The Learning Room   Recently I have spent a lot of time reflecting on designing and teaching in a hands-on classroom.  At the LOEX Conference this spring, a colleague and I presented a paper on that topic based on our experiences with the Learning Room for the Libraries of The Claremont Colleges.  In addition, we are coming to the end of our first year teaching in that very pleasant, very high-tech facility, so we’re beginning to evaluate how well it works for us, how well we use it, and how we can continue to improve our teaching and our students’ learning. The Learning Room has provided our teaching librarians with solutions to many of the problems we faced in our old classroom and has offered some exciting new teaching possibilities.  On the other hand, it has not solved all our problems and has created at least as many new questions as it has answered. I suppose that’s always the way it is with change.  And change is always with us.  I think that’s why it’s so important to have an organization like LIRT that offers us so many practical ideas to help answer our questions about library instruction. One of the questions we’re trying to answer in Claremont is “How can we make faculty and students aware of the range and value of available library services, including library instruction, so they’ll take better advantage of them?”  At the LIRT Discussion Forum at Midwinter Conference, I joined a group of librarians talking about marketing library services, heard some success stories, and came away with several really good ideas. One we’re going to try in the fall is a “library fair.” Are you looking for some good examples of web tutorials?  The LIRT Research Committee has evaluated many and put links to the best at <http://diogenes.baylor.edu/Library/LIRT/lirtproj.html>.  Do you need some ideas for evaluating various aspects of your instruction program?  Have a look at       Evaluating Library Instruction: Sample Questions, Forms, and Strategies, published in 1996 by ALA Editions.  Written by LIRT members including Diana Shonrock, who also edited the book, it is packed with evaluation strategies for just about every library instruction need.  Would tips on classroom management be helpful? LIRT’s Research Committee has developed a series of “Teaching Tips” pamphlets including one on classroom management.  They’ll be available at the LIRT Booth at Annual Conference. Stop by and pick one up.  Are you wondering how to design a hands-on classroom that will provide an effective environment for learning?  You’ll find some answers at LIRT’s Annual Conference Program this summer. Speakers and poster sessions will address issues of designing and teaching in a hands-on classroom.  You’ll find a range of suggestions to help you.   You’ll also find lots of practical information right here in LIRT News. “Tech Talk” provides answers to questions on all sorts of issues, from broad concerns like distance learning to the specifics of Dynamic HTML.  You will also regularly find success stories describing programs that have been effective in different types of libraries and software reviews to keep you in the know and help you make the best choices. And what if you have a question you’d like answered or a success story you’d like to share?   PLEASE let us know! LIRT Committees welcome suggestions for new projects.  Your participation, your questions, and your successes shape the content of our programs and our publications.  Together we can provide the best and most innovative instruction for our library users as they move into the 21st century. Gale Burrow is President of LIRT and Coordinator of Library Instruction in the Honnold/Mudd Library, The Claremont Colleges.  E-mail: gburrow@rocky.claremont.edu.

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