Embedding Success: A Joint Library and Writing Center Model for Integrating Research and Writing Instruction
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation
Conference Strand
Outreach and Partnership
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Skidaway Meeting Room
Relevance
The Embed program places information literacy at the core of the writing process by demonstrating its inseparability from critical thinking and effective communication. Librarians guide students in identifying, evaluating, and integrating sources, while writing consultants help them translate that knowledge into coherent arguments. This holistic approach ensures students experience information literacy not as an isolated skill, but as an integrated, iterative practice essential to academic inquiry and lifelong learning.
Proposal
In today’s classrooms, students are asked to do more than ever before - navigate a maze of complex information sources while also mastering the demands of academic writing. The experience can be daunting especially when the two skills are presented as separate activities, yet both faculty and students consistently affirm success in one is deeply connected to the other. To address the gap, Lindenwood University developed a unique collaborative initiative where both a reference librarian and writing consultant are embedded into writing and research intensive courses at the graduate and graduate levels.
The embed initiative emerged from survey data which revealed a striking disconnect; faculty perceived students’ greatest weakness as writing while students identified research as the greatest challenge. The result was a formalized partnership between the University Library and Writing Center with the goal being to offer dual support for students throughout a course while emphasizing the iterative nature of the research and writing process. The program was presented to faculty by offering varying levels of support ranging from introductory support up to and including fully scaffolded assignments where information literacy and writing support are woven throughout the course. Since its pilot in 2018 with 31 course sections, the program has expanded to support over 180 undergraduate and graduate courses annually. Qualitative data collected at the end of each term since 2018 indicate strong positive perceptions about the program from both students and faculty with over 90% of student respondents reporting a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of the research and writing process, while faculty consistently confirmed improved student performance.
This presentation will underscore how the embed model exemplifies high impact practices such as fostering inquiry, critical thinking, and development of durable skills transferable beyond the classroom. Presenters will discuss strategies for faculty collaboration, assessment design, scalability, and alignment of co-curricular programming with institutional mission. Attendees will leave with actionable frameworks for building similar partnerships, including opportunities to frame library and writing center collaborations as vital responses to evolving challenges such as generative AI, student agency, and the demand for measurable outcomes.
By breaking down traditional silos, the Library and Writing Center Embed Program demonstrates how holistic, embedded academic support can adapt to changing educational needs while equipping students with the integrated research and writing skills essential for academic achievement, professional readiness, and civic participation.
Short Description
Lindenwood University’s Library and Writing Center Embed Program unites research and writing support by embedding a librarian and writing consultant in research and writing intensive undergraduate and graduate courses. Drawing on survey data and ongoing assessment, the program demonstrates gains in student performance, inquiry, and communication. Highlights include scalable strategies for collaboration, assessment, and institutional alignment by strengthening information literacy and writing using non-traditional approaches.
Keywords
library, writing center, embedding, collaboration, information literacy, written communication, student success, faculty partnerships, high impact practices
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
MacDonald, Elizabeth and Edele, Susan, "Embedding Success: A Joint Library and Writing Center Model for Integrating Research and Writing Instruction" (2026). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 13.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2026/2026/13
Embedding Success: A Joint Library and Writing Center Model for Integrating Research and Writing Instruction
Skidaway Meeting Room
In today’s classrooms, students are asked to do more than ever before - navigate a maze of complex information sources while also mastering the demands of academic writing. The experience can be daunting especially when the two skills are presented as separate activities, yet both faculty and students consistently affirm success in one is deeply connected to the other. To address the gap, Lindenwood University developed a unique collaborative initiative where both a reference librarian and writing consultant are embedded into writing and research intensive courses at the graduate and graduate levels.
The embed initiative emerged from survey data which revealed a striking disconnect; faculty perceived students’ greatest weakness as writing while students identified research as the greatest challenge. The result was a formalized partnership between the University Library and Writing Center with the goal being to offer dual support for students throughout a course while emphasizing the iterative nature of the research and writing process. The program was presented to faculty by offering varying levels of support ranging from introductory support up to and including fully scaffolded assignments where information literacy and writing support are woven throughout the course. Since its pilot in 2018 with 31 course sections, the program has expanded to support over 180 undergraduate and graduate courses annually. Qualitative data collected at the end of each term since 2018 indicate strong positive perceptions about the program from both students and faculty with over 90% of student respondents reporting a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of the research and writing process, while faculty consistently confirmed improved student performance.
This presentation will underscore how the embed model exemplifies high impact practices such as fostering inquiry, critical thinking, and development of durable skills transferable beyond the classroom. Presenters will discuss strategies for faculty collaboration, assessment design, scalability, and alignment of co-curricular programming with institutional mission. Attendees will leave with actionable frameworks for building similar partnerships, including opportunities to frame library and writing center collaborations as vital responses to evolving challenges such as generative AI, student agency, and the demand for measurable outcomes.
By breaking down traditional silos, the Library and Writing Center Embed Program demonstrates how holistic, embedded academic support can adapt to changing educational needs while equipping students with the integrated research and writing skills essential for academic achievement, professional readiness, and civic participation.
