Transforming library instruction through creativity

Abstract

In this conceptual paper, I provide ideas for challenging library traditions, including the habits of our institution and the habitats they occupy. As librarians, we can encourage play and manage failure through reflection and iteration rather than penalty and closure. Librarians can create a classroom environment that allows for mistakes and child-like inquiry. Once we are less afraid to make mistakes, we open up the environment for play and experimentation. As the stakes for student success in American universities rise, the university library has an opportunity to engage students in their learning through critical pedagogy and reflective information literacy. It is important to establish a sense of adventure in confronting new realities about higher education and the way students learn. As we seek creative solutions in the classroom to stimulate thinking and fuel a renaissance in education for the twenty-first century, the library can lead the way for cross-disciplinary germination.