There’s a librarian in my CMS!

Academic librarians are increasingly venturing outside of their library’s physical and virtual walls, connecting with patrons in the web spaces where students and faculty spend so much of their time. The CGPS Stafford Library can already be found on the social web through YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and chat. But to capture students on the learning web, and illuminate the pathways to library resources and services in the digital learning environment, the librarians of CGPS are embedding themselves within the CMS. In this presentation, Paul Boger and Jami Bryan will introduce the concept of the “embedded librarian” and describe their collaborative efforts with CGPS faculty to create a specialized library presence in courses using Blackboard. Jami will share the results of the CGPS Stafford Library’s early endeavors at using Blackboard to provide course specific library instruction and easy access to selected library resources. Finally, Paul will discuss a current project aimed at eliminating the barriers facing students taking an online course by providing research instruction and assistance from inside the CMS.