What’s an embedded librarian?
An embedded librarian is a librarian that is enrolled in a BlazeVIEW course to provide research assistance to students. An embedded librarian can:
- Prepare research tips
- Answer student questions about using library resources
- Help students distinguish between popular and scholarly resources
- Develop tutorials for using online databases
An embedded librarian can have a presence in your BlazeVIEW class for up to two weeks. The experience is best for the students when you work with the embedded librarian to discuss what topics you’d like them to cover. We are happy to collaborate with you to customize this experience as much as possible for your course.
What do my students get out of it?
Students taking online classes often do not have the opportunity to visit the library, much less participate in a library instruction session. These students may not be aware of the resources available to them. With a librarian embedded in a course, students discover the wealth of resources they can use and receive help that is customized to their research needs. By the end of the semester, the students are more familiar with library resources and have made a lasting connection with one of our librarians. We often find that once students get to know one of the librarians they will return to them for help in the future.
What do students say about it?
Each semester we survey students who had an embedded librarian in their course. Here are what some of those students had to say:
“It was very nice to have a librarian like that in our classroom. Especially when we have to find journals.â€
“I found her services very helpful and as I read some of the posts, learned a few things to further my researching.â€
What do faculty members say about it?
“Thanks for the service, having an embedded librarian is a great form of outreach and support.â€
“One student located articles with the help of the EL in a very specialized journal and obtained them through ILL. Her proposal was much enriched by the articles and she never would have found these on her own.â€
“Thank you for your help. I believe it was important to add this element to the course.â€
“She covered exactly what my students needed.â€
Make a Request
If you would like to make a request, please complete the online form here. If you  would like more details, feel free to contact Ginger Williams, the Outreach Services Librarian.
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