What is it?

An RU librarian “participates” in your Blackboard course.

Why do it?

The RU library has many ways to teach students about research resources, including in-library instruction sessions, one-on-one research consultations, reference desk assistance, and more. However, students who take online courses often never come to campus or come infrequently. These students may be unaware of the variety of library resources and services available to them. By becoming a part of your Blackboard course (i.e., being “embedded” in it), the librarian has the opportunity to aid remote students directly in ways that are relevant to their specific assignments and research needs.

What does an embedded librarian do?

The librarian is there to help students do research and learn important information literacy skills such as narrowing a research topic, constructing an effective search strategy, evaluating sources, and much more. Our goal is not to simply hand students a list of resources but to help them develop skills and confidence, just as we do in in-person library instruction or reference interactions.

The embedded librarian facilitates student research and use of library resources during the entire course or just a relevant portion. We can work with you to design participation that best meets your needs, but here are some possibilities. The librarian can:

• Offer individual direction to students seeking guidance during any stage of the research process
• Serve as a personal library contact for student and instructor questions
• Work with students to quickly resolve account/access difficulties
• Provide tailored content for the course, including lists of suggested resources, tutorials, strategies for researching specific assignments, and more

Where does the embedded librarian help?

Discussion Forum
We recommend instructors set up a discussion forum specifically for library-related issues so students have a convenient place to pose questions. That way, the librarian can introduce him or herself at the outset and remain a constant and accessible source for assistance. For some students, the discussion forum is a very easy way to contact us.

Private Contacts
Other students prefer to contact the librarian privately. Many students we work with send emails directly to the librarian. We also have students who chat with us online, by phone, or even visit in person. By “knowing” someone at the library, we hope students feel more comfortable asking questions.

Blackboard Page
To facilitate student contact, we can create a dedicated library page to insert into your Blackboard course in the left side navigation bar. This page is easily customizable to suit your course needs, but typically it serves as a point of communication between the librarian and the students. We list ways to contact the librarian, links to electronic library resources, and other information specific to the course. In this way, we can tailor content and provide information for students inside their class. You can see a sample of a Blackboard library page at:
http://faculty.roosevelt.edu/Jeremiah/Embedded_Librarian_Sample.htm

What does the Library need from the instructor?

First, the librarian needs access to your Blackboard course. (We can explain different access options as we discuss the details of your participation.) Depending on the permission level you give the librarian in Blackboard, he or she may be able to add the library-related forum and the library page to your course. Alternatively, you can add those items yourself using templates provided by the librarian.

Most notably, we need instructors to promote library assistance to students. For example, it is important for the instructor to send an announcement to students at the outset, introducing the librarian and alerting students to the new forum/Blackboard page. Many instructors send announcements before major assignment deadlines to remind students that the librarian is available. It is even helpful to refer individuals to the librarian if you see they are struggling with their research. The more instructors endorse library services, the more students tend to use them.

Would an embedded librarian work for my class?

We currently work with distance-only courses that take place in Blackboard. We participate in courses at all levels and subject areas as long as they include research components that require the use of library or other resources.

Interested? Find our more by contacting distance librarians Jennifer Lau-Bond and Jacob Jeremiah at dlref@roosevelt.edu. Please include:

1. Course name
2. Estimated number of students
3. Some description of the research-related assignment(s)
4. When you would like the librarian to participate (all term, last half, etc.)
5. A copy of your syllabus (if you have it)