The Moving Targets of Teaching and Technology: Virtual Reference as Information Literacy Intermediary

Libraries have been moving traditional services to the digital environment for some time now; first, with a measure of reluctance and now with enthusiasm (Anderson 2011, 290). But is the act of migrating library services to online platforms, in and of itself, enough? Have we sufficiently addressed the challenges and fully realized the opportunities that technology affords? Using virtual reference as a case study, we will explore the pedagogical role of academic librarians in higher education. In particular, we will attempt to address the following questions: What can virtual reference teach us about our role as teachers? Is it possible to make meaningful contributions to the teaching and learning mandates of our universities – despite ever increasing pressures to do more with less – by employing technology to bridge the gap? Given the pervasive culture of assessment on campus today, how can we or will we know if our efforts have been successful? Taking aim at the moving targets of teaching and technology, this session will challenge attendees to reconsider the role of academic librarians and library services in pedagogical practice.