A"I Never Knew I Could Be a Teacher": A Student-Centered MLIS Fellowship for Future Teacher-Librarians

Abstract

The Research and Teaching Fellowship (RTF) of the University of Maryland Libraries in College Park is a three-semester teacher training program for students seeking a master's of library and information science (MLIS) degree. This article provides details of the program's content, organization, administration, and assessment. It also includes results from a mixed methods and longitudinal study identifying the successful components of RTF and charting the development of teacher efficacy and identity among participants. Findings indicate that a strong sense of community, sustained engagement with teaching, and the integration of evidenced-based practice prepare MLIS students to succeed in a competitive job market. The authors provide a list of best practices in the development of mentorship and training programs, including considerations for librarians and administrators. Spring Summer Fall Spring Summer Fall Spring Cohort 1 RTF101 Optional RTF102 RTF103 Cohort 2 RTF101 Optional RTF102 RTF103 RTF101 focuses on trends in academic librarianship, RTF102 on information literacy instruction, and RTF103 on an independent teaching project.

From Individual to Community: Building a Community of Practice around Teaching

“…Earlier works have documented in depth the operation, administration, and assessment of the RTF program (Gammons & Inge, 2017;Gammons et al, 2018;Gammons et al, in press). Rather than duplicate these efforts, we focus here on the elements of the RTF program that have helped to develop a community of practice and, in particular, those components which have helped to shift the broader culture around teaching at UMD Libraries.…”

“…Fellows can use this time to communicate with AWP instructors, conduct reference consultations, prepare for instruction, or discuss teaching challenges and successes with their peers and/or TLS staff. Initial iterations of RTF did not require fellows to ensure that their office hours overlapped with at least one other person's; however, based on graduating fellows' feedback that these informal opportunities for community were essential to improving their practice and sense of belonging (Gammons et al, 2018), RTF directors now prioritize shared office hours as a key component of the RTF COP.…”

“…RTF also fosters community beyond the fellowship by hosting a monthly journal club discussion around a recently published article related to library instruction, which is open to any library staff member or MLIS student (Gammons et al, 2018). In 2020, TLS staff also launched the RTF Alumni Network to better connect current and former fellows.…”

“…The feedback we hear most often is that fellows crave a sense of community. In fact, fellows cite this as the most important benefit of RTF; even more so than opportunities for mentorship, job application support, or professional experience (Gammons et al, 2018). Through the operation of the RTF program, we have learned that a sense of community is earned, not given.…”

“…One of the core components of RTF is a "Teaching as Research" project, a semester-long partnership between a senior fellow and subject librarian in which they work together to design (or redesign) an upper-level undergraduate or graduate-level information literacy class (Gammons et al, 2018). Throughout the RTF program, Fellows are introduced to pedagogical concepts ranging from backwards design, to learning outcomes assessment, to successful mentorship practices.…”