Cybrarian Extraordinaire : Compelling Information Literacy Instruction

Enhance your library instruction class by using this hands-on guide and learn numerous unique active learning exercises.

The effectiveness of active-learning approaches to instruction is well documented. What is needed now are proven, practical applications. Written for every librarian or teacher looking for such new and creative teaching techniques, Cybrarian Extraordinaire: Compelling Information Literacy Instruction fills the gap. Based on the author's own experiences, the book shares specific active-learning exercises created to make library instruction more engaging for a wide variety of audiences.

Specifically, author Felicia A. Smith illustrates the process of creating "edu-tainment" activities designed to serve serious instructional goals in a manner that is both fun and effective. Her book provides detailed examples of innovative ways to engage students in mandatory library classes. Among other ideas, it explores the use of e-readers as learning tools and describes the planning and possibilities involved in creating classes in online worlds, such as Second Life. Of course, it also explains the evolution of Smith's Pirate Librarian, offering exercises that reinforced the "library material as buried treasure" theme.

• Acknowledgments p. vii
• 1 Cybrarian Roads to Information Literacy Instruction p. 1
• Preprofessional Experiences p. 3
• Resident Librarian p. 5
• 2 Resident Librarian p. 7
• Never Give Up p. 8
• The Birth of an Extraordinary Cybrarian p. 9
• The Teacher Is Also the Student p. 9
• Grading Student Assignments p. 10
• Teaching Databases p. 11
• Teaching Hints p. 12
• Active Learning p. 13
• First Time for Everything: Creating the Commercial p. 14
• Storyboarding p. 14
• Script p. 20
• The Importance of Committees in Academic Libraries p. 22
• Groupthink Pitfalls p. 22
• Making Teaching Interesting and Fun p. 23
• Verbots p. 24
• Facebook and Podcasts p. 25
• The Birth of the PiRRRate TeacheRRR p. 25
• The Mechanics of Teaching p. 26
• For-Credit vs. Orientation Courses p. 27
• Fifteen-Minute Drop-in Sessions p. 27
• Outreach Classes and Workshops p. 28
• SmartBoard Workshop for Library Employees p. 29
• Achieving Continued Employment p. 30
• Closing p. 34
• 3 Moving into the Virtual World: From Having No Life to Having a Second Life p. 35
• Helping Your Fellow Librarians with Second Life p. 41
• 4 Outreach Librarian and Wireless Reading Devices p. 51
• Stall Notes p. 54
• 5 Planning and Selling Instruction by the KISSS Preparation Method (Keep It Simple, Significant, Silly) p. 57
• Leaving the Library for the Classroom p. 61
• Sample Educational Games p. 62
• 6 Evaluating Your Courses p. 65
• 7 Sharing the Present, Preparing for the Future p. 75
• Appendix A Updated Storyboard (PPT) p. 81
• Appendix B Journal Highlights and Evaluation Survey Results p. 87
• Appendix C Sample Daily Syllabus and Written Class Activity p. 95
• Appendix D Stall Notes p. 97
• Bibliography p. 107
• Index p. 109