Embedded Librarianship

Helping to Answer the Reference Question

Kristi Coe, RN, MS
April 1, 2016
LIS 60600: Foundations of Library and Information Science
 Overview
• Reference service challenges in academic libraries
• What factors may be contributing to this phenomenon?
• What is embedded librarianship and can it help our reference service?
• Case study
o Current role as Health Sciences Librarian
o Current reference service situation
o Consideration of embedded librarian model to improve reference service
 Reference Service in Academic
Libraries
• Reference Service is considered to be a core service (Arndt, 2010)
• How can we do it better? What barriers do we have that we can address?
• Declining numbers is a problem that has lent urgency to the discussion.
 Reference Service Without the Desk (Arndt, 2010)
 Eliminating Traditional Reference Services in an Academic Health Sciences Library (Schulte, 2011)
 Redesign Your Reference Desk: Get Rid of It! (Meldrem, Mardis, & Johnson, 2005)
 Factors To Consider
How Do Students Get Information? Budget Constraints!!
o Self-service mentality (Arndt, 2010) o Higher education is under fiscal scrutiny (Odland, 2012)
o Heavy reliance on technology; Believe themselves to o What is the best way to use the librarian’s time?
be tech savvy (Bonaduce, 2011) (Merkley, 2009)

o Stunted interpersonal communication

skills/relationships are key (Elam, et al, 2007)
o Lack of understanding of librarian role (Atlas, 2005)
o “They look too busy, too intimidating, too old” (Atlas,
2005)
 What’s the Answer?
• On-call reference services (Arndt, 2010)
• Appointment only (Mitchell, et al, 2011)
• Better marketing (Arndt, 2010)
• Embedded Librarianship (Seamans, 2002; Shumaker, 2012)
 What is Embedded Librarianship?
“…..distinctive innovation that moves the librarian out of the libraries and
creates a new model of library and information work.”
“…..importance of forming a strong working relationship between the library
and a group or team that needs the librarians’ information expertise.”
(Shumaker, 2011)
What is Embedded Librarianship?
Key Factors:
o User and/or college centric by taking services out of the library and into the school or college
o Key factor is interpersonal relationships with discipline specific faculty and librarians
o Primary responsibility is to the college they serve, not necessarily the library
(Seamans & Metz, 2002)
 What is Embedded Librarianship?
History
• Medical librarians began the
practice as early as 1960s by
accompanying doctors on their
rounds (Kvenild & Calkins, 2011)
• Academic libraries followed suit by
placing librarians in faculty
buildings in the 1990s
Issues
• Out of traditional role (set own
schedule; how do we measure their
work?) (Seamans, 2002)
• Allegiance to college over library
raises some interesting dilemmas
Embedded Librarianship: What’s Not to Love?
(Carlson & Kneale, 2011)

• Moving “upstream” in the research process

• Moving from passive mode to active engagement
• Faculty-librarian partnerships (assignments; teaching; co-researcher)
• Demonstrating a connection to the core mission of the institution
 What does it take?
Key characteristics of an Embedded Librarian
• Team player
• Support from library administration/colleagues/organization
• Accept Risk
• Build relationships
• Translate library science into other disciplines
• Move outside your comfort zone
(Carlson & Kneale, 2011)
 Is it for everybody?
• Is your course distance education or online?
• Do you have a mandatory research assignment?
• Is it a writing emphasis course?
• Is one of your goals to increase your students’ information literacy skills?
(Hardenbrook, 2013)
 First Hand Experience
Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins University
• “Research teams tend to be made up of experts in a number of categories … but
they don’t always have an information expert on them. So the idea was, shouldn’t we
have one? And we think the answer is yes.” Nancy Roderer, Director
• “You don’t know until you get into their environment what they need and how they
work.” Claire Twose, informationist for School of Public Health and Basic Sciences
• “Walking down the hall, somebody would say, ‘Oh yeah, I meant to talk to you
about X. And it wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t actually there and doing the
work.” Claire Twose, informationist for School of Public Health and Basic Sciences
 Case Study
• Small, 4 year institution with robust Health Science programs (Nursing, Pharmacy,
Kinesiology and Allied Health, Psychology, Social Work)
• Health Sciences Librarian position established, but underutilized
• Increase in instruction through faculty partnerships (assignment design, required research
appointments, work sessions immediately following instruction, etc)
• Attending some faculty meetings of all but one school
• Designing resources ONLY with faculty input
• Talk in terms that resonate (information literacy = evidence based practice)
• Exploring part time office space in the HSC building
 Case Study
• Increase in research appointments (increased from 17 in Fall 2014 to 65 in Fall of 2015)
• Increase in discipline specific classroom instruction
• Faculty collaboration on assignments/projects
• Personal notes of thanks and word of mouth recommendations from faculty
 References
Arndt, T.S. (2010). Reference service without the desk. Reference Services Review, 38(1): 71-80.
Atlas, M.C. (2005). Library anxiety in the electronic era, or why won't anybody talk to me anymore? one librarian's rant. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 44(4): 314-319.
Bonaduce, J., & Quigley, B. (2011). Florence's candle: Educating the millennial nursing student. Nursing Forum, 46(3), 157-159 3p. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6198.2010.00186.x
Carlson, J. & Kneale, R. (2011). Embedded librarianship in the research context. College & Research Libraries News, 72(3): 268-170
Elam, C., Stratton, T., & Gibson, D. D. (2007). Welcoming a new generation to college: The millennial students. Journal of College Admission, (195), 20-25.
Hardenbrook, J. (2013). Embedded librarian 101: how to get started. Retrieved March 9, 2016 from https://mrlibrarydude.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/embedded-librarian-
101-how-to-get-started/
Kolowich, S. (2010). Embedded librarians. Retrieved March 9, 2016 from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/09/hopkins
Kvenild, C. & Calkins, K. (2011). A recent history of embedded librarianship: collaboration and partnership building with academics in learning and research environments.
In Embedded librarians: moving beyond the one-shot instruction. (pp. 2-16). Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.
Meldrem, J., Mardis, L., & Johnson, C. (2005). Redesign your reference desk: get rid of it. Retrieved March 10, 2016 from
http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/ pdf/meldrem05.pdf.
Merkley, Cari. (2009). Staffing an academic reference desk with librarians is not cost-effective. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 4(2):143-147.
Mitchell, M.S., Comer, C., Starkey, J.,& Francis, E.A. (2011). Paradigm shift in reference services at the oberlin college library: a case study. Journal Of Library Administration
51(4): 359-374.

•
 References
Odland, S. (2012). College costs out of control. Retrieved March 9, 2016 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveodland/2012/03/24/college-costs-are-
soaring/#7d8e0670641b
Rosenblum, Joseph. (1985). Stay close to your desk and never go to sea. Journal Of Academic Librarianship, 11(2): 72-73.
Schulte, S. J. (2011). Eliminating traditional reference services in an academic health sciences library: a case study. Journal of the Medical Library Association :
JMLA, 99(4), 273–279. http://doi.org/10.3163/15365050.99.4.004
Seamans, N. H., & Metz, P. (2002). Virginia tech's innovative college librarian program. College & Research Libraries, 63(4), 324-332.
Shumaker, D. (2012). The embedded librarian: Innovative strategies for taking knowledge where it's needed Medford, New Jersey: Information Today, Inc., 2012.