The Academic Teaching Librarian’s Handbook

CHICAGO — “The Academic Teaching Librarian’s Handbook,” published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, is a comprehensive resource for academic library professionals and LIS students looking to pursue a teaching role in their work and to develop this aspect of their professional lives in a holistic way throughout their careers. Author Claire McGuinness builds the book around the core ideas of reflective self-development and informed awareness of one’s personal professional landscape. Through engaging with a series of exercises and reflective pauses in each chapter, readers are encouraged to reflect on their professional identity, self-image, self-efficacy, and progress as they consider each of the different aspects of the teaching role. This handbook:

• provides a comprehensive resource on teaching, professional development, and reflective practice for academic teaching librarians at all stages of their careers;
• explores the current landscape of teaching librarianship in higher education and highlights the important developments, issues, and trends that are shaping current and future practice;
• examines the roles and responsibilities of the academic teaching librarian in the digital era;
• introduces the essential areas of development, skill, and knowledge that will empower current and future professionals in the role;
• will inspire prospective and current academic teaching librarians to adopt a broad conception of the role that goes beyond the basic idea of classroom-based teaching; and
• provides practical tools to engage in personal development and career planning.

McGuinness is Assistant Professor and current Deputy Head of School at the School of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin, Ireland. She has a long-term interest in researching and teaching information and digital literacy and has published extensively in these areas and others including academic librarianship, reflective practice and teaching skills for librarians. She has designed and taught multiple information and digital literacy modules over the past two decades, and currently leads several courses on the MLIS and BSc Social Sciences programs at UCD. Since 2004, her advanced teaching librarian course on the MLIS and Diploma programs at UCD has prepared trainee librarians for instructional work.

Facet Publishing, the commercial publishing and bookselling arm of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, is the leading publisher of books for library and information professionals worldwide. Many book retailers and distributors are experiencing service disruptions or delays, including Amazon. For speediest service, order direct from the ALA Store. ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library and information professionals worldwide. ALA Editions | ALA Neal-Schuman publishes resources used by library and information professionals, scholars, students, and educators to improve programs and services, build on best practices, enhance pedagogy, share research, develop leadership, and promote advocacy. ALA authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a variety of print and electronic formats. Contact ALA Editions | ALA Neal-Schuman at [email protected].