Transcript Embedded Librarians: A recent trend in Academic Libraries

Embedded Librarians:
A recent trend in Academic Libraries
Carley Suther
Humanities Reference Librarian
Jacksonville State University
Brief Overview
 Most recently, the trend in some
Academic libraries has been to move
the subject specialist librarians into
their respective departments as a
means of becoming more relevant to
the professors they serve.
First Example: Murray State University,
a public university in Murray, Kentucky
(10,000 students)
 Fall 2006: At the behest of the library Dean, Librarian
Linda Bartnik, a reference librarian with liaison duties for
the business department moves her office into the
College of Business and Public Affairs.
 Her initial impression was not favorable. She felt her role
as a librarian was in jeopardy.
 However, this was not the case. After she moved her
office into the college of business, the faculty members
began to see her as an integral part of their department.
 There were, of course, some changes in her workload...
Most notable changes…
 Her proximity to the professors has increased her
workload in the amount of support she offers faculty
members with their research.
 Not surprisingly, the volume of student email she
receives has increased. She does note that there is still
face-to-face interaction with students- mainly in the
form of groups coming by to ask questions.
Making it successful…
 Several important aspects to keep in mind for an
embedded librarians are:
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Position yourself in a high-traffic area of the department.
Make sure that the librarian also has work time in the
library as well.
Keep in contact with the library.
Stay closely involved with the department that you are
serving by making presentations in weekly meetings.
Second Example: University of Rhode Island,
a public university in Kingston, RI (10,000 students)
 In the spring of 2006, the University of Rhode Island
embedded librarians into various distance education
programs as well as face-to-face classroom instruction.
 Embedded librarians in the online community involved
themselves with the college’s course management
system, WebCT.
 Instead of being embedded into a certain college or
department, these librarians were embedded into the
distance education community and the classrooms they
served.
Some aspects on becoming involved in the
teaching community…
 The embedded librarians at the University of Rhode
Island not only make themselves available to students
via email contact, but they also teach traditional
classes.
 Due to the success of their class Introduction to Library
Literacy, LB 120, the university has decided to offer two
sections online.
 These classes were offered as electives under the
general education program, and the two online classes
were added as a means of meeting student demand for
the face-to-face classes which routinely filled-up each
semester.
Third and final example: Pulaski Technical College,
two-year community college in Little Rock, AK
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In order to fill the needs of distance education students,
Pulaski Technical College embedded a librarian into the online
version of English Composition II.
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It was found that one of the weaknesses of the distance
education English programs was that students were missing
out on the traditional library instruction sessions.
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Just as the University of Rhode Island embedded librarians into
their online classes, Pulaski Technical College assigned their
librarians to certain online classes.
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The librarians interaction was mediated with use of the
Blackboard course management system.
Keys to success at Pulaski Technical College…
 Along with the library discussion threads and email
correspondence with students, the librarians at Pulaski
Technical College also installed tutorial guides on the
library’s homepage using Captivate.
 These guides taught students how to search databases
such as Gale Literature Resource Center, EBSCO Literary
Reference Center, and various ProQuest databases.
 They not only offered a means of instructing a student,
but also a way of assessing a student’s comprehension.
With each tutorial a quiz was included that could be
emailed to the instructor.
Final Thoughts
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With the overwhelming dependence on technology and online
resources, academic librarians in the United States have been
trying to re-establish themselves in their new digital environments.
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Some have found that embedding themselves into the colleges and
departments they serve makes them a more visible and integral
part of the faculty they assist.
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Other librarians are finding it necessary to cater to the needs of
the distance education community by becoming involved in the
various course management systems such as Blackboard and
WebCT.
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Whatever the outcome may be for the 21st century librarian,
embedding and becoming more visible to the communities they
serve will be an important aspect of keeping the profession viable.
It will show how we and our profession are able to remain relevant
and change with the times.
Reference list
 Bartnik, Linda. “The Embedded Academic Librarian:
the subject specialist moves into the discipline
college”. Kentucky Libraries. 71.3(2007): 4-9.
 Stewart, Veronica Dawn. “The Embedded Librarian
Program at Pulaski Technical College”. Arkansas
Libraries. 64.3 (2007): 29-32
 Ramsay, Karen M. and Jim Kinnie. “The Embedded
Librarian”. Library Journal. 131.6 (2006): 34-5