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Yesterday I attended the Metrolina Library Association 5th Annual Information Literacy Conference. As Roz noted, ZSR was well represented by both attendees and presenters (Carolyn, Bobbie, Ellen, Mary S., Roz, and I), and I enjoyed catching up with colleagues from both ZSR and my UNCG days, as well as make new acquaintances during breaks. Being a smaller conference enabled good connections and conversation throughout the day, but the small size did not mean that the presenters had small impact – quite the contrary, especially for me, still new to IL instruction!

Dr. Clara M. Chu, chair of the LIS department at UNCG, opened the conference with her keynote, “Information Literacy Examined in Multicultural Context.” She made the point that multicultural literacy embraces both information literacy and critical literacy in knowledge of cultures and languages, and pointed out that problems arise when we think that one difference is better than another. She also noted that we need to be aware of positionality: recognizing what we bring to the table (e.g., socio-demographics, cultural characteristics, language). We need to teach our students to look at information from critical, multicultural perspectives, and practice reflexive ethics. We also need to be aware of identifying counter-narratives or alternatives to the dominant discourse. As WFU’s student body continues to diversify, I believe that there will be increasing opportunities to discuss multicultural literacy in LIB100 courses.

The first breakout session I attended was a presentation by Joe Eshleman, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte, focusing on strategies and content to use in IL instruction that helps emphasize the significance of IL to students’ futures. Students need to understand that whether they know it or not, they apply principles of IL whenever they look for information, be it on which cell phone to purchase to which resource will help with their paper. They’ve done it, they do it, and they’ll continue to do it! I have a lot of scribbled margin notes with ideas that the discussion from this session sparked for future LIB100 use that will hopefully help students see past IL as library/education-only to real-life applicability.

After a delicious lunch (thank you, culinary institute food services!), Roz and I gave our presentation on using documentary films in an IL class. Participants seemed genuinely interested in our approach, and we had great questions and suggestions that fueled conversation. And although it wasn’t technically part of our presentation, Roz discussed our faculty status and I shared insights on IL instruction as a new instructor, two tangential topics that were of interest to many in the room.

The final breakout session I attended was specifically for new instructors, which seemed like the perfect place to end my day. Donna Gunter and Stephanie Otis from UNCC created a survival guide of best practices for new instructors. Partnering with Roz to teach LIB100 this past spring, and tagging along on several BI sessions for FYS during the winter, gave me a good grounding in survival tactics for IL instruction, and this session confirmed much of what I already knew. However, I still came away with ideas for classroom management, and the reminder that we cannot teach all of them all things but we can provide a solid grounding (always good to hear!).

All in all, my first immersion into an IL conference was thought-provoking and fun, and I would definitely return to the Metrolina conference in the future!