Book Reviews

Melissa N. Mallon. Partners in Teaching and Learning: Coordinating a Successful Academic Library Instruction Program. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield, 2020. 162p. Paper, $37.00 (ISBN 978-1-5381-1884-9).

The academic library’s role in teaching and learning on campus is vital to institutional initiatives. Melissa N. Mallon drives this point home by addressing the role of the library instruction program and the instruction coordinator in nine skillfully crafted chapters. Each chapter highlights the library’s agenda for teaching and learning within the greater context of its institution. Partners in Teaching and Learning is the eighth title to be published in the Beta Phi Mu Scholars Series, which publishes titles that contribute significantly to library and information sciences. The book is written in a way that offers practical resources and strategies for a multitude of instruction programs.

The introduction states that the book’s goal is to “provide a roadmap for the successful development and maintenance of a library’s teaching and learning program” (xiii). Along with explaining how the book should be read, the introduction describes each chapter’s components. Each chapter is written to build on the content expressed in the previous chapters. Several chapters contain prompts and questions to guide readers on an intentional journey of instructional leadership. The first and last chapters each bring attention to the instruction program coordinator, while the remaining chapters focus on the instruction program itself.

In chapter 1, Mallon explores the instruction coordinator position: the name, the role and responsibilities, and various transitions. Leadership models and characteristics for coordinators of instruction programs are also featured. Ideal characteristics for leaders are identified as holistic thinking, flexibility, empathy, toughness, and intentionality. The introduction of intentionality here lays the foundation for the rest of the book. According to the author, “many sections throughout this book will return to the idea of intentionality as a common thread among leaders of successful academic library instruction programs. Intentionality is a leadership model, as well as a disposition and a set of practices” (15). Mallon also includes a prompt for leaders to determine if they are intentional instructional coordinators.

Chapter 2 introduces the concept of conducting an environmental scan by highlighting strategies for determining the type of instruction program. The role of the program in the library organization is also emphasized. Strategies include conducting an audit of current efforts, observing the “five W’s” of the campus’ teaching and learning landscape, and program development. While this chapter places a spotlight on data gathering, others in the book focus on assessment and post-assessment.

Chapters 3 and 4 each discuss a different aspect of library instruction program development, including the culture of teaching and learning and the use of the ACRL Framework as a foundational document. Emphasis is placed on developing a teaching identity among academic librarians. Aside from determining the model that will frame the instructional program, chapter 4 states the importance of acknowledging and using terminology recognized by campus faculty and staff outside the library. Mallon also describes the significance of defining information literacy and aligning it with a foundational model.

Chapter 5 focuses on the uses and benefits of a program statement, particularly the elements of a successful program statement, as suggested by the 2011 ACRL Guidelines. The author provides several strategies to ensure inclusivity in program statements including incorporating librarian teaching statements and stakeholder feedback, applying the universal design for learning (UDL) framework, and focusing on a social justice pedagogy.

Following this guidance on executing the program statement and the importance of its existence, chapter 6 focuses on using the statement to “articulate the library’s connection to the curriculum” (61). Techniques for sharing and engaging other librarians in promotional activities are included, along with strategies for engaging the following stakeholders: library partners (teaching librarians and library administration), academic departments (campus administration and faculty), other campus collaborators (such as academic affairs or centers for teaching), and students. Mallon ends with a discussion of the value of communicating specific goals to the various groups.

Chapters 7 and 8 explore the need to continually assess library instruction programs and make changes based on those assessment results. Mallon begins with a discussion of the distinction between student learning and program assessments. She then focuses on program-level assessments by offering various success measures that include benchmarking, student learning assessment, strategic alignment, program statement alignment and programmatic expectations, and stakeholder feedback. Chapter 7 also addresses data collection methods and the importance of maintaining program assessment as a part of the “bigger picture.” In chapter 8, Mallon provides various questions that inspire the reader to consider the measures of success discussed in the previous chapter. Her main priority is to provide strategies for instruction programs that are not as successful as they once were. The Four-Frame Model from Bolman and Deal (1991) is introduced as a way of making changes within a program. The chapter demonstrates three of the four frames, along with examples of prevalent issues and strategies to overcome them.

The final chapter, much like the first, is an extensive discussion about the instruction program coordinator. This chapter focuses on the development of the coordinator themselves. Characteristics that may lead to burnout, growth, and renewal are also discussed, followed by the identification of strategies for the personal and professional development of all library leaders.

The conclusion provides a brief overview of the book, while the appendix serves as a “bookshelf” for instruction coordinators. The reference list is extensive, and the index is useful. Overall, this book is highly recommended for current and future library instruction coordinators and other library staff members charged with library instruction responsibilities.—Natasha Jenkins, Alabama State University