Drawing on the presenter's historical analysis of the first ten years of LOEX conference proceedings (1971-1981), this presentation will highlight the perspectives of our LOEX predecessors as they built instruction programs from the ground up. Through primary documents, we will explore the complex dynamics involved with outreach during this era, as librarians sought to connect with reluctant faculty and convince skeptical library administration of the value of their work. Conference LOEX's role in fostering collaboration through its programming and clearinghouse will be highlighted. Session attendees will walk away with an appreciation for how the "first generation" of bibliographic instruction librarians confronted the stereotype of passivity and set in motion a new type of public service librarianship defined by collaboration, innovation, and outreach.
Participants will be able to:
- identify the obstacles faced by instruction librarians in the 1970s as they advocated for their programs both internally and externally.
- assess the role of LOEX and the broader bibliographic instruction movement in professionalizing academic librarianship.
- demonstrate how our work today builds on the legacy of librarians at LOEX during its first decade.
