Chart Your Course

Library instruction is most effective when thoughtfully developed with faculty and integrated in a course. But how do you determine which faculty partnerships will have the most impact? In this poster, we discuss the process of curriculum mapping in an agriculture program, how it reveals new opportunities for library instruction, and pitfalls to avoid when charting your course. In fall 2016, librarians at the University of Tennessee Hodges Library and Pendergrass Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Library developed learning outcomes for library instruction and services using feedback from staff and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy. We mapped or coded the outcomes to learning objectives in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) at the department and course level. We analyzed frequency patterns in the data to determine (a) which library outcomes are most important to CASNR undergraduate and graduate programs and (b) which departments and courses have the greatest overlap with library objectives. The patterns identified key players who would benefit most from additional library instruction, as well as gaps in instruction and resources. Finally, we developed visual mind maps to illustrate how library instruction supports the college and to serve as an outreach tool. Curriculum mapping is a useful exercise but not without challenges. Lessons learned include: be willing to train library staff on writing effective learning outcomes; investigate your institution’s ability and willingness to provide their objectives; and be flexible and consider alternative ways to connect with the curriculum.