This document discusses a session presented by an academic librarian and academic skills tutor on being authentic when advising students. The session addressed how educators sometimes advise students to do things they themselves would not do and explored reasons for this hypocrisy like inexperience, institutional pressures, and position of authority. Attendees discussed what "useful authenticity" could look like in advising students and how to navigate being authentic while maintaining accessibility and trust. The presenters aimed to foster an environment where staff feel they can be honest with students and treat them as adults.

1. “Never have I ever used Google
Scholar”: hypocrisy and authenticity
in library and academic skills
teaching
Rachel Davies (Academic Librarian) r.b.davies@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Joe Larkin (Academic Skills Tutor) joe.larkin@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

2. Have you ever…
• Told a student to use the Library search, despite knowing that
Google Scholar often yields better results?
• Left things until the last minute?
• Zoned out during a meeting so you’re not fully engaged?

3. Why this session?
We all advise students to do things we would not do ourselves!
• Should we be truthful/authentic?
• Or should we be exemplars?
• Which of these approaches would students benefit from?

4. Session outline
• Discuss our actions that contradict what we tell students
• Investigate why we are sometimes hypocritical
• Discuss “useful authenticity”, and whether this is helpful to
students
• Consider what we can do differently in the future

5. How "authentic" are you when speaking to
students?
Respond online at
pollev.com/joelarkin145

6. Activity: Never have I ever…
• Read through the actions on the slips of paper
• Discuss each of them with your group
• Which actions have you done?
• Which actions have you advised students not to do?
• Are there any that you could add?

7. Why are we sometimes hypocritical?
Inexperience
When new to teaching it’s easier to follow a prescribed
method
Institutional pressure
May need to “toe the party line” on certain issues
Our role within the university
We are often the public face of decisions we did not make
Our position of authority
“Vocational awe” (Ettarh, 2018)
How many of these apply to your
role? Can you suggest any others?
Make notes on these with your group
to feed back.

8. What can “useful” authenticity be?
• Should we tell students to do things we don’t do?
• Can this be helpful, or is it always unhelpful?
• Does it devalue us and our expertise?

9. What do we think should “useful”
authenticity look like?
• “(Learning) Developer as the kindly guide, demystifying academic culture and teaching
students ‘the way we do things round here’” (Webster, 2019)
• Authenticity as accessibility for students; navigating the “hidden curriculum”
• Be authentic where you can, and honest as appropriate – but not to the detriment of your
own wellbeing
• For managers: try to foster an environment where staff feel we can be appropriately
honest, treat students like adults and feel trusted to do our jobs

10. Going forward
• What’s one thing you will do differently going forwards?
• Are there any areas where it might be useful to be more
authentic?
• …Or useful to be less so?

11. Thanks for attending!
Rachel Davies
Academic Librarian
Leeds Beckett University
R.B.Davies@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Joe Larkin
Academic Skills Tutor
Leeds Beckett University
joe.larkin@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
References
Ettarh, F (2018) Vocational awe and
librarianship: the lies we tell ourselves. In
The Library With The Lead Pipe, 10
March. [Online]. Available at:
<https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.or
g/2018/vocational-awe/> [Accessed 01
March 2024].
Webster, H (2019) Emancipatory practice: the
defining LD value? rattus scholasticus, 4
February. [Online]. Available from:
<https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/
2019/02/04/emancipatory-practice-the-
defining-ld-value/> [Accessed 01 March
2024].