The Grounded Instruction Librarian: Participating in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The Grounded Instruction Librarian: Participating in The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, published by the Association of College and Research Libraries in July 2019, explicitly recognizes the deep connections between the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and the scholarly work of librarians. The book demonstrates the range of connections supporting and strengthening librarians’ contributions to teaching, learning, and research across higher education. Those librarians looking to more deeply connect their instruction to the broader conversations occurring within SoTL will find many practical and theoretical insights in this text. SoTL is a growing discipline dedicated to the serious intellectual work of teaching and learning, where learning spaces are treated as sites for inquiry and innovation. Student learning, teaching practices, theories, and instruction programs across colleges and universities are critically examined in order to improve outcomes. SoTL research is often interdisciplinary and is currently practiced around the world across many different fields. Margy MacMillan, in her forward to the text, explains, “SoTL provides an useful framework and communities of practice in which to rethink academic librarianship... SoTL can be a meaningful pathway for both developments of the individual professional and the profession as a whole” (ix, 2019). The editors of this volume bring a wealth of experience to the topic. Melissa Mallon is the director of the Peabody Library and the director of teaching and learning at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Lauren Hays has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology at the University of Central Missouri. Cara Bradley is the Research & Scholarship Librarian at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, where her primary responsibility is supporting graduate student and faculty research. Rhonda Huisman is the University Library Dean at St. Cloud State University where she oversees strategic planning, library instruction, collections, and space as well as staffing, professional development, and outreach. Jackie Belanger is the director of assessment and planning at the University of Washington Libraries, where she leads assessments designed to improve Libraries services, resources, and spaces for user communities. The authors and editors of this volume argue that SoTL can assist librarians to: