Got an Embedded Librarian?

In Winter 2015 or Spring 2015, will your students be conducting research for papers, presentations, or projects? If so, they can benefit from working with an embedded librarian  in your Niihka or Canvas course.

  

First-year students find online searching difficult and are frustrated when navigating complex digital libraries.  Many admit their research competencies are limited. Could your students use some guidance, based on the bibliographies they are building?

Students are already familiar with Google.  Many are unfamiliar with Google Scholar, however, which links back to Miami University Libraries’ full-text holdings of scholarly articles.  Most have never used Miami University Libraries’ discovery service: Articles & More, until shown by a librarian. Articles & More searches 80 databases at once, producing a set of results which can be narrowed to scholarly journal articles or books, and contains  an overview Research Starter for many topics. It also provides  APA or MLA citations for sources. 

With the help of instructors and librarians, students will learn how to:

·         search library databases and Google Scholar

·         read abstracts of journal articles

·         evaluate sources

·         conduct independent research

·         refocus topics

·         dig deeper & persevere

·         cite sources

In 2014, our librarians were embedded in 90 courses, reaching 2,000 students to deliver information literacy instruction and link to academic resources for students enrolled in online, hybrid, and traditional courses.  The embedded librarian service is entering its seventh year in 2015.  We would like to collaborate with you in developing students’ understanding of the research process, related to your discipline!

Please contact any of the Gardner-Harvey Librarians for customized solutions to your course-related research assignments.  We are happy to help with assignment reviews, links to authoritative databases and electronic collections, as well as tutorials and citation tools.  See these sample pages to get a better idea of embedded librarianship.

John Burke, Director, burkejj@miamioh.edu
Jessie Long, Public Services Librarian, longjh@miamioh.edu
Beth Tumbleson, Assistant Director, tumbleb@miamioh.edu