Contemporary Instructor-Librarian Collaboration: A Case Study of an Online Embedded Librarian Implementation

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a case study evaluation of an embedded librarian project at a large, land-grant, research institution. The case is comprised of learners who are full-time academic health care professionals enrolled in an online graduate educational technology program. The mixed methods methodology focused on assessing the embedded librarian's impact upon the information literacy competency of the participants. Results support the documented literature by indicating that embedded librarians are of value to online students. The course instructor's experience with the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the embedded librarian project are emphasized in the presentation, providing unique faculty insight into collaborating with librarians. Recommendations for the assessment of embedded librarian projects include the need for future studies to investigate various contexts and the use of other methodologies to provide stronger empirical evidence.

KEYWORDS:

• embedded librarianship
• faculty collaboration
• assessment
• online learning