Embedded Librarian Ideas: Best Practices Explored and Redefined
This paper explores the multitude of ways in which embedded librarianship can be implemented. Although the paper is primarily targeted to academic librarians in higher education settings, the literature examined and the ideas presented can support secondary and college level inter-disciplinary teaching initiatives. The ideas presented are sourced from scholarly journal articles, monographs, and best practices implemented by the author. Attention is given to programs where Information Literacy is infused into a school’s General Education curriculum. Academic librarian pedagogy, outreach, and networking strategies are also highlighted. The author is especially interested in projects that address student academic success after an embedded program is put into effect. Non-traditional embedded endeavors are especially of interest; programs where academic librarians embed themselves with high schools to support college preparation and readiness are discussed.
Best Practices for Librarians Embedded in Online Courses
Academic librarians interested in collaborating with faculty in online courses often express questions about their role, level of involvement, and activities. This article provides a list of best practices to guide those developing embedded librarian services. The practices are drawn from a review of the literature, a case study of one embedded librarian's experiences, and a mixed methods study of embedded librarianship at six institutions. The resulting best practices will help embedded librarians collaborate effectively with faculty to create a positive learning experience for distance students.
Bypassing E-Reserves with Durable Links to Subscribed Content
Abstract At Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the electronic reserves system available through the library's integrated library system (ILS) was activated and publicized, but no takers appeared. Yet, the number of traditional reserves requests decreased during the same period, suggesting that another method of connecting class registrants with content was taking place. Whether more content, such as journal articles and book chapters, was being diverted into coursepacks or delivered through library databases was not clear. However, the new Instruction Coordinator made it a goal to raise awareness of durable linking methods to subscribed database content in order to leverage expensive library subscriptions, to ensure legitimate distribution of such content and to integrate library content, alongside services, into the online learning environment via Blackboard courseware.