Instruction Section Website

Name: Shamika J. Simpson

Institution: Long Beach City College 

Job Title: Collection Development and Outreach Librarian

Number of Years Teaching: 16

Tell us 1-2 interesting things about yourself.

I love beach walks and hikes. I am a crafter. I enjoy making and teaching others how to make crafts.

Describe a favorite activity that you use with students (this could be for a face-to-face class, online, or hybrid class).

In my online Introduction to Acquisitions course, one of my favorite engaging learning activities challenges students to create an acquisition report of recommendations for a library manager. They select titles from a pre-approved list of topics and carefully curate their choices using industry-standard resources for a specific target demographic. Students must work within a budget, reinforcing the real-world budget constraints faced in libraries. A particularly valuable aspect of the assignment requires students to omit three titles from their selection lists, even if those titles are within budget and meet the criteria. This exercise mirrors the tough decisions professionals make when prioritizing purchases, helping students develop strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. 

Several times a year, the ACRL Instruction Section Teaching Methods Committee selects and interviews a librarian who demonstrates a passion for teaching, innovation, and student learning.

Name: Kristina Clement

Institution: Kennesaw State University

Job Title: Assistant Director of Academic Engagement & Instruction, Collegiate Librarians

Number of Years Teaching: 10 years teaching in academic libraries and a cumulative 16 years teaching in higher ed overall

Tell us 1-2 interesting things about yourself.

I enjoy trying out new crafts, but I don’t like reading the directions, so I often self-teach myself to do things like cross-stitching and embroidering. My cross-stitching is pretty good, but my embroidery is terrible!

Describe a favorite activity that you use with students (this could be for a face-to-face class, online, or hybrid class).

One of my favorite activities is something I call “Research Process Post-Its.” I hand out colorful stacks of post-its and ask students to write down every step they take when writing a research paper—one step per note, from “choose a topic” to “crisis of confidence” to “finish bibliography five minutes before the deadline.” Students with the same color team up, stick their post-its on the wall in order, and compare how they approach the process. The conversations are honest, funny, and full of moments where students realize they’re not alone.

After we debrief, students keep their post-it maps handy while we explore library resources, noting where the library can support them along the way. It’s a simple but powerful way to frame Research as Inquiry—research as a real, evolving journey rather than a checklist.