Resources For Librarians
Professional Development
The professional development list presents the names of organizations and that are specifically geared toward information literacy/library instruction. The websites provide tools, readings, standards, and materials related to instruction.
ACRL Institute for Information Literacy
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Institute for Information Literacy is a leadership organization dedicated to helping individuals and institutions to integrate information literacy into their educational programs. The Institute offers annual immersion programs to train instruction librarians, best practices guidance for institutions, and support for community partnerships that seek to create information literacy programs.
The Institute supports the Information Literacy Web site, which provides resources, ideas, standards, and guidelines for information literacy and links to information on professional activities for instruction librarians: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/professactivity/iil/welcome.htm
ACRL Instruction Section
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section is a professional development organization that is dedicated to helping academic librarians become effective information literacy instructors. The Instruction Section also advocates for the importance of library instruction for student learning, research, and teaching in higher education. Additionally, the section offers programming at both ALA and ACRL conferences and provides a biannual newsletter.
The ACRL Instruction Section Web site provides access to the section’s publications, information about ongoing projects, and links to other organizations of interest for instruction librarians: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/acrlsections/instruction/homepage.htm
The ACRL Instruction Section sponsors the ILI-L (Information Literacy Instruction Discussion List) for anyone who is interested in library instruction in colleges or universities. This list provides a forum for open discussion on library instruction issues. You can join the list at http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/ili-l.
ALA Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT)
The American Library Association (ALA) Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) supports efforts to develop and improve library instruction and information literacy programs in academic, public, special, and school libraries. The goal of LIRT is to promote lifelong learning and library competency in library users and assist librarians in becoming effective instructors. LIRT membership consists of individuals from all types of libraries.
The ALA Library Instruction Round Table Web site provides access to LIRT publications and information about their ALA conference programming: http://www3.baylor.edu/LIRT/
It sponsors the LIRT-L (Library Instruction Round Table Discussion List), which is open to anyone who is interested in the endeavors and activities of the Library Instruction Round Table. The list is not for discussion of library instruction issues. You can join the list at http://www3.baylor.edu/LIRT/elecdisc.html#lirtl
California Clearinghouse on Library Instruction (CCLI)
The California Clearinghouse on Library Instruction (CCLI) serves as a depository for instructional materials produced by libraries in California. It is an excellent resource for materials on bibliographic and information literacy instruction: http://ic.arc.losrios.edu/~ccli/
IFLA Information Literacy Section
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Information Literacy Section is designed to facilitate international collaboration on issues of information literacy and user education. Its stated mission is to distribute information on information literacy trends and programming in an international context. The Information Literacy Section, in conjunction with UNESCO, created and maintains the International Information Literacy Resources Directory, which is a database containing information literacy and instruction materials from around the world. The Information Literacy Section presents programming at annual IFLA conferences.
The IFLA Information Literacy Section Web site provides links to the International Information Literacy Resources Directory, publications, and newsletters: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s42/index.htm
Library Orientation Exchange (LOEX)
LOEX serves as a clearinghouse for information literacy and instruction resources and materials. The organization hosts an annual conference and publishes proceedings relating to all aspects of library instruction and information literacy. LOEX also distributes a quarterly publication and monthly current awareness electronic newsletters. Membership consists of both individuals interested in library instruction and over 600 libraries in several countries.
The LOEX Web site provides links to a wide variety of instruction resources: http://www.emich.edu/public/loex/index.html
National Forum on Information Literacy
The National Forum on Information Literacy was established in response to the challenges posed by the Information Age to address concerns about information literacy in the United States. Its membership consists of a variety of national and international organizations that are interested in supporting information literacy initiatives. Today, the forum is promotes and addresses information literacy issues in meetings and conferences in the United States and internationally. The forum focuses on all forms of information literacy such as business, computer, health, technology, and visual literacy.
The National Forum on Information Literacy Web site provides definitions of information literacy terminology, links to relevant publications, access to reports, and links to a broad spectrum of information literacy resources on the Web: http://www.infolit.org/
Instructional Improvement in Academic Libraries
Walter, Scott (2006). Instructional Improvement in Academic Libraries. Retrieved December 6, 2006, from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Library Gateway Web site: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/learn/librarians/improvement.htm#about.
Teachin’ the Teachers
American Library Association. ACRL Instruction Section, Management of Instruction Services Committee, (2005). Teachin’ the Teachers: Providing Effective Training and Professional Development Programs for Instruction Librarians. Retrieved December 7, 2006, Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrlbucket/is/iscommittees/webpages/mis/discnotes.htm.