The librarian in the academy: Exploring the instructional role of librarians in higher education

This dissertation presents three studies around the theme of the role of the librarian as teacher in the higher education environment. The first study explores the development of "teacher identity" among academic librarians through a series of semi-structured interviews with information professionals committed to their work as teachers. Drawing both on the idea of teacher identity from the literature of teacher education and on existing studies of professional stereotypes and professional identity development among academic librarians, this study explores the degree to which academic librarians think of themselves as teachers, the ways in which teaching has become a feature of their professional identity, and the factors that may influence an academic librarian to adopt a "teacher identity" as part of his or her personal understanding of his or her role on campus. The second study explores the role that teaching librarians can play in supporting campus-wide diversity initiatives. It describes the development and delivery of an information needs assessment instrument directed at students affiliated with one of four "minority cultural centers" on a college campus and the opportunities identified through that assessment activity for substantive and sustainable collaborative instructional programming between the academic library and the Office of Multicultural Student Services. The final study draws on the literature of "instructional improvement" and faculty development to explore the ways in which academic librarians pursue professional development in the area of teaching and learning. This study reports the results of a national survey of professional practices among academic librarians on their efforts to improve their work as teachers. Survey results suggest an active professional development interest among librarians in topics related to teaching and learning, as well as a number of lessons that can be drawn from the literature of higher education for library administrators committed to supporting that interest and to developing formal programs for the assessment of instructional performance among academic librarians. Together, the three essays provide a framework for future action by teaching librarians and by library administrators committed to supporting the professional development of librarians as teachers and to promoting the instructional role of the academic library.