Bibliographic Instruction

Bibliographic Instruction may be for YOU, if you are interested in:

Teaching academic library users how to access and use information by:

• Developing orientation programs for all information formats, electronic and print
• Introducing students and faculty to database searching
• Helping students locate and use materials for term papers
• Working with faculty to establish instructional programs and integrate information literacy skills into course content

Coursework for specialization in Bibliographic Instruction:

SLIS offers courses that will help you develop and practice key skills needed to land professional positions in reference and bibliographic instruction. These include:

• S501 - Reference
• S573 - Education of Information Users
• S533 - Online Searching
• S532 - Information Architecture for the Web

Elective courses also may include:

• Courses offering advanced study in information resources for college collections in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, business, or science and technology
• Courses on the presentation of bibliographic instruction programming, design and maintenance of guides and instructional sites in print and electronic format and issues related to human-computer interaction

Job Outlook for this field:

• Typical job titles include: Instruction Coordinator, Reference Librarian for User Education, Director of Bibliographic Instruction, and Instructional Services and Technology Training Librarian.
• Over 20 such positions in academic libraries are posted annually in American Libraries (the magazine of the American Library Association). There is also a growing market for reference librarians with instructional skills in public and school libraries. Chronicle of Higher Education contains many Bibliographic Instruction positions.
• Recent SLIS-IU graduates have been placed as instructional librarians in academic libraries at Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University, and other colleges and universities across the nation.

Qualities employers seek:

Academic libraries normally seek applicants who hold a graduate degree completed at a program accredited by the American Library Association.

For instructional positions, a graduate degree in instructional design, information systems, information science, or graphic design may be desirable.

Proven teaching or training experience may also help applicants secure a position in this area.

Opportunities to gain experience in this field:

• Internships are available through the IU Undergraduate Library in the planning and practice of bibliographic instruction.

Professional Associations:

• The ACRL:Instruction Section is a special professional group within the Association of College and Research Libraries Division of the American Library Association. Emily Okada, okada@indiana.edu, reference and instructional librarian at Indiana University Bloomington, is a past-president of this group and will respond to your questions concerning the profession and educational requirements.
• Library Instruction Round Table of the American Library Association promotes library instruction in all types of libraries

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Interested in knowing more? Contact:

On campus:

William Orme, Reference Librarian, IUPUI University Library, 4120B