Lauren Hays

Today's libraries are thoroughly digital environments, not only storing and preserving written information electronically, but also emphasizing digital access to information as a pathway to equitably educating the community on issues of health, employment, education, and local history. And fostering patrons' ability to effectively use digital tools for information and personal enrichment is a natural fit for public libraries, complimenting other initiatives like information literacy and media literacy. This book provides a holistic view of digital literacy support across the full spectrum of the public library, using real-world examples to help public libraries transform the work of digital literacy from answering on-the-fly tech questions to implementing full scale digital literacy programs which are integrated throughout the library. Public library workers, library board members, and those who want to understand more about the digital literacy imperative within public libraries will delve into the concept of digital literacy, the ways in which it empowers individuals in digital systems of information, and how it fits in with other kinds of literacy; find ideas for effective digital literacy technical support, programming, services, spaces, collection development, outreach, and more; learn how to measure the impact of digital literacy initiatives, identify gaps within the community where the library can make an impact, and overcome challenges; discover guidance on building partnerships, both internal and external, and finding additional sources of funding to expand digital literacy opportunities within the scope of what is already available; receive practical advice from the "Ask the Expert" sidebars throughout the book, where practitioners share their knowledge and experience; and get adaptable tools such as sample language, an expenditure budget, an individual needs assessment, a digital literacy readiness checklist, survey instruments, and a lesson plan template that can be used for digital literacy programming.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) refers to original research and scholarship on teaching and learning practice in higher education conducted by scholars across disciplines interested in understanding student learning, teaching innovations, and transforming higher education. SoTL work is situated in a specific time and place, publicly disseminated, and diverse in discipline, theory, and method.Across four sections—Pedagogical Content Knowledge/Signature Pedagogy, SoTL Theory, SoTL Research, and SoTL as Professional Development—The Grounded Instruction Librarian engages SoTL through different lenses and provides a sense of the varied ways it’s currently being conducted in academic libraries in North America and Europe. Each section begins with a foundational chapter from SoTL leaders that discusses central questions, highlights important theories and literature, and introduces the SoTL-in-practice chapters that follow. The practical chapters highlight work at the more local level and take a range of forms, from case studies from specific institutions, reflections on individual participation in SoTL work, to explorations of a particular topic or theme.The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning unleashes great potential in librarianship, and academic librarians are ideal candidates for participation in SoTL projects: We’re inquisitive, passionate, and we care about student success. The Grounded Instruction Librarian can provide innovative ideas and methods to help you use SoTL as a professional development tool, a research agenda, a way to create theory, or for a deeper understanding of your teaching and your students’ learning.