The Embedded Librarian:

Integrating Library Resources into

Course Management Systems

Emily DalyInstruction & Outreach Librarian Perkins Library, Duke University

This session

Background and history How we’ve gotten where we are Technical components Benefits Evaluation Questions and discussion

Why become embedded?

Students want library resources online, at their fingertips (surprise!)

Students don’t know what the library offers

We want to be where our students are, at their points of need 70% of Duke courses use Blackboard;

led us to include “Ask a Librarian”

Ask a Librarian

Ask a Librarian

Becoming embedded…

Ideal scenario was proposed – how do we turn vision into a more global reality?

Form a committee… Librarians in Blackboard was born Fall 2007: Pilot

Library Links

Library Links to Library Guides

Spring 2008: Brought more librarians on board

Subject Portals Task Force formed, recommended purchase of LibGuides

Fall 2008: Natural to transition from Bb interface to LibGuides interface

Library Guides

Course-specific Library Guide

From manual to automated

By middle of Fall 2008, realized that process is NOT scalable, began exploring automation

Spring 2009: “Library Guides” automatically appeared in EVERY course site

How?

User clicks on “Library Guides” Javascript redirects user to an on-the-

fly URL with Bb variable (subject code) URL points to django database Database reads the URL and matches

variable to LibGuide/webpage for that subject code

New URL placed in “Library Guides”

Benefits of method

Flexible – ANY URL may be placed in the database (LibGuide, Library website, list of databases)

Dynamic – URLs in django database may be changed at any point

Comprehensive – EVERY site at Duke now has “Library Guides” button

Task Force asked subject librarians to provide URLs for 260 subject codes

Included professional libraries By start of Spring 2009, had URLs for

68% of all subject codes

Have process – need content!

Subject-specific Library Guide

“Default” Library Guide

Using the django database

Let’s try it out…

Using the django database

Using the django database

Informing faculty of project

Informing faculty of project

Benefits to being embedded

Increased and enhanced collaboration with faculty and students

Access to students’ syllabi, assignments and course readings

Made privy to course communication (email, announcements)

Unexpected benefit

Has led to increased collaboration with Duke’s Writing Studio

Writing Studio Links

Evaluated our efforts at every step of the way

Encourage librarians to continue to become coursebuilders in course sites

Encourage librarians to continue to develop/enhance subject guides

Maintain, sustain, assess

Next steps

Committee will formally disband in June

Representative will continue to support embedded librarians and maintain django database

Will continue to evaluate effectiveness of program

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following: Librarians in Blackboard and Subject Portals Task Force LibGuides and Django Project Instruction & Outreach Department Former AUL Tom Wall, who

envisioned this project and formed Librarians in Blackboard committee

Show and tell

What are you doing at your institutions?

Questions?

Stay in touch!

Emily Daly

Instruction and Outreach Librarian

emily.daly@duke.edu

919.660.5879