Embedded Librarian in Online Nursing Courses: A Preliminary Study

Embedded librarians provide library services directly to online students and are present throughout a course at the postsecondary level. In this role, embedded librarians are vital in guiding students to scholarly materials and developing the learners' research skills. An embedded librarian and faculty work collaboratively to ensure library resources are in alignment with assignments. Online courses have incorporated embedded librarians since 2005; however, this pedagogy is underutilized in online nursing education.

Use of an embedded librarian was new a concept for a private Midwestern university and collaboration with a nursing faculty member was a critical factor for the adoption of this pedagogy in online nursing courses. A preliminary study using the Levey-Nowak Embedded Librarian Presence Instrument was undertaken to measure student perceptions of the helpfulness, usefulness, presence, and confidence with an embedded librarian in an online nursing course.

Using the Models of Embedded Librarianship (Shumaker & Talley, 2009), the Levey-Nowak Embedded Online Librarian Presence Instrument (12-item, 5-point Likert) was created and launched in Fall 2014. Face Validity was determined by experienced librarians (N = 3). Content validity was established by expert librarians (N = 8). The instrument received a content validity index of.83. Initial Cronbach's Alpha was .75 (good reliability). Overall, students report the presence of an embedded librarian helpful in their online nursing course. Descriptive statistics will be shared during the poster presentation.

This is a ground-breaking study because no instrument exists that measures the presence of an embedded librarian in online learning. The preliminary study established the feasibility and initial reliability index. The study has been advanced to Phase II and results will be analyzed using exploratory factor analysis.