FORUM: The State of Embedded Librarianship in Malaysian Research Intensive Universities Dr Nor Edzan Che Nasir Chief Librarian University of Malaya WORKSHOP ON EMBEDDED LIBRARIANSHIP 17 DECEMBER 2015 UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA

INTRODUCTION Embedded librarianship – Google (15/12/15: 7.30 pm) – “embedded librarianship” = About 19,400 results (0.25 seconds) – Google Scholar (15/12/15: 7.30 pm) – “embedded librarianship” = About 1,650 results (0.04 seconds) Research intensive university - Malaysia

UM LIBRARY Undergraduates – Then Orientation week – guided Library tour Bibliographic instruction at reference desk – NOW 1 hour introduction during Orientation Week to freshman Guided Library tour – by appointment Compulsory 2-credit GIG1004 : Information Literacy Course –1 st semester = non-science –2 nd semester = science –Law & Medicine – same course but conducted separately for them –Our librarians design & develop the modules and delivery is via blended learning OPAC & online databases – by appointment Final year project – by invitation Subject cluster – headed by a senior librarian & liaison librarians

UM LIBRARY Postgraduates, researchers, academics – Information Skills sessions – specialised databases workshops – specialised tools workshops – authorship workshops Faculty level – Liaison Librarians attend faculty meetings and are involved in the going ons of the faculty

UM LIBRARY With embedded librarianship – We go to our users – Immersion Beginning 2008 – Research Methodology for postgraduates with IPS and FBA for postgraduates – Invited to be a part of Research Methodology course at various academies, institutes, faculties and centres – FOM is sponsoring our librarian for medical librarianship – currently involved in research at FOM Is embedded librarianship alive and well at the UM Library?

Results – Currently, there is disparity in how embedded librarianship is being defined and used in common practice, ranging from embedding an online component into a single course to full physical and cultural integration into an academic college or business unit of an organization. Activities of embedded librarians include creating course integrated instruction modules for either face-to-face or online courses, providing in depth research assistance to students or faculty, and co-locating within colleges or customer units via office hours for a few hours to all hours per week. Several case reports exist in the recent literature. Few high quality research studies reporting outcomes of librarians or library programs labelled as embedded exist at this point. Some evidence suggests that embedded librarians are effective with regards to student learning of information literacy objectives. Surveys suggest that both students and faculty appreciate embedded librarian services. Conclusion – Most published accounts discuss librarians embedding content and ready access to services in an online course management system. A few notable cases describe the physical and cultural integration of librarians into the library user environs. Future research using valid quantitative methods is needed to explore the impact of large scale, customized, embedded programs.

FORUM Panel Members – Professor Dr. Abrizah Abdullah – Associate Professor Dr. Kiran Kaur – Madam Khasiah Zakaria – Questions from me – Questions from you

1. Is embedded librarianship just a fancy name for a task that librarians, especially those in academic libraries, have been doing all this while? Is it a passing fad or is it here to stay? Will it be confined to academic libraries only as the case may be right now? QUESTION 1

2. With the existing skill sets and competencies, are the current group of librarians in the various Malaysian academic libraries well equipped to play the role of embedded librarians? What other additional skills and competencies, if any, do they require? QUESTION 2

3. We tend to borrow a lot from the West in terms of terminologies and jump on the band wagon with regards to practices within our discipline eg. embedded librarianship, evidence-based librarianship, maker spaces, data managers. Do you think its high we come out with our own terminology taking into consideration our culture and beliefs and thus introduce them to our Western counterparts through our writings? QUESTION 3

Thank you