Impact of embedded librarianship on undergraduate nursing students’ information skills

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2021.913

Keywords:

Embedded Librarian, Assessment, Collaboration, Nursing, Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Background: One-shot library sessions have numerous drawbacks; most notably, they rarely have a long-term impact on students' research behavior or skill sets. Library literature notes that when students interact with an embedded librarian, their skills improve. While close partnerships with subject faculty are important, librarians must also assess students’ skill sets to determine the impact of these teaching efforts.

Case presentation: During the course, the embedded librarian used various activities and assignments to teach information-seeking skills, with the expected outcome of increased skill sets. This IRB-approved research project focused on measuring and assessing students’ information-seeking abilities before and after interacting with the embedded nursing librarian. Changes in students' information fluency skills were measured using pre- and post-tests.

Conclusions:The study results provide evidence of the benefits of the embedded librarianship model. Continued measurement of students’ skills acquisition is important to enable librarians and library administrators to show the positive impacts the library has on student learning and success.

Author Biographies

Susan R. Franzen, Illinois State University

Susan R. Franzen is currently the Interim Associate Dean of Public Services and Organizational Development at Illinois State University. Formerly, she served as the Nursing & Health Sciences Librarian at the same institution. She worked closely with faculty and students as an embedded librarian across various programs in the Mennonite College of Nursing. Franzen often presented library content for Master's and PhD students in addition to working with them on their theses, dissertations and capstone projects. Franzen's research areas of interest include embedded librarianship, flipped learning, and distance education.

Jennifer Sharkey, Illinois State University

Jennifer Sharkey is Associate Professor and Head of Instruction and Student Engagement at Illinois State University's Milner Library. In this role, she leads a team of four librarians and oversees and assesses Milner Library's instructional programming for a variety of curricular and co-curricular programs. Her research interests include curriculum development and assessment.

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Published

2021-07-20

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Case Report