The embedded librarian

The idea of an embedded librarian is not new. The term has been floating around for quite some time now. In a recent post, I discussed the idea of a class set aside to teach "metaliteracy." While that idea is really appealing to me, I know that most of us will not have that luxury. So what do we do instead? Enter the embedded librarian. This person is a part of the team--an information expert who is an integral part of the learning experience for students. In an article appearing in the Winter issue of Education Libraries, Warren Jacobs tells about his journey to becoming an embedded librarian. As he explains in "Embedded Librarianship is a Winning Proposition," his library was undergoing a renovation. During that time, his office was relocated to the College of Education and he decided to see what he could do to increase the use of the library services by the College of Education. He started out with an advertising blitz and beat the "pavement" (or maybe hallways would be more accurate.) At the end of the year, he had increased his number of instructional session by 20%. He also reported improved relations with the professors in that department, and increased use by the department of the library's resources. All around it was a success. He had concentrated his efforts in one department--worked on building bridges with the students--but he went through the staff. It was by getting the professors to build him into the program that he was able to make the impact that he did. Lessons for us?
Concentrate on an area where you are likely to have success working with the teachers and see if you can embed yourself into that department. By doing that you will be able to help structure the research experience and work with the staff to ensure that students will learn all that they need to about metaliteracy before they leave high school. You may be so lucky as to embed yourself into more than one department, but I think the message here is to be selective--one person can only do so much. Rather than take the shotgun approach, why not be more specific and really hit the target?