Stewart Library Policies Manual
LIBRARY INSTRUCTION SERVICES
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
(Revised and Approved by Team 8/29/02)

Instruction Team - Library Faculty and Staff engaged in the following activities;

• Teaching LibSci for credit courses
• Providing English 2010 (formerly 112) and FYE instruction
• Presenting tours and other general sessions
• Teaching subject specific instruction

Library Curriculum Committee - Small group of Library Faculty appointed by the University Librarian each year to make recommendations to WSU Curriculum and General Education Committee. Committee membership includes University Librarian, Instruction Services Librarian and library faculty member serving on the Curriculum and General Education Committee.

Formal Courses :
    LibSci, HU1115 (Humanities on the Internet) 3 semester credit hours
    LibSci 2201 ( Library Skills Resources and Research) 2 semester credit hours
    LibSci 1704 (The Internet Navigator) 1 semester credit hour
    LibSci 3340 (Information Resources in the Life Sciences) 2 semester credit hours

Teaching Faculty - Faculty that teach formal courses. Formal teaching assignments are accepted by Library Faculty annually in consultation with the Instruction Services Librarian and the University Librarian.

General Instruction and Orientation Sessions - These can include: English 2010, FYE, Untangling the Web and other general instruction sessions. These may also include tours for community groups or visitors; and tours or orientation sessions for other classes that are introductory (not subject specific).

Subject Specific Instruction - Instruction sessions, often one hour, providing instruction for a particular course, department, discipline or sub discipline. These are provided by Subject Bibliographers and other Library Faculty and professional staff at the request of WSU Faculty, under the aegis of Collection Management.

9.2 Scheduling Instruction

A. Formal Courses

Formal, for credit courses are scheduled each Fall Semester for the following academic year by the Instruction Services Librarian and the University Librarian, in consultation with the Library Faculty. These are posted as the Library Teaching Schedule and on the Web Classroom Schedule. Additions, cancellations, and changes to teaching schedule are made by the University Librarian in consultation with Instruction Faculty and the Instruction Services Librarian. The Library Office Specialist may make additions and changes to the schedule prior to registration at the request of the University Librarian and the Instruction Services Librarian. After registration begins changes are submitted via the Class Schedule Change Form.

Other Formal Course Procedures

Students who feel they need to test out of a course may take the Information Literacy Competency Exam. 

B. English 2010

English 2010 and FYE instruction will be scheduled in the preceding semester by the Instruction Services Librarian with assistance from the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator and the English Department. Schedules are posted on the Library Web by the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator. It is the responsibility of the team member assigned to present the English 2010 instruction to find a replacement if s/he cannot do it. It is not the responsibility of the Instruction Services Librarian, the Reference/Instruction Coordinator or the Office Specialist to find replacements. (In case of severe illness, see below).

C. Other General Instruction

Library orientation sessions and other general instruction sessions will be scheduled by the Instruction Services Librarian (with input from the team) with assistance from the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator by using the Web classroom scheduling form.

D. Subject Specific Instruction

Subject Specific Instruction is scheduled by library faculty with assistance from the Reference/Instruction Coordinator.

E. Instruction Calendar

Scheduling requests for library classrooms 138 and 31 must be made via the Web Classroom Scheduling Form. A Web calendar (and print back up) for all instruction sessions, tours, and classroom use, is maintained by the Reference/Instruction Coordinator. All instruction sessions, tours, orientation sessions and library classroom use must be scheduled on the Web calendar. This includes walk around tours with more than four people in the group, as more than one large group meeting in the lobby or reference area at the same time can be difficult.

F. Guidelines for scheduling rooms 31  and 138, Electronic Library Classroom:

• Rooms 31 and 138 will be scheduled by the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator in consultation with the Instruction Services Librarian. Scheduling requests must be made via the Web Classroom Scheduling Form.   After receiving the scheduling request, the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator will send an email confirming the scheduling request. Scheduling will be prioritized as follows:
1. Formal Library Science Courses scheduled annually during Fall Semester for the following year will have first priority
2. English 2010 sessions, FYE are usually scheduled next
3. Other instruction including and subject specific instruction, other general instruction, library training and library related training will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis;
4. Use by other departments may be scheduled if they do not conflict with library instruction priority needs. Generally these would be scheduled in late afternoons, evenings, and after the fifth week of the semester. Priority is given to courses from the College of Arts and Humanities.
5. These classrooms may not be scheduled as open labs for unsupervised students. Library faculty/staff  should be present whenever the room is in use and are responsible for opening and closing classrooms for their students.
6. If computers or networks in classrooms malfunction, instructor will make a note on the clip board at the teaching station AND complete a Systems Assistance Request form found on the Library Intranet.

G. Guidelines for "No Show", Scheduling Problems and Rescheduling

1. Library Office or Circulation staff may need to assist in the scheduling process on occasion in case of severe illness, or in case of a library instructor that is a "no show". If an instructor is ill, it is still their responsibility to try to find someone to cover for them, unless they are too ill to do so. In case of severe illness the instructor will need to contact the Instruction Services Librarian, or the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator, or the Library Office Specialist, or the Circulation Coordinator (in that order).
2. In case of severe illness, if the instructor forgets, or if for some other reason no Library Faculty or Staff member shows up to give instruction, reference staff , or whoever becomes aware of the problem, should call the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator. If s/he is there, s/he will try to find a replacement, or cancel and reschedule.
3. Faculty/Staff may also check the Instruction Calendar  to see who is supposed to give the tour and try to find and remind them quickly.
4. If the person who is supposed to do the session can't be found, contact the Instruction Services Librarian. If s/he can't be found, apologize profusely and inform the group that the tour or instruction session will have to be rescheduled by the person originally assigned the session. Inform that person.
5. If a class that has been scheduled does not show up (particularly an FYE or 2010) the library faculty/staff member assigned to do the session will contact the FYE or 2010 instructor ASAP and use the classroom scheduling form to try to reschedule the session. 
6. If a class shows up at the wrong time, try to accommodate them if possible, if not, reschedule.

H. When the classrooms are scheduled by people not working in the library, the doors should not be opened until the person in charge (usually a WSU faculty or staff member) arrives. 

9. 3 Assessment and Continuous Improvement of Instruction

All instruction is assessed according to instruction team assessment plans

A. Formal Teaching

Faculty submit final grades (for students) according to campus calendar. Any grade changes that need to be made after final grade forms are due need to be submitted via the Change of Grade form.

Formal teaching (done by faculty) will be assessed by the University Librarian, in consultation with the Instruction Services Librarian according to the following library documents:

• Instruction Service Evaluation Criteria 
• Performance Expectations 
• Library Tenure Document
  • Library Peer Review document

Library Science Department Student End of Course Evaluations will be distributed, collected and disseminated for every formal course taught, as follows:

1. Library faculty work together to develop the LibSci department student end of course evaluation form including and WSU required questions.

• The Internet Navigator sections will be assessed using forms and procedures developed by the Internet Navigator maintenance team and by WSUOnline.

2. Library faculty will request information from the Instruction Services Librarian or Library Office Specialist regarding location and use of Web based form, at least two weeks prior to date needed. 

3. Faculty will provide students with Web form (or print copy in case of computer problems) during the last week of class and provide instructions on accessing the form in the library classroom.

a. Faculty will tell students that the evaluations are completely anonymous and that they will not be viewed until after the final grades have been sent to the WSU registrar.

b. Faculty members will leave the classroom while the students are completing the forms.

4. The Office Specialist and the Instruction Services Librarian will receive the data from the evaluation forms for analysis.

5.  The Office Specialist will print or save the evaluations and the written comments from students for each section of each class taught. 

6. The University Librarian  and the Instruction Services Librarian  review the evaluations.  A copy of the  evaluation for each section of each course is made and filed electronically in the library administrative office. A print copy  of the evaluation is given to the instructor.  

7.  It is the responsibility of each faculty member to maintain copies of  original forms and evaluation summaries to use as needed for promotion and tenure. 

B. English 2010, FYE and Other Instruction - will be assessed by the Instruction Team member, and by the Instruction Services Librarian with input from the Instruction Team, English Department, FYE faculty and student web based feedback forms to continuously improve the quality of instruction.

C. Subject Specific Instruction - will be assessed by library faculty (as peer reviewers) and the University Librarian with input from WSU faculty and students for which instruction was presented. It is suggested that approximately 10% of these sessions be assessed using the instruction session evaluation form.

D. Assessment and Revision of Library Curriculum - All Library Instruction  curricula will be continuously improved and revised to maximize student learning 

1. Teaching faculty will use data including student end of course evaluations to continually improve instruction.
2. Faculty will indicate course improvements in their FARs and if appropriate in their professional files and/or supplemental file (teaching portfolio). For example, faculty may attach examples of improved syllabi, assignments, Web pages, lesson plans, etc.
3. Course catalog descriptions for all Library Science courses will be reviewed annually and updated as needed.

9.4 Data Collection

A. Formal Instruction

The following data, and other data submitted, will be collected each semester by the Office Specialist:

1. total number of sections  taught, including CE sections
2. number of students in each section

B. English 2010 and FYE

Each month every Instruction Team member will submit their instruction data to the Library Office Specialist on the Instruction Sessions Data Form. The following data will be collected each semester by the Office Specialist:

1. number of English 2010 and FYE sections taught 
2. number of 2010 and FYE instruction sessions per Library Faculty/Staff

C. Subject Specific Instruction Sessions and Other General Instruction Sessions

The number of sessions, number of students taught, course and instructor for which instruction was done will be collected monthly on the Instruction Sessions Data Form.

D. Classroom use (Calculated by Office Specialist)

Classroom use is calculated by the Office Specialist through the classroom calendar/schedule. 

9.5 Resources and Materials for Instruction

Library Reference/General Instruction Coordinator maintains supplies needed in library classrooms with assistance from Library faculty. 

A. Formal Instruction

1. Hardware, Software and Furniture: Library Faculty scheduled for formal instruction will request any special software, hardware, furniture and other teaching materials through the Instruction Services Librarian.
2. Textbooks: Recommended textbooks will be decided upon by Library Faculty as a Team for each library course approved. Textbook orders are coordinated by the Office Specialist.
3. Syllabi: Library Faculty will make their syllabi and other course materials available via the Stewart Library Web site. Assistance may be quested from the Instruction Services Librarian and/or the Library Office Specialist.  The Office Specialist will make available to the public Web copies of current syllabi provided by teaching faculty as needed or requested by potential students. 

B. English 2010, FYE and Other General Instruction Sessions

Instruction resources and materials are developed by the Library Instruction Team, for the Team. Exercises and other handouts are copied and  maintained as needed in classrooms by the Reference/General Instruction Coordinator.

C. Subject Specific Instruction

Materials and resources purchased or developed for other instruction, particularly classroom equipment, will be coordinated with the Library Instruction Services Librarian and the University Librarian.

9.6 INSTRUCTION FORMS:

The following forms are used by members of the Instruction Team

1. Stewart Library Web Library Classroom  Scheduling Form
2. Stewart Library Student End of Course Evaluation Form (delivered on Web via courses.weber.edu)
3. Stewart Library Peer Review Instruction Observation Form (as part of Tenure and Promotion activities)
4. Stewart Library Instruction Sessions Data Form
5. WSU Class Schedule Change Form
6. WSU Change of Grade Form

Last modified 01/09/2003 . Please send comments to Carol Hansen, Instruction Services Librarian. (Back to Instruction Team)