Transcript Slide 1

The Embedded Librarian:
Integrating Library Resources into
Course Management Systems
Emily Daly
Instruction & Outreach Librarian
Perkins Library, Duke University
This session
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Background and history
How we’ve gotten where we are
Technical components
Benefits
Evaluation
Questions and discussion
Why become embedded?
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Students want library resources online,
at their fingertips (surprise!)
Students don’t know what the library
offers
We want to be where our students are,
at their points of need
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70% of Duke courses use Blackboard;
led us to include “Ask a Librarian”
Ask a Librarian
Ask a Librarian
Becoming embedded…
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Ideal scenario was proposed – how do
we turn vision into a more global
reality?
Form a committee…
Librarians in Blackboard was born
Fall 2007: Pilot
Library Links
Library Links to Library Guides
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Spring 2008: Brought more librarians
on board
Subject Portals Task Force formed,
recommended purchase of LibGuides
Fall 2008: Natural to transition from Bb
interface to LibGuides interface
Library Guides
Course-specific Library Guide
From manual to automated
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By middle of Fall 2008, realized that
process is NOT scalable, began
exploring automation
Spring 2009: “Library Guides”
automatically appeared in EVERY
course site
How?
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User clicks on “Library Guides”
Javascript redirects user to an on-thefly URL with Bb variable (subject code)
URL points to django database
Database reads the URL and matches
variable to LibGuide/webpage for that
subject code
New URL placed in “Library Guides”
Benefits of method
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Flexible – ANY URL may be placed in
the database (LibGuide, Library
website, list of databases)
Dynamic – URLs in django database
may be changed at any point
Comprehensive – EVERY site at Duke
now has “Library Guides” button
Have process – need content!
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Task Force asked subject librarians to
provide URLs for 260 subject codes
Included professional libraries
By start of Spring 2009, had URLs for
68% of all subject codes
Subject-specific Library Guide
“Default” Library Guide
Using the django database
Let’s try it out…
Using the django database
Using the django database
Informing faculty of project
Informing faculty of project
Benefits to being embedded
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Increased and enhanced collaboration
with faculty and students
Access to students’ syllabi,
assignments and course readings
Made privy to course communication
(email, announcements)
Unexpected benefit
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Has led to increased collaboration with
Duke’s Writing Studio
Writing Studio Links
Maintain, sustain, assess
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Evaluated our efforts at every step of
the way
Encourage librarians to continue to
become coursebuilders in course sites
Encourage librarians to continue to
develop/enhance subject guides
Next steps
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Committee will formally disband in
June
Representative will continue to support
embedded librarians and maintain
django database
Will continue to evaluate effectiveness
of program
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the following:
 Librarians in Blackboard and
Subject Portals Task Force
 LibGuides and Django Project
 Instruction & Outreach Department
 Former AUL Tom Wall, who envisioned
this project and formed Librarians in
Blackboard committee
Show and tell
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What are you doing at your
institutions?
Questions?
Stay in touch!
Emily Daly
Instruction and Outreach Librarian
[email protected]
919.660.5879