Call For Proposals: "Training Research Consultants: A Guide for Academic Libraries"
Mary O'Kelly, editor of the upcoming Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) publication "Training Research Consultants: A Guide for Academic Libraries," is seeking submissions for case studies of existing peer consulting/mentoring/tutoring programs in academic libraries. This practical guide will provide in-depth descriptions and examples of modern training practices, including the training program for the peer research consultants in the Knowledge Market at Grand Valley State University Libraries.
Peer tutoring is widely understood as a positive form of interactive learning, yet academic libraries have traditionally met student needs through direct library instruction, reference transactions, and by offering spaces for self-directed study, not by providing peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Meeting student need in the middle, by facilitating research mentoring or consulting using highly trained students, is a subset of peer tutoring with limited exposure in the literature.
Solicited cases will showcase best practices and answer common questions about building this kind of peer learning service in a variety of settings. They will include training philosophies and relevant influential literature, training schedules and agendas, and hiring/training/evaluation materials from institutions of varying sizes and missions. The tone should be professional with a mix of theory and practice, written in a style that is common to books on management and training. The final word count for each solicited case study is flexible based on the level of development of your training program but should not exceed 10,000 words. Chapters will be organized using a common template (to be shared after final selections are made), which will include a brief overview of the peer learning program, instructions for hiring, training, and evaluating the tutors, and reproducible training materials, including agendas, handouts, surveys, readings, etc. The goal is to provide a new training manual that pulls together a review of the literature on peer tutoring in libraries plus real-world, modern case studies and plenty of practical, replicable advice.
The target audience will include anyone who trains or collaborates with the trainers of student library workers, including reference managers, liaison librarians, service desk managers, writing center directors and staff, oral communication center directors and staff, and library administrators.
Proposals are due Thursday, October 1, 2015. Notices of acceptance will be sent Friday, October 9. Final chapters will be due Friday, December 18.
The form below will capture all required content for the proposal. Before starting the form please have the following information ready:
1. The primary author's name, e-mail address, and short bio with credentials
2. Names and e-mail addresses of additional authors
3. 150-200 words describing your peer learning program
4. 300-500 words describing your training program, including brief descriptions of your hiring and training philosophies, schedules, content, learning objectives, personnel involved, and measures of success.
http://goo.gl/forms/Xgs13U35kL
Questions may be sent directly to Mary O'Kelly, MLIS, Head of Instructional Services, Grand Valley State University Libraries, okellym@gvsu.edu. Thank you.
Mary O’Kelly
Head of Instructional Services
Grand Valley State University Libraries
Mary Idema Pew Library – LIB 430d
616-331-2092
okellym@gvsu.edu
