Back to the Future: Prospects for Education Faculty and Librarian Collaboration Thirty Years Later

Abstract

Thirty years ago, education conference panelists shared concerns regarding collaboration between education faculty and librarians and they presented ideas for expanding these partnerships. A review of their ideas raises an important question: In what ways have their ideas for collaboration and partnership been realized? To answer this question, the authors conducted a review of the literature regarding education faculty-librarian collaboration. Findings indicate that when collaborating with education faculty, there are three roles librarians have embodied: librarian-as-reference, librarian-as-consultant, and librarian-as-instructor. These roles contribute to the realization of the panelists’ proposed ideas and offer suggestions for future collaboration and research possibilities.