ALA created an opportunity to recognize people who have contributed to the field of librarianship and information science in a remarkable way, and one of those people was Neal-Schuman author Dr. Lesley S. J. Farmer, recipient of the 2011 ALA Beta Phi Mu Award for distinguished service to education in librarianship at the annual ALA convention in New Orleans. In a recent interview, I had a chance to ask this veteran of the profession about her experiences, her forthcoming book on instructional design, and her views on the challenges facing teacher-librarians and school librarianship.
A professor at California State University Long Beach, Lesley S. J. Farmer coordinates CSU’s Librarianship program. Dr. Farmer has worked as a teacher-librarian in K-12 school settings as well as in public, special, and academic libraries. She is the co-author of the The Neal-Schuman Technology Management Handbook for School Library Media Centers and the author of the forthcoming Instructional Design for Librarians and Information Professionals.
- At ALA New Orleans 2011
• First of all, congratulations on winning ALA’s 2011 Beta Phi Mu Award for distinguished service to education in librarianship this past May. Could you describe some experiences that might help others that were pivotal in your becoming an award-winning teacher of teachers?
One of my first pivotal experiences was teaching library science in Peace Corps (Tunisia), which lighted my teaching fire. That realization led me to pursue a doctorate in Adult Education so I would have the knowledge and skills to instruct adult pre-service librarians. I think my own librarian experiences informed my teaching, and gave me “street cred.” My writing has also informed my teaching as I have researched a variety of topics, and I have also co-authored with my students. Certainly, coordinating a library science program has enabled me to see the big picture: from developing and expanding a cohesive library program to assessing its effectiveness. Hiring and working with program lecturers has also sharpened my expertise. Teaching online, both with self-grown Web pages and course management systems, provided another dimension for instructional design and delivery. And, of course, I learn from my students every day.
• Your newest book Instructional Design for Librarians and Information Professionals is on press as we speak. What is its focus, and why did you decide to write this book?
Increasingly, librarians are asked to instruct beyond just-in-time reference help. Even school librarians, who typically have a teaching credential, receive little formal training on designing and implementing library instruction (i.e., information and digital literacies), particularly in a systematic way or in light of virtual education. This book provides such a focus. Because I have worked in all types of libraries, I have experienced a wide range of informational needs, and know what kinds of instruction are appropriate for different clientele and situations.
• What is technology-transformed instruction and how do librarians implement it?
Technology has the potential to change instruction significantly, not just play an additive role. Of course, teaching with technology involves knowing ABOUT technology, and requires that libraries match technology tools and strategies to the content and learning objective, as well as the learner. The transformative part of technology can apply to both the teaching and learning experience as the roles of the parties involve change from a hierarchical one to a collegial and joint exploratory one. In addition, technology facilitates generative knowledge — that is knowledge production; the learner is no longer just a consumer of information but also a producer of it. Lastly, technology facilitates the dissemination of this new knowledge so that others can be informed by it.
• As you have focused on teacher librarians and library media curriculum over the years, what have you found to be the new or perennial challenges of the profession?
Obviously, technology continues to change and grow, which impacts both the nature of information itself as well as its “carrier” or “container.” That, in turn, impacts how librarians locate, evaluate, select, and organize recorded information. Librarianship or library service has become more participatory, which I laud. Especially with the Internet, collection development has a whole new meaning as access sometimes outweighs ownership. The library is no longer a closed universe controlled by the librarian; it is a portal to information, guided by the librarian/information professional. Librarians now share their expertise more, such as teaching users how to evaluate information more than ever; their instructional role has increased. Likewise, with the advent of Web 2.0, even in the cataloging arena, librarians are sharing that intellectual space with users – who can complement subject headings with personal tags and contribute to the collection with their own products more easily. Other issues deal with diversity and globalization: the increasing variety of users and their needs, and their interaction; the world really is getting smaller. More than ever before, librarians need to address the information needs of people with physical and mental differences as well as linguistically different people. I think that librarians also have to assume a greater leadership and advocacy role than ever before; having the fireman attitude of just being ready when the user wants help is no longer enough – librarians have to seek opportunities to reach out to their communities (both physical and virtual) and pro-actively provide information and services that respond to those communities’ needs and wants. Libraries and librarians can no longer to be taken for granted, particularly in light of the many options for gaining information and engaging in leisure activities. More than ever before, librarians have to show their value, including conducting research and analyzing data to evaluate and improve their programs. Nevertheless, libraries continue their core roles of collection development and physical/intellectual access in light of the community, and being socially responsible in the process.
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