial and Administrative Support........................................36
The Stress of Multiple Demands...............................................................................37
The Problems with Professional Education..............................................................38
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Stereotypes and Misperceptions...............................................................................39
Discussion and Implications for Future Research........................................................41
Conclusion....................................................................................................................44
Notes.............................................................................................................................46
MOVING BEYOND COLLECTIONS: ACADEMIC LIBRARY OUTREACH TO
MULTICULTURAL STUDENT CENTERS...................................................................47
Introduction...................................................................................................................47
Diversity and the Academic Library.............................................................................48
Instructional Outreach to Diverse Communities..........................................................51
Diversity and Instructional Outreach at Washington State University.........................55
Methodology.................................................................................................................60
Results...........................................................................................................................62
Discussion.....................................................................................................................66
Conclusion....................................................................................................................69
Notes.............................................................................................................................72
IMPROVING INSTRUCTION: WHAT LIBRARIANS CAN LEARN FROM THE
STUDY OF COLLEGE TEACHING..............................................................................74
Introduction...................................................................................................................74
Literature Review.........................................................................................................76
The Education of Instruction Librarians...................................................................77
Instructional Improvement in Higher Education......................................................81
Instructional Improvement in Academic Libraries...................................................86
Design of the Study.......................................................................................................92
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Results...........................................................................................................................93
Discussion and Implications for Future Research......................................................100
Conclusion..................................................................................................................105
Notes...........................................................................................................................108
Notes...........................................................................................................................108
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH..............109
The Librarian as Teacher............................................................................................109
Recommendations for Future Research......................................................................113
Conclusion..................................................................................................................117
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................118
Appendix One: Survey Instruments................................................................................155
Appendix Two: Interview Schedule...............................................................................175
Appendix Three: Sample Documents.............................................................................177

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