We are moving over to a LSP, so there will have to be some instruction, because it is a little different than the ol' way, but that is for another blog post.
So how do you present everything you want to in 50 to 75 minutes? How much time do you leave for live searches for the students. Do you have controlled live searches? Should there be a worksheet?
How can you include big and little picture in a short amount of time?
I want the students to get something out of it- for sure - and I want the instructors to feel like I have provided good tools and information to their students to be able to succeed in completing their assignment.
A neighboring community college did a pilot program and embedded librarians into their English courses and the results seem pretty darn good. Yes, it is extra work and there has to be buy-in and blah, blah, blah.
But I believe that there can be a embedded-lite version of this in English courses.
First, start off with just a few courses. Don't over do it.
If you have two librarians up for the task, then don't have 15 courses signed up.
Once you have your courses, go over the syllabus with the instructors. Make sure that you are both on the same page. Have a clear picture of what you want to do, but also be ready to pivot if necessary if it comes to light that X might be more important to go over than Z.
A thing to consider- online presence? Should the librarian be part of the online component of the course. Most colleges use Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, Dokeos, Claroline or one that I have forgotten about and all that I am aware of have capabilities for a second instructor (like a librarian) to be part of the LMS.
How many face-to-face meetings are good? My opinion 3 or more. But this could be flexible if the online component the librarian is part of is live chat or something interactive.
Know the assignments ahead of time and find out what kind of sources the instructor is suggesting to the class.
Have a buddy. I was a solo librarian for 5 years + and it is sooo much better to have a collaborator, partner-in-crime, or at the very least fresh eyes on these kind of projects.
Totally off the subject- I made a display today.
The lib staff kept the boxes (and posters) that all the manga and graphic novel fancy sets came in...
As I was putting the display together, a student came up and asked if they could check out the graphic novel I had in my hand. Um, sure! Another student asked where we kept the graphic novels and manga and I walked them over to the shelves and pointed to the display that another librarian had put together... It is nice when items move because of a display.
Update- Looks like this embedded librarian thing is going to happen in the fall semester. Stay tuned.
