Document Type

Article

Version

publisher_pdf

Publication Date

Winter 2012

Abstract

Higher education librarians and faculty members alike are faced with an ever expanding palette of technologies available for instructional use. Efforts between these two groups to collaborate in information literacy programs can greatly benefit from the incorporation of some of these new technologies. This article presents the results of a survey of 118 faculty members at Western Michigan University; conducted in 2011, it had three aims: (1) to gauge current faculty perceptions about library research instruction; (2) to determine how faculty are using technology in instruction; and (3) to examine faculty insights regarding the integration of different technological formats into future library instruction. The three technologies most preferred were online videos, personal or WMU homepages, and discussion boards. Faculty in education and social sciences were the heaviest users of technology. Looking forward, faculty were most interested in shorter, more targeted face-to-face instructional sessions and in asynchronous online instruction, such as tutorials and class guides. The University Libraries has begun to reshape its information literacy program based on the survey results, and has started to incorporate more library research instruction into the new campus learning management system. This article concludes with a series of recommendations for librarians to determine the needs of their own campuses and to integrate technologies into their information literacy collaborations with faculty.

Published Citation

Vander Meer, Patricia Fravel, Maria A. Perez-Stable, and Dianna E. Sachs. "Framing a Strategy: Exploring Faculty Attitudes toward Library Instruction and Technology Preferences to Enhance Information Literacy." Reference and User Services Quarterly 52 (Winter 2012) : 109-122.

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