Embedded Jewels

Unfortunately there's something about the term "embedded librarian" that makes me think of salacious novels or craft kits--you know,  the kind that press fake jewels into plaster molds. Which on second thought isn't such a bad analogy: the librarian as an attractive addition to the department or classroom.  As Matos, et al., points out, the term is newer than the concept, and I wondered why they didn't just call a subject librarian a subject librarian.  But whatever the terminology, it's an excellent idea, both for services and collection development. Students are much more likely to ask for help from someone they see regularly and consider a part of their environment; part of the disconnect in university libraries is that students don't always know who or what exactly to ask. For disciplines like medicine, music, business or law there have always been librarian specialists, and I can imagine they are invaluable resources for faculty, staff and students.  Although school libraries are constrained by staffing and logistics, the idea of embedding the librarian into departments and programs is a good way of thinking about collaboration, perhaps, if it helps the media specialist to feel a part of the community, as Matos puts it. Often the librarian is considered an outsider, a guest speaker, instead of a joint member of the teaching team. 

Both Matos, et al., and Susan Montgomery really want to talk about using online tools to better embed librarians into academic programs, however, and their articles advocate taking advantage of chat, webinars, social media, etc. to become a valuable resource to faculty and students.  While on the one hand an online presence seems impersonal and less connected than a face to face encounter, the point is well taken that students are far more likely to take advantage of online communication and may find it easier to reach out for help if  the whole body language/social interaction element is removed. As both authors point out, there is a potential increase in interactions. What is new, then, is not the idea of embedded librarians in academic departments or programs, but the embedded librarian as a virtual jewel.