Book Review: Becoming an Embedded Librarian: Making Connections in the Classroom

Reale opens her thin volume with a look at how librarianship has changed, expressing frustration about continued stereotypes of librarians on the sidelines waiting to serve. She defines “embedded librarianship,” narrowing the focus of her study specifically to librarians physically embedded within a classroom, working equally and collaboratively with the subject area professor. Subsequent chapters discuss the value of attending classes as the place where learning actually happens, collaborating with professors and students, and shifting the focus from a passive support role to an active participant in scholarship within the “laboratory” of the classroom. Later chapters provide guidelines for librarians who wish to implement the embedded model, making suggestions for how to establish one’s role and brand, create a teaching style, identify tools, and set goals.