From Sage on the Stage to Mobile and Engaged: One Community College’s Evolution of Library Instruction

Abstract

Chapter 4 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 51, no. 7), “Mobile Devices: Service with Intention,” discusses the methodology used by librarians at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to transition their instruction sessions from lecture-based to classrooms full of iPads and engaged researchers. The success of this transformation was due to instructional design changes, the incorporation of technology, and a motivated staff who had been given the freedom to “fail forward.” Staff was driven by the desire to make sessions more experiential and incorporate faculty and student feedback to maximize relevance. The study discusses the successes and failures of a four-year journey that concluded with a successful instruction program. The resulting sessions are standardized but allow flexibility of teaching style and engage students through meaningful interactions with iPads and SMARTboards.