For this week’s library news blog, Louise Sharrar, an instructional designer with the Filippelli Institute, responded to a series of questions with her thoughts on the Embedded Librarian Program. She has been instrumental in getting the Embedded Librarian Program started with many Filippelli-designed programs and she totally gets the importance of the library.

by Louise Sharrar, instructional designer

Prior to this program, did you consider the research/library needs of students?
As part of a design community, it is essential to offer students instructional support strategies, however, that is not enough. According to Lehman and Conceicão’s “Persistence Model for Online Student Retention,” it is of importance to offer three types of support strategies to online learners, including: instructional support, institutional support, and self-care support in order for students to be motivated and successful.

I have always considered the research/library needs of students. As a former online learner, the university I attended had library resources that were available 24-7 to its online students. And, as many students did, I too took advantage of those resources. In prior projects, we included the use of library research guides and also had a subject librarian for instructors, students, and design staff to contact with questions. I have also worked collaboratively with a business librarian and a graduate student from the library to infuse library resources into a 400-level research-based course. This was one of my favorite experiences as the faculty members who authored the course always invited the subject librarian into one of the first face-to-face class sessions. So, we wanted to create a similar experience for our online students. Our goal was to provide the instructional resources needed, but we also wanted to make research fun. And, it was fun! And, it was very successful.

However, there was still something missing within the course space…

1. How can I find the subject librarian?
2. Who is the subject librarian?
3. Where is the subject librarian?
4. When is the subject librarian available?

Earlier this year, there was an announcement made to pilot the Embedded Librarian Program. A subject librarian directly embedded into a course? This was the missing key! I knew right away that this program was just too good to pass up. We are currently working on a new certificate program and Master’s Degree in Applied Demography and both will require students to conduct scholarly research and complete major reports, analyzing real-world data. To have an embedded librarian at the students’ fingertips when conducting research is priceless. Having the Subject Librarian embedded within courses will be able to assist with the instructional needs of the online community and ensure instructional goals are achieved.

What benefits do you think this program has for students and faculty?
RESOURCES, RESOURCES, RESOURCES!

The Embedded Librarian Program provides online students with similar experiences to that of traditional learners. The program enables Penn State students to feel like they are part of the Penn State community. One does not need to be in a physical location to be provided with similar institutional strategies. Students gain experience in using the library and become better researchers using scholarly sources, rather than simply searching Google, Wikipedia, etc. Using peer-reviewed resources will improve the quality of writing and provide students with skills they can use during their educational experiences as well as transitioning to their chosen profession.

What is the best way for communication to occur in the Embedded Librarian Program?
Collaboration is of importance! The embedded librarian should be considered a part of the design team. Each member of the team has to communicate needs and then the relationship blossoms from there. Every member’s end goal is the same, to ensure Penn State learners are successful. The subject librarian offers something that no other member of the design team has, and that is their knowledge and experiences with library instruction. Integrating a librarian in a research-intensive course/program simply makes sense.

When a program/department requests the use of an embedded librarian, the instructional design team should be contacted to ensure they are aware of the request. All members of the team (author, instructor, department head, instructional designer, instructional design assistant, librarian, etc.) need to be aware that this support will be provided in the educational environment. Ample time needs to be provided to create and implement instructional strategies to ensure the program is successful. It should follow the same model as course development in that it should start being planned two semesters prior to implementation.

Instructional resources for the program should be consistent, but may also vary based on course/program needs. Those library resources that can be created and added to a repository where designers and authors can choose from will enable the program to be adopted more easily and will be more cost-effective in the long run. However, academic areas may need to work with the library to create instructional materials that are customizable to a specific course/program. A consistent look and feel should be kept in mind so students, instructors, design teams, and librarians do not need to relearn what an Embedded Librarian Program is and how the program may function from one course to another.

One challenge that is ahead of us, is the availability of the subject librarian. If a course/program relies on an embedded librarian and the librarian is no longer available, this may change the direction of the course, and may also require revisions to the course/program. Additionally, what if the program continues to grow and there are not enough librarians to meet the need? What happens then? Does a course/program not include the program? Is this a missed opportunity for students, instructors, design teams, librarians, Penn State? Evaluation of the program will be a necessity in making program adjustments as well as to assist with monitoring program needs and addressing these types of questions so they do not become concerns.

How have you learned from the Embedded Librarian Program?
The library has so many resources to offer for all of Penn State and we need to capitalize on these resources as we continue moving forward. In addition to learning about the Embedded Librarian Program, there are also other institutional support options the library can offer such as the use of ePortfolio, Mendeley, and Scholarsphere.

Do you consider this to be an important part of research-intensive World Campus courses?
The Embedded Librarian Program is very important for research intensive courses. Students on campus need to visit the library, whether in person or online, to conduct scholarly research. Many instructors invite a subject librarian to come in and speak with their students about the library, including showing how to navigate the online library and applicable databases that will be used in the course, as well as discussing research best practices. When designing online courses, our goal is to ensure online learners receive the same learning experiences as traditional learners. Including the Embedded Librarian Program into research-intensive courses is one resource that should be considered when meeting that goal.

This support mechanism directly connects with the Penn State core values — it is our responsibility as an educational system to provide the Embedded Librarian Program to our online learners to excel performance levels as well as create a greater sense of community.