Thursday, January 26, 2006

Instruction, Library

There is a reason your library instruction classes stare at you lifelessly: you are boring and so is the topic you're covering.
Posted by J at 9:27 AM

13 comments:

Suzanne said...

That is some comfort for those of us in library school....HA!

Maybe you could bring your Nancy Pearl doll and the Amazing Shushing Action could liven up the place. Nancy is here! Let's party!

10:01 AM
Anonymous said...

I would not feel so bad if they only see me once, but some poor students see me three or four times a semester – once for each class. Yes, I would die a little each time too. At least I feel their pain because I have to deliver the same lecture, time and time again – dying a little each time with them.

On the bright side, it is rewarding when you do get that 1 of 50 students that is interested in what you have to say.

12:44 PM
Librarian Girl said...

There's always a nerd contingent that will love you. Secretly, quietly, you may never know it. But there's at least one in the group. Wearing a hot outfit helps.

1:36 PM
Anonymous said...

Thanks for the words of encouragement, especially since I just taught a class today at 8:15am. There were only a couple with their heads rocking back and forth and eyes flicking open and shut (more shut I think). I had many boring lectures as an undergrad and grad, librarians aren't alone in that regard. Please let me know how to make the lesson on library databases exciting?

2:27 PM
Anonymous said...

I am thinking about putting one of those remote control fart machines under someone’s chair – maybe that will liven things up. Justifiable or juvenile?
[I remain anonymous because of suggestions like this.]

3:37 PM
Alice said...

I've been doing library instruction for a few years and librarian girl is right - there is a nerd contingent that will always love you. Every once in a while I'll meet a student in one of my sessions who is even more into library research than I am and looks up to me like I'm some type of information Goddess. These are the same people who will end up in library school in a few years time.

aliceinlibraryland.blogspot.com

2:11 PM
Librarian Girl said...

I was one of those kids that sat in the back and made fun of the librarian. So I guess whatever crap I get now is just karma, and I deserve every bit of it.

5:28 PM
Anonymous said...

On the topic of boring library instruction classes, I know of a "Reference Librarian" who started her hour long instruction classes (if you want to call them that) by gathering the students around the painting of the man the library was named after for a 20 minute lecture about why the library was named after him. The explanation she gave for why the Periodicals Department is called periodicals was: "Periodicals is called periodicals because journal dealerships periodically send us magazines." One brave student raised her hand and asked, "how long have you worked here?" It's quite amazing that this woman claims to have a Ph.D. in Communications AND a MLS.

12:43 PM
Conan The Librarian said...

At least you had the nerve to make fun of the fact that yes it is boring. I use a lot of humor and outre' examples to keep interest.

7:39 AM
Anonymous said...

Librarianship should be accomplished in one semester of classwork and three years of practicum in all aspects of the profession.

4:38 PM
Anonymous said...

A semester? How about a weekend retreat?

10:30 PM
Anonymous said...

hmm, exciting databases classes. Mine all start stirring when the databses don't work, cause that means they get to escape ahead of time - only so much mileage in a crappy overhead...

6:25 PM
Anonymous said...

This feels like a support group ... that I have needed for the past year. Yes, I am an offender. Everytime, I tell myself that this time will be different. I would change it if I could. I tried humor but that can be worse.

Sign me "Sensitive in Virginia"

5:11 PM

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