Creating Your Librarian Teaching Portfolio
March 30-April 24, 2026
A teaching portfolio is comprised of a variety of documents that are a record of pedagogical experiences, backed by evidence of teaching, assessment, and improvement. Teaching portfolios can be used for self-documentation, tenure and promotion, and job applications. An academic librarian’s portfolio is very different from a teacher’s: Librarians may not have student evaluation forms, syllabi, or peer observations of teaching. Academic librarians need to craft a portfolio based on the pedagogical experiences found in the profession, written for an audience who may not be librarians.
Creating Your Librarian Teaching Portfolio is a cohort experience from March 30 through April 24, 2026, with synchronous and asynchronous elements that will introduce participants to the concept and construction of a librarian teaching portfolio. It provides context and background for the teaching portfolio, writing prompts to encourage reflection on how librarianship can be translated into terms of pedagogy, and concludes with the writing and review of your portfolio.
Even though creating a teaching portfolio is not a universal requirement for academic librarians with or without faculty status, it is a self-reflective practice on your own pedagogical methods. The portfolio process can also reveal the invisible labor of technical and systems librarianship that is not as apparent as public-facing work such as access services and reference.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will:
- Conceptualize your roles in terms that are accessible to non-librarians
- Learn to self-reflect and document your librarianship
- Examine the differences and similarities between a teaching portfolio and a librarian teaching portfolio
- Define, conceptualize, write, and peer review your librarian teaching portfolio
Presenter
Abubakar R. Tidal, Jr. is the Chief Librarian for the Ursula C. Schwerin Library, New York City College of Technology.
Synchronous Meeting Schedule
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 3pm Eastern/2pm Central/1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific (60 minutes):Defining the portfolio, components, and organization
Prompts/homework: Writing your autobiography, position, and philosophy
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 3pm Eastern/2pm Central/1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific (60 minutes):
Describing librarianship as pedagogy, front of the house librarianship vs. back of the house librarianship, deconstructing library work in terms of “teachable moments”
Prompts/homework: Assessing your work, improvements, future goals
Wednesday, April 22, 3pm Eastern/2pm Central/1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific (60 minutes):
Peer reviewing portfolios, cohort presentations
Registration
Pricing is listed to the right on this page. To register, use the register button to checkout.| Number of Seats | Discount |
|---|---|
| 3-15 | 15% |
| 16+ | If you are registering 16 or more individuals, please contact us at ce@ala.org for special rates. |
Tech Requirements
The cohort will be offered in the ALA LMS; a computer with Internet connection is required. Contact Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org with questions or requests for special assistance or accommodations.