Molly R. Flaspohler, Oxford, Chandos Publishing, 2012, xvii +180 pp., (paperback), ISBN 978-1-84334-640-1
Have you learned a new skill recently? Do you remember what it took to master, say, driving a car, using a computer, learning to code or speak a foreign language? To recall the feeling of self-doubt, anxiety, and utter despair associated with learning new skills long after they became deeply ingrained and almost automatic processes often requires a cognitive leap.
In her book, Engaging first-year students in meaningful library research: a practical guide for teaching faculty, Molly R. Flaspohler invites academics to make such a leap when planning learning activities for first-year students. She argues that if teaching faculty put themselves in the students' shoes and experienced the world of academic research from the viewpoint of a novice researcher they could a) avoid much of the frustration that results from dealing with students' “data dump” papers, containing unprocessed information derived from dubious sources; b) alleviate students' anxiety associated with first-year research and writing; and c) motivate students to develop “information-seeking strategies” instead of “coping strategies” thus making them better life-long learners. Should the faculty choose to foster these changes, Flaspohler continues, they can always count on full support of academic librarians. After all, universities teach students whereas libraries study them. Research based analysis of students' information-seeking behaviour can become a real game changer when it comes to planning courses and teaching subjects.
Currently, however, the main issue hindering the learning process is the disconnect between the faculty's high expectations and students' lack of experience with libraries, academic disciplines and paper writing. For a seasoned academic, research becomes second nature that leads to many unfounded assumptions about students' research skills. Contrary to these assumptions, research skills are neither innate nor can they be acquired in the process of a painful “sink or swim” ordeal whereby students seek information on their own. Moreover, because of their prowess with technology, the new generation's computer skills are often mistaken for research skills. In fact, as Flashpohler convincingly argues, to cope with information overload, Millennials or “digital natives” need more information literacy instruction, not less. And they need it to be presented in a way that capitalises on their interest in technology. Conclusion: Teaching Millennials is challenging. To succeed, it requires tight cooperation between faculty and academic librarians.
An experienced academic librarian herself, Flashpohler makes a strong case in favour of such cooperation. She sees fellow librarians as a third party ideally positioned to mediate between students and faculty (Chapter 2). Not only can librarians offer insights into students' information-seeking and research behaviour (Chapter 1), but they can provide help and support to faculty trying to tailor a library research friendly curriculum (Chapter 3). What makes the book stand out among current literature on the topic is its synthesising approach with the strong emphasis on bridging gaps: between students and faculty, students and library and library and faculty. Furthermore, it offers practical advice to faculty on how to connect with the library and provides a list of resources (Appendix) that “highlights research exclusively related to first-year student library researchers, successful information literacy pedagogical strategies and effective library assignment design” (143).
However, although teaching faculty constitutes the book's target audience, it is academic librarians who will have to bring the busy professors' attention to this publication. In so doing, they will encounter several problems inherent in the book's structure (cost considerations aside). To faculty who are already cooperating with academic librarians towards improving students' research skills, this book offers little new. They probably already know about the Millennials' generational characteristics and utilise a variety of active learning techniques. These readers might want to skip straight to the Appendix for concrete examples and practical solutions. For those who are yet to be convinced, the book may seem too long and its analysis somewhat repetitive, especially in Chapter 2. The book, and the author's cause, would have benefited from more succinct and less wordy argumentation. How many academics it will convert in its present form remains to be seen.
© 2013, Julia Ulyannikova