LIRT Fall 2004 Newsletter
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Fall 2004 Newsletter
LIRT Chair’s Message By AJ Johnson Hello from Austin, where the first cool fronts are finally starting to blow in! As the first big instruction push of the semester starts slowing down, I took a few moments (while the copier was slowly coughing up the handouts for my next class) to reflect on teaching. Sometimes in the first part of the semester there is no time for that, but I find that I always feel refreshed and have a new sense of purpose when I do so. During those moments I love my job the most, and realize how fulfilling it is to see the light come into a student's eyes as they realize the wealth of information in Academic Search Premier, or when they create a sophisticated enough web search that their Google results list under a hundred pages. These experiences make me realize that I have found my calling in life. This is not, however, a job that one can effectively do without constant curiosity and self-improvement. The last several years have been a time of great change for library instruction, and I have a feeling that major changes will continue to happen. While that means a great amount of work for us, it also means that we will get to learn new technologies, see improvements in information accessibility, and we will continue to be students' front line support. The Library Instruction Round Table is here to facilitate that curiosity and professional development in all of your instruction activities. This spring we will be presenting a program at the TLA Annual Conference on library instruction program assessment followed by Bites With LIRT, our dutch treat lunch that gives you a chance to connect and chat with instruction colleagues from across the state. Finally, we are sharing a booth this year with the Reference Round Table in the exhibit hall, so you can drop by and find out more about LIRT there. I would like to encourage you to become involved with LIRT. This is the best way to find out what other instructors are doing here in Texas, learn about new techniques and best practices, and find people who can share library instruction experiences and expertise. If you would like to discuss instruction topics, our listserv (link to http://www.txla.org/groups/lirt/listserv.html) is the perfect place to ask questions, look for advice, or share ideas. As the weather here in Texas begins to cool down somewhat, think about the classes you are teaching, the students you are reaching, and the positive difference you are making in their lives. LIRT knows what you do, and we would like to support your library instruction in every way that we can. AJ Johnson AJ Johnson is Information Literacy Librarian at the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently serving as the Chair of LIRT.
Nominations for Officers for 2005 - 2006 By Kathy Carter Calling all candidates! The Nominating Committee of the Library Instruction Round Table is accepting nominations for Vice-Chair (Chair-Elect) and Secretary/Treasurer. For more information on duties of each officer, see the LIRT bylaws, Article V (http://www.txla.org/groups/lirt/bylaws.html). Please contact Kathy Carter, Vice-Chair, if you want to help shape the future of the Library Instruction Round Table. Join our ace group of teaching librarians and contribute to the discussion of library instruction in Texas! Contact: Kathy Carter is the Reference and Information Services Librarian at the University of Texas at Brownsville. She is currently serving as the Vice-Chair/Secretary-Treasurer.
LIRT Seeks Nominations for Two Awards By Fran Ebbers It's that time of year to recognize your colleagues (and yourself) for an outstanding job in library instruction! Self-nominations are encouraged and will receive equal consideration to external nominations. Library Instruction Project of the Year Award New services and resources developed for library instruction Assessment of a library instruction class or program Marketing of a library instruction program or service Collaboration between library staff and other members of an institution or related organizations Cooperative ventures between different institutions Outstanding Service in Library Instruction Award Complete details about the nomination process can be found on the Library Instruction Round Table web page at http://www.txla.org/groups/lirt/s-award.html Deadline for nominations is January 15, 2005 Send nominations to: Fran Ebbers is the Head of Access Services at St. Edward's University in Austin. She is currently serving as past Chair and Awards Chair for 2004-2005.
2005 Conference Program Focuses Instruction Program Assessment By Sue Willman "Assessing Your Instruction Program" Are your students learning the concepts you are teaching? Learn from the presenters and your peers how to assess and improve, both internally and externally, your instruction program. LIRT's program at this year's TLA Conference will feature two speakers, Michelle Millet (Trinity University) and Yvonne Meulemans (Cal State - San Marcos). Both speakers have expertise in overall instruction program assessment. Michelle Millet also recently attended the Institute for Information Literacy's Immersion Program (program track manager) and has experience with LibQual+. Yvonne Meulemans has published in the journals Research Strategies and College and Undergraduate Libraries, and co-authored a chapter on assessment in Assessing Student Learning Outcomes for Information Literacy Instruction in Academic Institutions (2004), published by ALA. The program includes time for breakout groups in which we will discuss and compare notes on program assessment after the speakers' presentations, and will end with a question and answer forum. LIRT's "Bites with LIRT" luncheon at a nearby eatery will follow the program. We hope to see you there! Sue Willman is the Reference/Information Literacy Librarian at the Mary & Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. She is currently serving as LIRT Conference Program Coordinator for 2004-2005.
LIRT Information Booth at TLA Annual 2005 By Kristen Bullard Last year LIRT and Reference Round Table teamed up to co-sponsor a booth at the 2004 TLA Annual Conference and they are teaming up again this year. This booth is intended to be a place for current and potential LIRT and RRT members to get information about these round tables. We hope to increase the membership and the visibility of our organization and we need your help spreading the word about LIRT. To volunteer to staff the booth or to help plan the booth please contact: Kristen Bullard Kristen Bullard is the Instruction Librarian at the University of Houston. She is currently serving as the LIRT Membership Committee Chair.
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