Librarian and Social Work Identity in an Online Interprofessional Community of Practice for Responsive Librarianship Training

ABSTRACT

This qualitative case study explored librarians’ and social workers’ experiences in an online scenario-game-based training program for Responsive Librarianship, a model for the delivery of personalised library services in response to a health or wellness concern. Analysis was conducted using the Community of Asynchronous Interprofessional Learning Model to determine how participants’ responses to course design and activities related to community of practice characteristics. Findings from this study explain how an online training program influences the development of professional identity among librarians and social workers in an interprofessional community of practice learning to provide Responsive Librarianship.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional
• education
• asynchronous
• instruction
• design

Acknowledgements

Florida’s Library Services and Technology Award program is administered by the Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services. This grant was a one-year project for which the author (Shereff) was key personnel. The grant provided a mechanism for developing the Responsive Librarianship training curriculum and a basic prototype for testing.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The project on which much of this research is based was funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Notes on contributors

Denise Shereff

Denise Shereff, PhD, MLIS, AHIP is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the School of Information at the University of South Florida. She teaches in the areas of consumer health information and health information literacy. Her research focuses on online interprofessional communities of practice for librarians and social workers using scenario-based games for Responsive Librarianship.

Yiping Lou

Yiping Lou, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Instructional Technology in the Department of Educational and Psychological Studies at the University of South Florida. She teaches courses on development of technology-based instruction, distance learning, and research in technology-supported learning. Her research interests centre on effects and factors impacting on technology-supported learning including online learning, inquiry-based science learning, scenario-based simulation and game-based learning.