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Journal of Library and Information Science in Agriculture ›› 2024, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (2): 94-103.doi: 10.13998/j.cnki.issn1002-1248.24-0018

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Dilemma and Way Out: The "Teacher Role" Construction of Professional Librarians in University Libraries

YANG Shiling, LIANG Xiaowen   

  1. Northwest University Library, Xi'an 710069
  • Received:2024-01-06 Online:2024-02-05 Published:2024-04-30

Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] The vigorous development of information literacy (IL) education has led to the increasingly prominent role of academic librarians as teachers in universities. However, most of the librarians who assume the teaching function lack the special training of pedagogy and teaching competence, so they have negative attitudes such as resistance and refusal to accept the role of teachers. These problems will inevitably affect the favorable and sustainable development of library IL education. Therefore, building the teacher role of librarians is of great significance to the development of IL education. [Method/Process] A content analysis method of the research literatures was used to review the historical development and recent debates about the teacher role of librarians were retrospected. We found that librarians currently play multiple teacher roles, including curriculum designers, teaching partners, teachers, academic research participants, and advocates for IL education. However, librarians face many realistic dilemmas in the process of teacher role development. Based on the in-depth analysis of the realistic dilemmas faced by librarians, this paper puts forward the ways of development for the teacher role of librarians from various aspects and perspectives. [Results/Conclusions] The research suggests that the development of the teacher role of librarians faces many realistic difficulties, such as the influence of professional image, the disconnect between library science education and practice, and the lack of teaching competence of librarians themselves. The ways of development: 1) Librarians: As the implementers of the educational mission, librarians in the new era should establish professional self-confidence and play a good role as a member of the educational and academic circles. In addition, they should actively examine their own lack of professional knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, and actively make up for their lack of knowledge through the training of teaching knowledge for librarians, the MOOCs of universities, and the further study and upgrading of academic degrees. It is also necessary to improve teaching skills through course observation, lecture practice, peer discussion, teaching reflection and other forms. In short, promoting librarians' teaching self-confidence and teaching competence is the key to developing the role of teachers; 2) Library science education: Attention should be paid to the establishment of courses related to IL teaching, such as adapting traditional library science courses to meet the teaching responsibility requirements of university librarians in China, and gradually adding courses related to teaching design, method, theory, assessment, introduction to teaching problems, presentation skills, cooperation and communication skills to improve the teaching ability of pre-service librarians. Embedding more demonstration/simulation teaching in LIS/MLIS teaching courses to help pre-service librarians gradually acquire teaching-related skills and experience, so as to prepare librarians for teaching roles; 3) Library departments: Efforts should be made to establish teacher-librarian positions, reallocate the responsibilities of librarians, and provide policy facilities to enable librarians to grow into library education experts; 4) Library industry associations: The dual professional qualification system of "teachers" and "librarians" should be implemented by library industry associations.

Key words: information literacy, academic librarian, teacher role, the construction of role

CLC Number: 

  • G258.6
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