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

Demonstrating how learning theories are applicable to a variety of real-world contexts, this book will help library workers better understand how people learn so that they can improve support for instruction on their campuses and in their communities.

From makerspaces to book clubs, from media facilities to group study spaces, from special events to book displays, libraries support learning in numerous ways. In this accessible handbook, Medaille unchains the field of learning theory from its verbose and dense underpinnings to show how libraries can use its concepts and principles to better serve the needs of their users. Readers will discover

• concrete ways to improve library instruction, spaces, services, resources, and technologies;
• succinct overviews of major learning theories drawn from the fields of psychology, education, philosophy, and anthropology, among others;
• summaries of the most relevant aspects of each theory and instructional methods, showing how the various theories interact and support each other;
• chapters organized into 14 learning topics, including motivation, self-regulation, collaboration, and inquiry;
• discussion of a range of instruction situations from information literacy instruction to the teaching of maker or media skills; and
• teaching librarian's tips, reflection questions, and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.