Rewired: Research-Writing Partnerships within the Frameworks. Edited by Randall McClure. Chicago: ACRL, 2016. 308 p. Paper $68 (ISBN 978-083898904-3).
On many campuses, writing skills and research skills are supported in separate instructional silos. When it comes to college composition assignments, however, writing and research are interdependent, and this close relationship is evident in the many common elements shared by the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA) Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. How the core concepts in these frameworks interconnect and how librarians and writing instructors can work together to implement them in the classroom is the focus of Rewired.
Librarians and writing instructors frequently work separately, despite their shared values. The first section of Rewired examines this dynamic and presents ways to transform the relationship and develop mutually beneficial partnerships. The four essays in this portion analyze and interpret the frameworks, looking for ways to break down the campus/library division and give composition instructors and librarians a common language to use when designing assignments and providing students with research support.
The majority of the book is devoted to case studies demonstrating these partnerships in action. Contributors include both librarians and writing instructors, and the campuses represented range in size from small private colleges to large public universities. As a result, the case studies offer a variety of approaches and assignment types to serve as models, and the essays in this section frequently include assignment details, rubrics, and student learning objectives. In addition to these practical examples, this section also show how librarians have approached and worked with faculty to implement redesigned assignments.
Three chapters on assessment close the book. Whether the term used is “frames” or “habits of mind,” the ACRL and WPA frameworks both focus on behaviors. This makes assessment a challenge, and the essays in this section reflect that struggle. These chapters provide some potential best practices but no simple solutions.
Composition instructors, writing center directors, and academic librarians will find Rewired a source of ideas for designing assignments and instruction in their own institutions. It will also help librarians and writing instructors understand each other’s viewpoints and priorities. A final interesting side note: nine of the book’s fourteen essays have Creative Commons licenses, making them freely available for reuse by readers. Sharing these chapters on campus could be the first step in a new interdisciplinary partnership.—Ann Agee, Librarian, School of Information, San Jose State University, San Jose, California