A K-12 Model for Embedded Librarianship

Besich, Lauren

Henry, R. (2013). THE EMBEDDED LIBRARIAN FOR K-12 SCHOOLS. Library Media Connection, 31(4), 22-23.  Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=84557819&site=ehost-live

CO- Embedded Librarianship

Summary: This brief article outlines embedded librarianship, examples of success in the academic setting, and how it can be adapted to the K-12 setting.  Without the budget and staff of an academic library, K-12 librarians should start small.  Librarians need to familiarize themselves with what is being taught and when, so they can suggest materials for use.  Making themselves available helps them become team players, and advertising their services through any means possible builds awareness among staff members.  There are five phases to embedded librarianship, the first being the introductory stage where librarians introduce themselves, attend meetings, and target people to build relationships with. 

Evaluation:  I love reading about embedded librarianship because I believe it has the power to transform our schools.  While Robin Henry’s article is brief, she offers great advice about why and how to become an embedded librarian.  She takes on a “do what you can, with what you have, and with who wants to” approach.  Successful embedded librarianship will take time to fully implement, but as teachers and administrators catch wind of the positive experiences students and participating teachers are having, they, too, will be converted.  Embedded librarianship allows for a more natural integration of information literacy, which is the fourth phase of embedded librarianship, and it will steer the curriculum towards inquiry learning, which is a big part of the Common Core State Standards.  One day, I would like to see schools that employ five or six librarians—enough for each to focus on a specific department or grade level—much like academic libraries already do