Teacher, Librarian, or Both? A Quantitative Investigation of Instruction Librarians’ Teacher Identity

Abstract

This study investigates instruction librarians’ potential teacher identity and the factors that may contribute to it. Responses to a survey of instruction librarians in the United States suggest that respondents see themselves as teachers and devote a significant portion of their time to teaching, though they received little pedagogy training in library school. In addition, a relationship was found between pedagogy knowledge and teacher identity. However, respondents reported having insufficient time for pedagogy-related professional development although they actively seek such opportunities. This research underscores the importance of institutional support so that instruction librarians can engage in pedagogy-related professional development.