The Intersection of Library Learning and Second-Language Learning

Book excerpt: Language learning and library learning in a university setting are closely related endeavors that intersect at various times and locations, and with various teachers and learners. This book is an examination of how these intersections are experienced by language learners. Its aim is to explore the two types of learning to help sustain and develop the learning in both areas. The Intersection of Library Learning and Second-Language Learning: Theory and Practice is aimed at practitioners, both librarians and language instructors, and describes everyday scenarios which will resonate with academic librarians and language instructors. It presents practical experiences and accompanies them with a consideration of the literature of both librarianship and language education. It reviews and evaluates professional practices employed by working librarians and language instructors in their dealings with international students. Considerations of the intersections between language learning and library learning are placed within a theoretical framework of learner autonomy. This framework offers librarians and language instructors methods and practices that enable students to take control of their learning in the areas of both language learning and library learning. A concluding chapter offers ways to connect the framework of learner autonomy to settings outside that of a university context.