21 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You’ll split time between teaching, prep, and student help. Mornings often mean delivering lectures or labs using PowerPoint and a course management system like Blackboard Learn.
Afternoons are for grading papers and exams in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, holding office hours to assist students, and meeting colleagues by email (Microsoft Outlook) to coordinate classes or events.
Expect Blackboard Learn or another course management system for posting assignments and grades, Microsoft PowerPoint for lectures, and Microsoft Word or Google Docs for papers and feedback.
You’ll also use Microsoft Outlook for calendar and email, Excel for grade spreadsheets, and collaborative editing tools when working with colleagues or compiling bibliographies.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 77,960 people employed in this category with a median pay of $80,250 per year. The lowest tenth earn about $48,800; the top tenth about $129,500. (Source: BLS, 2025).
Local pay varies by institution type, rank, and whether you have tenure, clinical duties, or extra research funding.
Take courses in research methods, information science, and teaching methods. Practice making lectures in PowerPoint and running a Blackboard Learn site if possible.
Volunteer as a tutor, help faculty with bibliographies, or assist in labs. Supervising undergraduate research or internships gives direct experience that hiring committees look for.
Compared with a librarian, this role focuses more on classroom teaching, grading, and curriculum — not just managing collections. You’ll run lectures, lead discussions, and compile specialized bibliographies for courses.
Compared with a nursing instructor (who maintains clinical practice and assesses patient teaching needs), an information literacy instructor centers on research skills, course management systems, and information workflows rather than bedside clinical duties.
You may be expected to conduct research and publish in professional journals or electronic media, especially at research-focused institutions. Tasks include writing grant proposals and publishing findings.
Expect to supervise undergraduate or graduate research and possibly maintain a publication record to support promotion. Use collaborative tools like Google Docs for co-authoring and Microsoft Outlook to coordinate with coauthors.
Teaching clearly and running active classroom discussions matters most: initiate, facilitate, and moderate discussions so students learn to find and evaluate sources.
Prove it with sample lesson plans, a recorded lecture using PowerPoint and Blackboard Learn, and examples of annotated bibliographies or student feedback from office hours and review sessions.