HAYS, Kan. -- Dr. Carrol Haggard, associate professor of communication studies, and Lynn Haggard, distance education services librarian at Fort Hays State University, recently published "Librarians on the Loose: High Tech and High Touch Research Assistance from Embedded Librarians" in the 43rd volume of the National Social Science Association Journal.

The article describes a pilot program at FHSU where librarians are "embedded" in on-campus social science courses that have a research component. In this model, the library is viewed as a service, not a space.

While traditional embedded librarians serve as a point of contact for providing research assistance, especially within online courses, FHSU expanded this model to incorporate FHSU's "high tech, high touch" approach to education. "Librarians on the Loose" explains it as involving the use of the latest technology for research while emphasizing the human connection between librarians and students.

The article also examines the factors associated with the "High Tech, High Touch" model's success and identifies some of the requirements to sustain the model.