The Academic Librarian: Buying Into, Playing Out, and Resisting the Teacher Role in Higher Education

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a small-scale study in a UK university. The research investigated how academic librarians experienced the processes of becoming a teacher. As more librarians are drawn into a teaching role, understanding these developments becomes crucial. A narrative approach revealed the challenges faced as they participated in a program of teacher education. Institutional agendas and a diverse student population complicated these processes. This produced a complex interplay between identity and pedagogy, resulting in a lack of legitimacy in the teacher role. This has implications for the way in which academic librarians are supported in such transitions.

KEYWORDS:

• information literacy
• university libraries
• teaching
• learning
• professional development

Notes

The staff survey conducted in 2007–08 had described an high dependency culture among under- and postgraduates.