The Librarian’s Guide to Learning Theory: Practical Applications in Library Settings

In her first solo-authored book, Medaille (director of research and instructional services, Univ. of Nevada, Reno; Visual Literacy for Libraries, coauthored with Nicole E. Brown, Kaila Bussert, and Denise Hattwig) sets out to assist librarians in better understanding how people learn. To this end, Medaille offers a concise collection of 14 chapters on different learning theories, including collaboration, observation, motivation, dialogue, imagination, and more. Medaille endeavors to make these learning theories accessible, providing a systematic and structured format to explain the concepts, their associated implications, and applications in librarianship. Her concluding remarks encourage readers to consider engagement, process, environment, guidance, and design to support future learning. This book can be used as a reference or read straight through, as the chapters are short and compact. Each chapter contains information for teaching librarians, suggestions for further reading, and questions to consider.