Pedagogy, Personability, and Library Intimidation: Recommendations for Instruction Librarians
Natasha Griffin
Resident Librarian
University Library Faculty
American University
Library anxiety inhibits students’ progress toward research goals and often deters them from viewing the library as a supportive space. By utilizing principles from Relational Cultural Theory (RCT), which argues that students understand class content through connection, instruction librarians can integrate personability into teaching. This ensures that the class remains active everything from instruction to lessons to students is continuously engaging. While we possess prior knowledge and expertise and understand the professor’s expectations for the library session, we come prepared with preconceived notions about how the lesson will be. Nonetheless, this process can influence the overall classroom environment, as some students may still struggle to engage or grasp the skills being taught. This presentation offers recommendations for librarians to cultivate practical instructional techniques rooted in RCT that alleviate library intimidation and enhance student engagement.