2013 Charleston Conference

Catalogers, electronic resources librarians and acquisitions librarians spend a lot of their time in the “back rooms” of the library. Yet even as their roles expand to include participation in innovative library initiatives like institutional repositories, shared print analysis, and digital collections, they are not often consulted on new “reference” activities, like enhancing the information literacy (IL) programs for their library community. Information literacy has become a requirement by many accrediting agencies, making it one of the hottest topics in public services today. There are endless library conferences, workshops and poster sessions devoted to its meaning, methods, and assessment. Is there any connection between Technical Services and Information Literacy? Do technical services professionals have a role at their library for improving information literacy within their user community? Can they have something to contribute to the discussion? This session will offer strong evidence that these “back room” librarians do have a place in IL initiatives and should be included in the conversation. We will offer suggestions for collaborating on IL with your public service colleagues, and we will get you up-to-speed on the information literacy topic by involving the audience in a couple of active learning methods designed for one-shot sessions, including one to explain the IL lingo. Additionally, the session will highlight ways to relate your professional role to IL initiatives, demonstrate how to make time for participation in these initiatives, and provide resources for staying on top of trending IL topics.