It is clear that recent developments in technology and the ways in which information is accessed necessitate a fundamental rethink of the concepts of “library” and “librarian”. David Shumaker’s consideration of the “embedded librarian” is an important addition to this debate.
Embedded librarianship describes the trend of moving librarians out of libraries, both physically and organisationally. It involves librarians working in partnership with teams in their organisation or community, contributing to projects and offering customised support. The concept is not a new one, especially among special librarians, but it is a model which is of growing importance for other sectors too.
After defining embedded librarianship and considering the factors which are encouraging a growing interest in embedded models of provision, Shumaker adopts a sector-by-sector approach, providing examples of how embedded librarians function in higher education, health, corporations, not-for-profit organisations and government, and schools and public librarians. Having examined the background, the second part of the book details approaches to help librarians considering adopting an embedded model: assessing readiness, implementing, sustaining and evaluating embedded librarianship.
This is a thorough and practical guide to embedded librarianship which would be useful for both those studying the phenomenon as well as practitioners and library managers considering implementing an embedded approach. But while the book is solid and well thought out, I would have liked to see the author include more radical and innovative ideas to demonstrate how an embedded approach could ensure librarians are seen as relevant in the future. While the emphasis on collaboration and networking is welcome, it did not feel this book fully considered the implications of new technology and information access, particularly on centralised library services and the structure of information services. Despite that shortcoming, The Embedded Librarian is a welcome contribution to discussions about the future shape of library services.
