Speaking Faculty Speak & Abandoning Library

LingoMarketing Information

Literacy to Faculty

Michelle S. MilletTrinity University

About You• First things first: I need to know

my audience

Overview• Marketing

– Libraries & Information Literacy• Lingo• Faculty/Campus Culture• Personal Plan

Marketing?• “…analyzing the needs of

customers, designing products and processes to meet those needs, and communicating the availability of these to the customer.”

Dictionary of Business and Management

Why do we need to market a library?

• “The academic library sits squarely at the center of the knowledge revolution. We librarians need to get our minds around this massive fact. Our position is one of our central assets.”

Robert L. Houbeck Jr., 2002.

Marketing info lit?• Relevance• Problem solving• Keeper of knowledge!

A Campus Issue• Marketing information literacy

transforms it from a library issue to a campus issue

Library Lingo

*Activity 1

Lingo Examples• ILL• OPAC• ACRL• ALA• Database• Approval Plan• UL/AUL• AACR2

Information Literacy & Library Lingo

• Information Literacy: what does this mean?

*Activity 2

Librarian/Faculty Partnerships

“If we wish the library to function more effectively in the college…we must direct our efforts toward the curriculum, working through faculty.”

Patricia Knapp, 1958

Some Faculty Attitudes Towards Librarians

• Emphasis on service role• Professionals, not equals• Unaware of amount of teaching• Substantial involvement = ¼

Ivey, R.T. (1994). “Teaching faculty perceptions of academic librarians at Memphis State University.” College & Research Libraries 55: 69-82.

What are your perceptions?

*Activity 3.

Understanding Faculty Culture• Meet them on their turf• Read what they read• Speak like they speak• Solve their problems• Reinforce your efforts

Multiple Visions• Personal Vision• Library’s Vision

Be able to communicate both of these!

Learn The Teaching Faculty’s Vision

• What is their vision of information literacy?

*Activity 5.

Dominant Faculty Discourses

• Pedagogy as:– Disciplinary Integrity– Disciplinary Expertise– Academy Freedom– Self-Motivated Learning

*Activity 6.

Immersion 2004, University of Washington

Back to Marketing• Be able to tell your story

– Without lingo if necessary• What has been your impact?

– Talking points– Student Success

• Deal with the tough questions & problems*Activity 7.

Outreach• IN and OUT of the building

– Physical advertising– Mental (back to problems!)

• Advertising Rule: Seven Times

*Activity 8.

“100 Ways to Reach Your Faculty”

• Terri L. Holtz, University of Louisville, American Library Association Conference (2002)

*Activity 9.

Success Stories• So and So did it…• What do you mean, we don’t have

it?• You’re right…these papers are

crap

Questions?

Michelle S. MilletInformation Literacy Coordinator

Elizabeth Huth Coates LibraryTrinity UniversityOne Trinity Place

San Antonio, TX 78212-7200michelle.millet@trinity.edu