Developing the New Learning Environment: The Changing Role of the Academic Librarian

The academic librarian's role is changing rapidly. Increasingly the boundaries are blurring between librarians' jobs and those of learning technologists, information technologists, educational developers, skill support specialists and indeed academic staff. New collaborations and partnerships between staff with different professional backgrounds are emerging as part of the effort to enable active and independent learning amongst an increasingly diverse student community. Library and information professionals are becoming involved in the development and support of new modes of blended and distributed learning, including the development of e-learning approaches and resources, and new strategies for information literacy education.

In this environment of rapid change the academic librarian needs to stay informed and embrace the new job opportunities emerging: this essential book will capture and critically discuss the librarian's changing learning support role in an education context providing guidance and practical support. Written by acknowledged experts across a broad range of roles in the new academic environment, this book will challenge thinking in this area as well as being practical and practice-based. The following key areas are covered:

the policy framework

pedagogies for a changing environment

new literacies and learning

key issues in the design and delivery of learning and teaching

thinking differently about learning support

new academic teams

responding to the e-learning imperative

information literacy education in practice

inclusion: impact on practice

managing learning support services

visioning the future of learning support

emerging professional identities and practices.

Readership

: This book will be essential reading for practitioners at every level within the higher education and further education sectors, including information specialists, learning support professionals, academic liaison co-ordinators and subject specialists, academic service managers and heads of library and information services. It will also be a valuable resource for all other professionals involved in the delivery of learning support, and for students of LIS and of education.