Poster Board Number: 46
Title: Rethinking Library Service to Distance Education Students: Analyzing the Embedded Librarian Model
Objective: Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library has embedded librarians into Blackboard classes in the school of nursing and school of medicine and health sciences. We sought to determine the types of questions that students ask the embedded librarian, with the goal of informing future interactions with distance education classes to help develop a standard “protocol” for working with this particular population of students.
Methods: Qualitative analysis of classroom discussion board transcripts as well as email messages to determine the types of questions asked of the embedded librarian. Questions will be categorized to identify common patterns (such as general research guidance, citation management, off-campus access, and locating a book or article).
Setting: Online courses, taught via Blackboard between August 2009 and December 2010, in the school of medicine and health sciences or the school of nursing.
Population: Distance education students in health sciences or nursing courses.
Results: We reviewed 82 individual questions, which were asked in 16 online classes. The questions were grouped into 7 categories: using Himmelfarb resources, off-campus access to Himmelfarb resources, locating a book, locating an article, general research guidance, citation questions, and other. The category of general research guidance had the most questions (28), with citation questions (18) and using Himmelfarb resources (16) close behind.
Conclusions: The embedded librarian service at Himmelfarb has been successful; we have provided assistance to students on a wide variety of questions. We have learned that it is not easy to address certain issues via a discussion board or email. We continue to be embedded in online classes and have started to explore the use of tools, such as Elluminate Live, which will allow librarians to provide instruction at times that are convenient to students and in ways that might be more meaningful to explain or demonstrate specific concepts.
Authors: Elaine Sullo, AHIP, Coordinator, Information and Instructional Services; Alexandra Gomes, AHIP, Associate Director, Education, Information, and Technology Services; Tom Harrod, Reference/Instructional Librarian; Gisela Butera, Reference/Instructional Librarian; Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library; The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC
