Professor librarian: a model of the teaching librarian of the future

摘要

When I meet someone for the first time, the question "What do you do for a living?" invariably comes up. I tell people that I am a librarian, but then I hastily add that I teach courses in computer applications. I have reflected on why I always make this addendum. Probably because I am not the "traditional librarian." Teaching credit-bearing computer courses is not what people expect librarians to do. Even when I meet fellow librarians, they are surprised by my unusual position. Although I am currently considered atypical, I believe my role of "professor librarian" will become a commonplace role for librarians in the future. THE ORIGINS OF MY DUAL ROLE My primary responsibility is to teach credit-bearing courses in computer applications at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, a 4-year liberal arts college with strong professional programs. For many years the mathematics department had a computer science concentration, with courses focusing on programming and the mathematical aspects of computers. As microcomputer applications began to emerge in other parts of the curriculum, it became clear that computer skills were being taught in disciplines outside of the mathematics department. In the mid-1980s, a group of faculty members teaching subject-specific computer applications began to discuss the need for the college to offer an introductory course in computer applications that crossed multiple disciplines. This group designed a four-credit course that covered software and hardware basics, and taught skills in using three basic software applications: word processing, spreadsheets, and databases. The course consisted of three 50-minute lecture sessions and one 2-hour lab per week. After the introduction of the Internet, then telecommunications, e-mail, and Web applications were added to the curriculum.