Chapter 1: What Can Public Librarians Teach?
by Jim Curry & Casey H. Rawson
Explores the instructional role of public librarians with an emphasis on what exactly they are teaching, grounded in recent documents released by youth services professional organizations such as ALSC and YALSA.
Chapter 2: Knowing Your Learners
by Rachel~Anne Spencer & Casey H. Rawson
What do public librarians need to know about their learners collectively and individually to design powerful instruction, and how can we gain these understandings in the unique setting of the public library?
Chapter 3: Working Backward to Move Forward: Backward Design in the Public Library
by Gina Wessinger
Introduces the backward design framework to assist public librarians in setting learning goals, determining what successful learning will look like, and planning effective learning activities.
Chapter 4: How do Children and Teens Learn? Part One: Traditional Learning Theories
by Haley Young Ferreira
Discusses three foundational learning theories – behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism – and their relationships to teaching and learning in public libraries.
Chapter 5: How do Children and Teens Learn? Part Two: Critical Learning Theories
by Mara Rosenberg
Explores the past, present, and future of critical pedagogies in schools and public libraries, including a discussion of why these pedagogies are necessary for inclusive and powerful teaching and learning.
Chapter 6: From Theory to Practice: Instructional Approaches
by Brittany Soder
Provides an overview of five different instructional approaches with public library applications: direct instruction, cooperative learning, problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and experiential learning.
Chapter 7: Connected Learning in the Library
by Alexa Dunbar Stewart & Casey H. Rawson
Describes the Connected Learning framework and possible applications of this model for instruction in public libraries.
Chapter 8: Differentiation and Universal Design for Learners
by Rachel Morris
Discusses the limitations of one-size-fits-all instruction and provides guidance for how public librarians can differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of all learners.
Chapter 9: Collaboration: The Power (and the Price) of Working Together
by Ness Clarke Shortley
Explores and provides examples of instructional collaborations between public librarians and school librarians, academic librarians, and community organizations.
Chapter 10: Assessing Learning in the Public Library
by Tessa Gibson
How can we know whether and what learners gain from our public library instruction?
Chapter 11: Professional Development and Growth
by Dezarae Osborne
Discusses strategies for continued professional learning related to teaching and learning.
Chapter 12: Advocating for the Instructional Role
by Melissa Ferens
Describes ways that public librarians can advocate for the instructional role locally and at the state and national levels.