Professional Development Tilth - Learning SoTL After LIS Graduation

Everyone’s journey into SoTL (Scholaship of Teaching and Learning) is different. I will now reflect on my path.

Since I was a science/engineering major, I took no courses in pedagogy at all. As I finished library school, I knew that teaching was going to be part of my responsibilities, since I was applying for reference librarian jobs. Even though I had experience with presentations, I knew that my teaching skills were not at the level that they should be.

In my second librarianship job, I learned that there was a Center for Teaching and Learning. I joined the book clubs. I met many faculty who were primarily teaching, and the struggles that they encountered in teaching large classes. They also offered tips on teaching, such as don’t change an entire class’ approach of teaching one week before a semester starts! I assisted in teaching a small class for post-docs to learn about SoTL concepts. I also taught what are “one-shots”, library classes that teach the resources that students will need for a specific topic. The one-shots usually do not provide the time for active learning, since I was usually given part of a class period.

I started working at Auburn University Libraries after the Covid lockdowns eased a bit. I was now responsible for teaching a one-credit class once a year. My teaching had improved but was still not at the level it should be. I participated in as many active learning experiences that I could find at the Biggio Center. I saw how changing how I presented information affected the students’ participation in class. My fellow librarians also noted the improvements in my teaching.