Embedded Librarianship: An Ugly Thought
Embedded Librarianship has gotten a good rap - in part – thanks to patrons who opt to use the Internet instead of visiting libraries. This is a good thing, I think, but not many Librarians actually work with their patrons. Not surprisingly, then, the practical problems associated with being embedded don’t seem to be very public.
As an embedded librarian, I can say without hesitation that the most difficult aspect of working directly with patrons is facilitating technical discussions. Working with patrons requires that you know something about the nature of their work. But, it doesn’t require you to know everything. Instead, you operate as a middleman. Interestingly, though, people seem to naturally assume that “if you know about it then you can solve it.”
Therein lies the challenge. Embedded Librarians work so closely with their patrons that a clear distinction between roles can disappear. This can happen on both sides too.
