Rarely do librarians have an opportunity for training in the actual design of a workshop. Often we prepare for a workshop by writing a content outline and then using the tried and true lecture - demo - hands-on approach for lack of other options. An increasing number of librarians know that that's just not good enough anymore. We are being challenged to document how what we do actually adds value to student and community learning. At the same time we are creating new roles for ourselves as leaders and educators in an era where information literacy is essential. There is no better time than now for librarians to prove themselves highly capable and engaged in moving the information literacy agenda forward. But unfortunately, little or no attention is given to helping librarians and library staff design what is often the foundational piece of our initial information literacy efforts - the one-shot workshop.

This book will help to give you the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to design highly effective library workshops. From needs assessment through design and implementation to final evaluations, this practical guide takes you step by step through the workshop process.

You will:

• learn how to determine what content to cover and how to assess whether learners are learning that content,
• get a suite of instructional methods to spice up your teaching and improve your efffectiveness as an instructor,
• explore the role of cognitive overload, learning styles and memory retention in workshop design, and
• learn how each step of the design process played out in the real-life design of library workshops at the University of Minnesota Libraries in the Twin Cities.

With a focus on practical applications, this book will show you how to make every minute count.

 

 

• "[This book] is an accessible, well-articulated work that provides an unusually thorough treatment of the instructional design process". - Reference & User Services Quarterly
• "The author combines her profound knowledge of instructional design and learning theories with her rich library experiences..." - Public Libraries
• "This is a timely, assessment-conscious, 20-step guide for a rigorous instructional design process, focusing on in-person, low-tech sessions." - Library Journal
• "A useful basic guide, especially for those who feel stuck in a pattern of delivering the same spiel every semester or those who are new to library instruction." - Portal

 

When I became the User Education Coordinator at the University of Minnesota Libraries I felt I finally had a good reason to get training in the area of instructional design. I tried a few multi-day non-library workshops that were geared mostly to corporate training situations. These were extremely helpful, but it wasn't until I got to bring that content back to my library and practice the skills on actual library workshops, that it really became meaningful.

Since leading several instructional design teams at the University of Minnesota Libraries, I have offered all-day workshops to various library groups around the country. These have given me an opportunity to work with dozens and dozens of librarians and other library staff at all kinds of libraries - public, special, corporate, school, and academic - who are hungry for training and development options on this topic. As a result of these workshops I learned that there is a real need for follow-up in the form of a practical, step-by-step guide to creating effective library workshops that someone could set next to their computer as they designed their next class. This is what I hope this book will be to you.

I have had held a number of different positions in academic libraries in the past 12 years. Currently I am the Director of Coordinated Educational Services at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The Coordinated Educational Services Department creates and implements tools, and creates and runs services that benefit users across the library system. Prior to this I was (in reverse chronological order) the Director of Undergraduate Initiatives, the User Education Coordinator, and the Distance Learning Instruction Librarian, all at the U of MN-TC in the last eight years. Crazy, but fun. I began my career in libraries at the University of Arizona as Undergraduate Services & Social Science Librarian. I received my MLS from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a BA in Anthropology, Film, and Video at Ithaca College in New York State.

I have written more than a half dozen articles and book chapters primarily in the areas of instructional design, assessment, and usability. This is my first book. You can check out my CV if you're interested. Please check out the links on the top and bottom of this page for worksheets and other information that I hope you find useful.