Understanding Information Literacy Instructional Practices: Implications for Preparing Pre-Service Librarians

The role of academic librarians in supporting people to navigate the changing information environment is fundamental to librarianship and is critical in the current information environment. This poster focuses on the implications for educating pre-service librarians about the realities and challenges associated with that role, drawn from a national survey of instructional librarians in the U.S. The project speaks directly to the conference theme, “The Ethics and Evolution of Truth and Information,” as the survey respondents engage directly on the frontline of these issues. Implications for shaping the expectations of future instructional librarians will be revealed from findings of a national online survey currently underway. The survey returns to a series of questions motivating longitudinal surveys of librarians’ instructional practices conducted in other countries, and most recently conducted in the U.S. in 2016 (Julien 1998, 2000, 2005; Julien, Gross, & Latham, 2018; Julien & Leckie, 1997; Julien, Tan, & Merillat, 2013; Polkinghorne & Julien, 2018). These data paint a detailed picture of the daily practices of these professionals and the challenges they face. Despite changing technology, introduction of the ACRL Framework (2015), and the explosion of artificial intelligence use, many of the instructional practices and the pressures associated with the instructional role have remained stable (although the recent pandemic moved instruction online, at least for a time). Developing realistic expectations for the workplace is as relevant as is developing conceptual understanding, skills, and attitudes. Thus, the survey data provide an excellent opportunity to inform the education of master’s students.