Faculty culture and bibliographic instruction: an exploratory analysis - The Library and Undergraduate Education

As already discussed, faculty often feel pressured by time. Therefore, they are likely to resent and oppose proposals for change that require more of their time (Astin, 1985). Early in their careers they have spent considerable time developing instructional strategies they consider effective and consistent with their personal style. Once developed, many faculty members only reluctantly change their teaching methods Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1977). Changes in the curriculum can take away much of the significance of an individual's life work. Change can threaten the defensive and insecure person.

Typically faculty culture supports faculty governance by consensus. When governance by consensus is combined with the value faculty culture puts on skepticism and critical analysis, it is no wonder that faculty culture does not support change. Perhaps, as Becher (1989) concluded: "Resistance to new ideas is inborn among academic communities" (p. 71). Many promising instructional technologies and ideas have not realized their potential because of faculty resistance (Bergquist, 1992, p. 64).

Summary

The focus here, then, is on significant aspects of the development of the modern faculty culture in the United States with its emphasis on research and content and de-emphasis on teaching and process. The result is a highly autonomous, often isolated, faculty faced with considerable pressures, including lack of time, to perform in areas in which its members are not particularly well-trained (teaching) or well-supported either by their institutions or the other members of the profession. The result is a culture characterized by a resistance to change, particularly a change promoted by those (such as librarians) who are not perceived as sharing fully in the culture and are not promoting values (bibliographic instruction) compatible with it.

IMPLICATIONS FOR BIBLIOGRAPHIC INSTRUCTION

Faculty Resistance to Bibliographic Instruction

Writing in 1978, Farber (1978), the most successful proponent of bibliographic instruction, found that, in principle, most faculty and administrators would agree to the value of bibliographic instruction. He then asked:

If it is sensible, why then is it difficult to get many faculty to work

with librarians in planning courses, or even to let librarians talk to

their classes? It would seem that we are all interested in the same

end--that is, the teaching/learning process and better education

for students. Why then are librarians regarded as suspect? Why is

there not more cooperation? (p. 71)

As we entered the 1990s, Farber (1992) asked the same question: "But there's still resistance. Why" (p. 3)?

Perhaps faculty members themselves are the best source of the answer to this question. Stephenson (1980), a professor of biology at Earlham College--now retired, has provided the most succinct answer that encompasses many aspects of faculty culture discussed earlier:

I suggest three characteristics relevant to [a discussion of library instruction]