Information literacy instruction is an essential duty for many academic librarians. Although we may enjoy the challenge of teaching and feel inspired as we plan our lessons, there are those of us who routinely experience anxiety as part of this work. As teachers in a world of one-shots, librarians are uniquely positioned. Faculty come to us with expectations and assumptions about what we do. They share their assignment, talk with us about their students’ research needs, and give us an hour or two to meet with their class. Often we have only a developing knowledge of the course topic, have never met the students, and feel pressure to exceed the expectations of the instructor so that we can work with them again.
In this presentation, participants will consider how developing authenticity in teaching may help to combat teaching anxiety, improve student outcomes, and challenge us to develop a growth mindset and find adventure in our work. Participants will be introduced to the concept of authenticity, which has its roots in philosophy but has been used in the scholarship of teaching and learning to describe reflective teaching practices that center on being “true to oneself” and focusing on student needs. Through conversation and activities, we will explore the challenges and possibilities afforded by authentic information literacy instruction, discovering how we can best “be ourselves” as teachers even as a guest in another instructor’s classroom.
