ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ July/A ugust 2003 / 465 Instructional leadership New responsibilities for a new reality by Clara S. F o w le r an d Scott W a lte r I f y ou w o rk in an academ ic library, chances are very good th a t there is som eone in y our organization w ith a title like library in stru ctio n coo rd in ato r or h ead o f library in stru c tio n .1 W hile m uch has been w ritte n a b o u t h o w the rise o f the In tern e t has affected the day-to-day w ork o f li­ brarians in areas such as reference, in stru ctio n , a nd c o llectio n de v elo p m en t, less has been said a bout ho w o th er organizational im peratives help redefine the role o f in fo rm a tio n professionals in the academ ic library o f the 2 1st century.2 As librarians are called u p o n to exam ine the new realities th a t shape their professional w ork, we ask you to consider w hat y ou sh ould expect o f your in stru ctio n coordinator. T h is is n o t a trick question, b u t it is a com plicated one. F o r us, the answer is “in stru ctio n al leadership.” W h a t is in s tr u c tio n a l le a d e rs h ip ? In stru c tio n al leadership is a concept draw n from th e lite ra tu re o f e d u c a tio n a l a d m in is tra tio n to describe the role th a t a school principal plays in h e lping to create a culture o f in stru ctio n a n d as­ sessm ent in a school, placing stu d e n t learning at the c enter o f the in stru ctio n al process, a n d fos­ terin g the professional g row th o f teachers as class­ room instructors.3 I n School Leadership: H andbook f o r Excellence, Jam es W eber id entified the m ain functions o f the in stru ctio n al leader as: defining the school’s m ission, m anaging curriculum a n d in­ struction, p ro m o tin g a positive learning environ­ m ent, observing a n d im proving instru ctio n , and assessing the in structional p ro g ra m /1 Early studies o f in structional leadership described a hierarchical situation in w hich decision-m aking a b o u t cur­ riculum a n d in stru ctio n was p urely to p -d o w n , b u t m o re re c e n t studies focus o n th e in stru c tio n a l leader as a facilitator, i.e., a leader w h o “em pow ­ ers others to be leaders.”5 Today, instructional lead­ ership is a c o ncept th a t defines a leadership role n o t only for the principal, b u t also for teachers w h o lead by constantly refining their ow n teach­ ing, providing advice a nd expertise to colleagues th ro u g h m en to rin g and con tin u in g education, and p a rtic ip a tin g in p eer review b o th o f in dividual teachers a n d o f the in structional p ro g ram .6 W h y in s tr u c tio n a l le a d e rs h ip ? T h e rise o f in fo rm a tio n literacy in stru ctio n as a strategic direction for m any libraries increasingly requires th e in stru c tio n c o o rd in a to r to act as a leader b o th w ith in the library and across cam pus. In stru c tio n al leadership is a m odel th a t has helped us to u n d e rsta n d m an y o f the issues we face every day in o u r w o rk as coordinators, a nd to appreciate the new expectations th a t o u r adm inistrators have o f us. Even th o u g h b o th authors cam e to o u r present positions after years o f experience as teachers and librarians, we qu ick ly discovered th a t we w ere unaw are o f the range o f challenges th a t c oordi­ n a to rs m u st face in o rd e r to balance th e issues su rro u n d in g the design, developm ent, and p ro ­ m o tio n o f an in stru ctio n program . Som e o f these issues are discussed below. T h e y are draw n b oth from o u r experiences over the past year, and from responses received from colleagues following an in­ formal query on the ILI-L electronic discussion list. A bout the authors Clara Fowler is coordinator o f instruction a t the University o f Houston, e-mail: fowler@wsu.edu, and Scott Walter is interim assistant d ire c to r fo r p u b lic services an d outreach a t W ashington State University, e-m ail: swalter@ wsu.edu mailto:fowler@wsu.edu mailto:swalter@wsu.edu 46 6 W h a t does a n in s tru c tio n a l le a d e r lo o k like? T h e question o f w hat makes an effective leader is ancient. R obert J. H ouse, for example, notes th a t discussions o f leadership “can be fo u n d in the G reek and L atin classics, the O ld a nd N e w Testa­ m en ts o f th e Bible, the w ritings o f the ancient Chinese philosophers, a nd in the early Icelandic sagas.”7 U nfortunately, the leadership literature is rarely referenced in discussions o f the w o rk o f the in struction coordinator. M ost studies o f in struction librarianship focus on h ow to develop o ne’s skills as a teacher. O f the literature th at looks beyond the classroom to sug­ gest issues th at m ig h t arise w hen m anaging an in ­ struction program , there is little th at transcends the discussion o f problem s associated w ith issues such as scheduling classrooms, m anaging budgets, and arranging for enough volunteers from am ong one’s colleagues to ensure th a t all the classes get ta u g h t.8 T h e re is a significant difference, h o w ­ ever, betw een m an a g em e n t issues such as these and leadership issues. T h e d istinction is an im p o r­ ta n t one for the in stru ctio n coo rd in a to r.5 O n e o f the few authors to go beyond this idea o f the in stru ctio n coo rd in ato r as teacher or m a n ­ ager is Sharon M ader, w ho identified five key lead­ ership traits for a coordinator: vision, willingness to take risks, ability to inspire colleagues, ability to com m unicate effectively, ability to build teams, and a c o m m itm e n t to innovative approaches to in struction.10 T hese characteristics are very similar to those identified in leadership literature. W arren Bennis, for example, identified a leader as som eone w ho innovates, inspires trust, focuses on people, has a long-range perspective, a nd challenges the status q uo.11 Likewise, the characteristics echo m ore gen­ eral comm ents found in library literature about the need for new models for leadership in libraries.12 Finally, they are consonant w ith the role defined for the instructional leader in the education literature, especially in the emphasis on the need for vision and planning, and in the idea o f the instructional leader as a facilitative leader w ho helps colleagues im ­ prove their own teaching while inspiring them to take on leadership roles o f their own. W h y d o w e n e e d in s tru c tio n a l le a d e rs n o w ? B oth academ ic librarianship a nd higher education have changed significantly in recent years. O n e result o f these changes has been th at the instruc­ tio n coo rd in ato r is no w co m m itte d to system atic p lanning for an instructional program th a t m ust be effectively articulated across the academ ic p ro ­ gram a nd coordinated w ith the efforts o f com ple­ m entary instructional initiatives originating from outside the library. T h e issues facing the coordina­ to r today are very different from those described in m uch o f the w ork we read w hile preparing for ou r careers. Several factors in the contem porary professional e n vironm ent have c o m bined to sug­ gest the need for a new way o f conceiving the role played by the librarian assigned to coordinate— to lead— the in struction program in an academ ic li­ brary. A m ong these are: • the c o m m itm e n t to in form ation literacy as a strategic direction for academ ic libraries; • the need for m ore librarians to be involved in the design a nd delivery o f instructional services, either alone, or in collaboration w ith m em bers o f the classroom faculty; • the rise o f innovative, interdisciplinary ini­ tiatives on m any college cam puses th a t provide o pp o rtu n ities fo r reth in k in g the ways in w hich library in struction can su p p o rt (and enhance) the academic curriculum ; • the call to create stu dent-centered learning o p p o rtunities th a t foster critical th in k in g a nd flu­ ency in in form ation technology; and, • the need to dem onstrate m easurable achieve­ m en t in these areas th ro u g h a systematic program o f assessment. M ake no m istake, there will always be a need for professional ed u ca tio n th a t prepares novice in struction librarians to identify instructional ob ­ jectives, design lesson plans, a nd create app ro p ri­ ate classroom activities a n d assignments. In fact, recent developm ents in instructional technology assure us th at ongoing education o f this type will be necessary even for experienced teachers now called u p o n to design electronic classrooms, de­ velop W eb-based instructional services, a nd cre­ ate instructional materials m ea n t for use w ith in coursew are such as W ebCT. W h a t these factors suggest, however, is th at in stru ctio n program s are becom ing increasingly complex, a nd ever m ore closely tied to initiatives o f im p o rt across the cam pus because o f broader trends b o th in the profession a nd in h igher educa­ tion. In stru c tio n program s need w ell-trained and effective leaders if th e y are to m e e t b o th th e profession’s c o m m itm e n t to preparing library us­ ers w ho are in form ation literate a nd the growing im perative to collaborate creatively across cam ­ pus w ith newly defined program s o f instruction a nd assessment. C&RL News ■ July/August 2003 / 467 H o w does a n in s tru c tio n a l le a d e r act? T h ere are a n u m b e r o f issues facing in struction coo rd in ato rs to d ay th a t require th e m to act as instructional leaders. A n example o f these issues can be found in the responsibility th a t the c oordi­ n a to r has today for effectively articulating a vi­ sion and a systematic plan for instruction b o th to colleagues w ith in the library and to the rest o f the institution. Since m any o f us are already familiar w ith the difficulties one can have com m unicating the im portance o f library instruction to co n stitu ­ encies, such as classroom faculty, we will focus here on the question o f how to facilitate c o m m u ­ nication am ong librarians involved in the instruc­ tio n program . T h e way one meets this challenge reflects the degree to w hich one is acting as an instructional leader. Several factors can h in d e r the c o o rd in a to r’s ability to com m unicate a vision a nd a plan for the in struction program to colleagues. For example: • m a n y lib ra ria n s p a rtic ip a te in in s tru c tio n as o n ly o n e e le m e n t o f th e ir p ro fessio n al d u ­ ties; • in s tru c tio n p ro g ram s are o fte n d iv id e d be­ tw e en th e in s tr u c tio n a l services p ro v id e d to lo w e r-d iv isio n s tu d e n ts a n d th o se p ro v id e d to u p p e r-d iv isio n a n d g ra d u a te stu d e n ts , w ith d if­ fe re n t lib ra ria n s ta k in g re sp o n sib ility fo r each (e.g., in s tru c tio n lib ra ria n s vs. su b je c t special­ ists); and, • few librarians have the o p p o rtu n ity to inter­ act w ith faculty a n d adm inistrators across cam pus o n a regular basis, a n d m ay therefore n o t be as aware o f relevant instructional initiatives on cam ­ pus. A cting as an instructional leader, the coordi­ n a to r m ust th in k creatively a bout h ow to foster c om m unication am ong colleagues. Electronic dis­ cussion lists, “brow n bag” meetings, a nd library forum s are a m ong the m eans th a t coordinators have used to pro m o te discussion o f the instruc­ tion program . O th e rs include the form ation o f lib r a r y - w i d e ta s k fo rc e s to a r ti c u l a te th e organization’s goals in term s o f in struction and to facilitate greater collaboration betw een those re­ sponsible for low er-division a n d upper-division instruction. T h e coo rd in ato r m ust n o t only facili­ tate com m unication am ong colleagues regarding the library instruction program , b u t m ust also con­ tinuously scan the cam pus environm ent by m eet­ ing w ith faculty and adm inistrators from p artner program s in order to identify com plem entary in­ structional initiatives originating outside the library and identify the best way to com m unicate this inform ation to colleagues w ith in the library. To deal w ith issues such as those described above, one m u st be innovative a nd focused on m eeting the needs o f professional colleagues, class­ room faculty, and students. In the increasingly com plex in structional landscape on today’s col­ lege or university cam pus, these are the responsi­ bilities facing in stru ctio n coordinators. To take advantage o f the opportunities each affords, co­ ordinators m ust begin to th in k o f themselves as instructional leaders. C onclusion W e d id n o t choose instructional leadership as a new m odel for u nderstanding our role in the orga­ nization sim ply to make ourselves feel good about our work. Rather, we came to it as we a ttem p ted to und erstan d w hy we faced such a com plicated set o f issues as we w orked to build our respective instruction program s, and w hy we constantly had to th in k “outside the box” (or, in o u r cases, the classroom) in order to identify ways o f dealing w ith them . W e in troduced these ideas to an audience o f in stru ctio n librarians at the L O E X -of-the-W est 2002 conference in Eugene, O regon, as p art o f a presentation entitled (with apologies to John H olt), “W h a t D o I D o o n M onday?: Issues and O p p o rtu ­ nities for the In struction C oordinator.”13 W e will consider them further in a longer research article still in progress. Initial feedback from the presen­ tation suggests th at our discussion o f the idea o f the instruction coo rd in ato r as instructional leader is n o t only positively received by o u r peers, b ut appreciated as a m odel th a t helps explain how forces b o th in the profession a nd in higher educa­ tio n are affecting the roles they play in the library and on campus. N e w responsibilities are accruing to the in ­ struction coordinator n o t sim ply because o f iner­ tia, or because o f a desire on the p a rt o f an indi­ vidual coordinator to assume greater responsibil­ ity (although b o th factors are certainly in play), b u t because the coordinator is being asked, overtly or implicitly, to act in a new way w ith in the orga­ nization. It is only by taking on these responsibili­ ties in full understanding o f the issues and o ppor­ tunities th at m ay arise th at the coordinator can help move the library tow ard its strategic goals in the area o f in form ation literacy in struction and assessment. So, to the in stru ctio n coordinators, we say: learn to lead. A nd, to library adm inistra­ tors, we say: let them . 468 / C&RL News M July/August 2003 Notes 1. A recent survey o f academic libraries in the U n ited States reported th at over 90 percent o f respondents identified a librarian as coordinator o f library instruction. See K ristin Johnson and Kathleen Carlisle Fountain, “Laying a Founda­ tion for C om paring D epartm ental Structures be­ tween Reference and Instructional Services: Analy­ sis o f a N ationw ide Survey,” College & Research Libraries 63 (2002), 281. 2. For an example o f this thread in the litera­ ture, see Lewis-Guodo Liu (ed.), The Role a n d Im ­ pact o f the Internet on Library and Information Services (W estport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001). 3. N ational Association o f Elementary School Principals, Leading Learning Communities: N A E SP Standards fo r W hat Principals Should Know a nd be Able to Do (Alexandria, VA: N ational Association o f Elem entary School Principals, 2001). 4. Jam es Weber, “Leading the Instructional Program, ” in School Leadership: Handbook fo r Excel­ lence, 3rd ed., eds. Stuart C. Sm ith and Philip K. Piele (Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse o n Edu­ cational M anagem ent, 1997), 253– 78. 5. Larry Lashway, Can Instructional Leaders be Facilitative Leaders? (Eugene, OR: E R IC Clearing­ house on Educational Management, 1995) [online]. R e trie v e d J u n e 11, 2 0 0 3 , fro m h t t p : / / e r i c , u o r e g o n . e d u / p u b l i c a t i o n s / d i g e s t s / digest098.htm l; Weber, “Leading the Instructional Program ,” 277. 6. N athalie Gehrke, Developing Teachers’ Lead­ ership Skills (Washington, D C : ERIC Clearinghouse on Teacher Education, 1991) [online]. Retrieved J u n e 11, 2 0 0 3 , fro m h ttp :/ /w w w .e d .g o v / d a t a b a s e s / E R I C _ D i g e s t s / e d 3 3 0 6 9 1. h tm l ; D eborah Perkins-Gough, “Beyond Instructional Leadership,” Educational Leadership 59 (2002): 96 [online]. Retrieved June 11, 2003, from h ttp :// w w w .a s c d . o r g / r e a d i n g r o o m / e d le a d /0 2 0 5 / perkinsgough_2.html. 7. R o b e rt J. H ouse, “L ea d ersh ip ,” in The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary o f Organizational Behavior‚ ed. Nigel N icolson (Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1995), 284. 8. For representative examples, see ACRL Bib­ liographic Instruction Section, Learning to Teach: Workshops on Instruction (Chicago: ACRL, 1993); and Esther Grassian, “Setting U p and M anaging a BI Program,” in Sourcebookfo r Bibliographic Instruc­ tion (Chicago: ACRL, 1993), 59– 75. 9. See, for example, Abraham Zaleznik, “M an­ agers and Leaders: Are T h ey Different?,” Harvard Business Review 55 (1977): 67– 78; and, W arren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1989). 10. Sharon M ader, “In stru c tio n Librarians: L eadership in the N ew O rg a n iza tio n ,” R Q 36 (1996): 192-97. 11. Bennis, On Becoming a Leader. 12. See, fo r exam ple, R o b e rt T. Sweeney, “Leadership in the Post-H ierarchical Library,” Library Trends 43 (1994): 62-94; and Terrence F. M ech and Gerard B. M cCabe, eds., Leadership and Academic Libraries (W estport, CT: G reenw ood Press, 1998). 13. J. H olt, W hat do I do Monday? (New York: D u tto n , 1970). ■ ( “When the libraiy. . . ” continued from page 464) a n d able to im p le m e n t, assess, a n d a d a p t ou r p ro g ra m q u ickly. In o rd e r to fa c ilita te th is a d aptability, we let th e new ly h ire d softw are su p p o rt stu d e n ts k n o w th a t th ey were p a rtic i­ p a tin g in a trial service a n d th a t th e ir assigned shifts a nd tasks m ig h t vary th ro u g h o u t the p i­ lo t project. C onclusions D u rin g th e course o f o u r p ilo t softw are su p ­ p o r t p ro jec t, we fo u n d th a t th e technical ex­ p ertise a n d com p e ten c e ex h ib ited by o u r s tu ­ d e n t assistants com p le m e n ts o u r existing ref­ erence service. T h ese stu d e n ts can be deployed by lib ra rian s to h a n d le m o st tec h n ica l q ues­ tio n s received a t th e desk, th u s freeing lib ra r­ ians to focus on research related questions. In a d d itio n , softw are su p p o rt stu d e n ts are able to quickly resolve m any technical problem s th a t p re v io u s ly w o u ld have b e en re fe rre d to th e already b usy library system s d e p a rtm e n t. T h e ir assistance is particularly valuable d u rin g evening a n d w e ekend h o u rs, w h en th e library systems d e p a rtm e n t is n o t sta ffed a n d th e reference sta ff is extrem ely busy. O verall, th e softw are s u p p o rt p ro g ra m has a llow ed us to p ro v id e q u a lity technical su p p o rt w ith o u t overw helm ­ ing the professional staff. ■ Correction Ilene F. R ockm an is affiliated w ith the Cali­ fornia State U niversity O ffice o f the C h a n ­ cellor a nd not the University o f C alifornia- Berkeley as was listed in the M ay issue o f C&RL News. T h e editors regret the error. http://www.ed.gov/ http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0205/