Top 10 Tidbits from the ALA Midwinter Brainstorming Sessions

Abby Kasowitz-Scheer

I attended three different brainstorming sessions at ALA Midwinter last month to receive and share ideas regarding library instruction and outreach. I’d like to share what I call the “Top Ten Tidbits” in hopes that they may inspire us to try some new strategies for instructional assessment, delivery, motivation, and campus outreach. Some are rather obvious, while others are a bit wacky:

10. Offer to conduct a “citation analysis” of student assignments to help faculty assess how well students used and cited sources.

9.  Hold a retreat for instruction librarians (could include showing a video of classroom bloopers for comic relief).

8.  Offer “mini” instruction sessions where librarians visit classrooms for a portion of a session to offer tips and tricks (e.g., MLA style, etc.).

7.  Have a scavenger hunt in the library with video clues for undergraduate students.

6.  Co-teach seminars or workshops with other departments on campus, such as the Writing Center.

5.  Offer an information literacy workshop for faculty.

4.  Hold a poster contest asking students to design eye-catching posters promoting the library.

3.  Have a “Stump the Librarian” booth at information fairs.

2.  Offer giveaways or raffle items during events, such as iPods, flash drives, copy cards, or temporary tattoos with the library logo.

1.  Distribute librarian trading cards, featuring librarians as superheroes with special powers (i.e., subject specialties).

For more information on these and other instruction ideas from ALA Midwinter, feel free to contact me at askasowi@syr.edu.