The One-Shot Library Instruction Survival Guide

This second edition of Buchanan and McDonough's guide offers a concise, up-to-date primer for academic librarians on teaching the one-shot instruction session. It outlines key techniques and challenges that both enlighten the novice and refresh the veteran. In a conversational tone, the authors explain familiar strategies, such as how to establish strong relationships with faculty, and new ones, such as matching activities to the new Framework for Information Literacy. Perhaps the most valuable sections are the "Vignettes," which describe real-world examples relevant to the material at hand. In addition to teaching by example, each one provides an insider's perspective that's immediately practical and relatable. There are also excellent explanations and applications of experiential learning activities such as "The Jigsaw Method," "The One-Minute Paper," and "Concept Maps." If there's a weakness, it's a shortage of examples. Then again, the brevity of this book is a service to those with some teaching under their belts. For the novice, this work is best examined in tandem with a more robust volume on this topic such as Char Booth's excellent Reflective Teaching, Effecting Learning.