The Craft of Librarian Instruction: Using Acting Techniques to Create Your Teaching Presence. Julie Artman, Jeff Sundquist, and Douglas R. Dechow. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2016. 112 pp. ISBN 780838988213.
Reviewed by Sarah Dauterive, Research Librarian, Ellender Memorial Library, Nicholls State University.
The book The Craft of Librarian Instruction: Using Acting Techniques to Create Your Teaching Presence is intended to help instruction librarians better prepare for their classes by providing exercises frequently completed by stage actors before, during, and after a performance. Although few would confuse the day-to-day tasks of a stage actor and an instruction librarian, the authors make a fairly compelling argument that instruction librarians and stage actors have more in common than one might first assume. While it is certainly not the job of an instruction librarian to entertain, the authors make the point that librarians who approach an instruction session in the same manner as a stage actor are more likely to be engaging.
The chapters are divided into three sections: “Prepare and Rehearse,” “Perform and Connect,” and “Reflect and Sharpen.” As each section title implies, the authors cover the before, during, and after of a routine instruction session. The end of each chapter includes both endnotes and a short bibliography of resources for further reading on that particular topic. Several chapters also include a short “Scenarios: Questions and Answers” section where some topics are dealt with in more detail.
The exercises presented include visualization, vocal warm-ups, and role-playing with colleagues, among others. While these exercises may feel strange to some at first, I often found myself reflecting on my early days of instruction and wishing I had used some of them. Most of the material presented in this book covers lessons that librarians tend to figure out after a few semesters of instruction on their own. This book, however, can support newer instruction librarians by spelling it all out in the beginning which will, ideally, help them avoid some of the nervousness we all feel, and handle with ease the bumps in the road we all experience.
New instruction librarians, however, are not the only ones that could benefit from this book. Despite most of us “figuring it out,” there are topics discussed that many of us may not have considered, such as tempo, having a super-objective, and intention. The authors make the point that, like stage actors, we may be “performing” a particular lesson for what feels like the hundredth time; however, our students are likely hearing it for the first time so we must “[bring] the best possible performance to every performance” (p. 73). The “Reflect and Sharpen” section is another part from which seasoned instruction librarians may benefit.
Though bibliographic instruction is the theme throughout, takeaways may be found by anyone that experiences nervousness or has poor body language when presenting in front of peers or other groups. At just 101 pages, The Craft of Library Instruction is a quick read and worth the time of anyone that might find him- or herself standing in front of a group of people to teach a lesson.
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