Embedded and Empowered

Book excerpt: People tend to consider a “librarian” to be someone who works in a library. However, a professional librarian who is empowered with a good understanding of his or her capabilities and library resources can become a strong knowledge partner for organizations beyond the library walls. Embedded librarians build collaborative relationships outside of libraries, tailoring services to resolve problems and fulfill information needs. Librarians who are embedded into organizations make an impact within the essential activities of these groups. Successful embedded librarian programs create great relationships between organizations and libraries that develop strong library advocacy support in communities. Embedded librarianship is not limited to academic librarians who regularly guest-lecture or are integrated into courses. An embedded librarian may work as an essential and transformative partner in any working group of people. Most librarians are aware of the benefits of embedded librarianship but need help in getting started. Embedded and Empowered: A Practical Guide for Librarians offers library professionals from all types of libraries a plan for success in creating successful embedded partnerships by providing easy-to-follow instructions, tips, and exercises to: Understand trends in embedded librarianship as well as why specific programs are successful Analyze the needs of the stakeholder community and librarian professional skill sets Develop a plan of action to create and design an embedded librarian initiative Learn techniques and specific scenarios that work with different personalities and groups Implement, manage, maintain, and evaluate the progress of an embedded program Evaluate and recommend technology tools for embedded communities