Beyond the Cardigan: Why Asking “What Do You Think a Librarian Does?” Transforms Instruction

Abstract

At the start of a first-year instruction session at George Washington University (GW),
Taylor Baugher introduced herself as a research services librarian and asked her class,
somewhat on a whim, “What do you think a librarian does?” After a brief pause, a student
timidly raised their hand and said, “You get the resources that we use.”
At its heart, yes, this is librarianship, or at least one form of it. This simple answer offered a
perfect organic segue to discuss collection development and the immense cost of the resources
their tuition was supporting, subsequently leading to a conversation about Information Has
Value, a key frame from ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy. From there