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Overcoming speech and library anxiety.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Students at higher education institutions need to learn how to use the library and to give public speaking presentations, and most will experience Speech and or Library Anxiety. We review Library and Speech Anxiety, and a collaboration between librarians and faculty that produced a freshman course Library Demonstration Assignment. We describe its generation, implementation, and refinement and its effectiveness in preparing students to use the library and to practice public speaking with confidence.

Introduction

Recently, a librarian and a faculty member in Communication Studies at James Madison University produced a course assignment that combines library skills with public speaking. During a faculty enhancement workshop, the librarian asked faculty to design a course assignment that would introduce the students to the library. Since the faculty member was familiar with library anxiety herself, she was well motivated to design something other than the usual "scavenger hunt". According to Constance Mellon, who first presented a definition and grounded theory of Library Anxiety in 1986, 75 to 85% of the students in the sample group "described their initial response to library research in terms of fear" (Mellon, 1986). Onwuegbuzie and Bostick (2004) provide a thorough review of the background and state of research on Library Anxiety. Peer learning is well recognized as an effective method for helping students to learn concepts through exchange. As Sampson and Cohen (2001) state, "The learning exchange is a way that students can develop their skills while learning from the presentation content and processes used by their peers" (p. 45). By placing the students in the real situation of peer teaching in the library, this assignment replaced their anxiety with familiarity.

One study showed about 85% of the population fears public speaking (Motley, 1991). 70% of the population experiences moderately high to very high speech anxiety (Richmond & McCroskey, 1989). One in for individuals will "avoid classes that require oral presentations, skip meetings, refuse job promotions, or even change jobs or occupations to escape public speaking.... Simply put, you need a clear plan for managing your speech anxiety, and the most effective plan begins to take shape very early in the public speaking process" (Rothwell, 2004). Practice and preparation are keys to this assignment which places strong emphasis on cooperative learning and preparation during 4 weeks prior to the actual public speaking.

Information Literacy and General Education

The Information Literacy program at James Madison University is very strong. Librarian-led instruction sessions are reserved for courses in the majors, but an online tutorial is provided to students in first year courses. The tutorial called Go for the Gold is assigned in the General Education Speech Communication courses. This prepares students to pass the Information Seeking Skills Test (ISST), which is a requirement for completing Cluster One of General Education...

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