How to Embed a Librarian

Abstract

Librarians were embedded in two Vanderbilt University courses in 2006. As part of an integrated approach, the librarians proposed an "embedded librarian" for a freshmen course of 106 students offered at Peabody College of Education and Development. A librarian audited the course and attended all lectures. As a member of the class, she was informed about the assignments and learned about the instructor's expectations and idiosyncrasies. She scheduled optional workshops that were tailored to the students needs. At the Owen Graduate School of Management, an embedded librarian worked with undergraduate students from a variety of non-business majors at Vanderbilt. They participated in the intensive 4-week "Accelerator" summer program. The purpose of embedding a librarian was to instill business information fluency and to stress the value of information in academic and real-world situations. Highlighting their experiences, the embedded librarians and a course professor will present their observations and discuss expected outcomes. They will give advice for those who want to institute this program in their own institutions.