Library and Writing Scholarship

This page is dedicated to my professional publications and presentations in librarianship. You can also view my LinkedIn profile. Because there is substantial overlap with my library and leadership scholarship, I encourage you to also look at my leadership scholarship.

Journal Articles

Certificate and credential stacking: A creative approach to integrating resource sharing into the LIS curriculum, Journal of Library Resource Sharing, in press.
Co-author: Meg Massey
Dedicated coursework for the field of resource sharing and interlibrary loan has traditionally not been made available in Library and Information Science (LIS) programs. Recent conversations among members of the resource sharing community, as well as research made available in recent years, point to a need for more focused education and training opportunities for practitioners. While many may recommend adding topics related to resource sharing to the MLS curriculum, there is a strong argument to create other educational opportunities for practitioners. There are many individuals in the field of resource sharing who are not required or compelled to pursue the MLS for their positions, thus incorporating resource sharing into MLS programs would not meet the needs of all practitioners. This paper will provide a brief history of library science education for necessary context, examine education and training opportunities that currently exist for individuals working in the field of resource sharing, and suggest opportunities to create new learning models.
Is the MLS Necessary? Rethinking Library Science Education, College and Research Libraries News, 2024. Volume 85, issue 9.
https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/26512
Co-author: Meg Massey
In this op-ed, the authors question the necessity of the master’s degree in library science for all library positions and point to cultural trends that necessitate the need to proactively consider library science education innovation.
PAUSE for Your Health: A New End-User Tool for Evaluating Consumer Health News and Online Resources, The Reference Librarian, 2023. Volume 64, issue 2-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763877.2023.2276934
Co-author: Bradley Long
Society is in the midst of an infodemic – an overwhelming amount of inaccurate health information is circulating online. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the infodemic which was already fueled by the general mistrust of traditional credible sources, particularly the media and health professionals. ChatGPT is further upending the information landscape. Librarians are trusted professionals who can help ease the impacts of the infodemic, however we need a simple yet not overly simplified consumer health evaluation tool to help us teach people how to evaluate health information in their daily lives. The authors present the “PAUSE for Your Health” tool designed specifically for this purpose. The tool combines the simplicity of a checklist with the robust critical thinking of a framework to encourage end-users to pause, consider attributes of the source, and then decide if this source is beneficial to their health before following the advice or sharing the information.
Making Your Own Luck: Academic Libraries and the Digital Shift, New Review of Academic Librarianship, 2021. Volume 27, issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2021.1976230
Co-author: David Runyon
COVID-19 did not disrupt higher education; it hastened the disruptions that have already been taking place. One particularly prominent disruption is the digital shift, or the move from primarily face-to-face operations to operations with a large digital component. In order to survive, higher education needs to fundamentally change. But how prepared is your library for these changes? You cannot simply wait for these changes to happen and hope to get lucky; instead, you need to make your own luck. Libraries are uniquely situated to lead the institution in this digital shift. This article will present an overview of student demographic and higher education trends such as decreasing enrollment, increasing diversity of the student body and its needs, technological disruptions, and changing workforce needs. Specific examples from two academic libraries in the United States will demonstrate how this information has informed practice, allowing these libraries to be ahead of the digital shift, to easily weather the COVID storm, and to be models for other campus departments. As humanity’s response to the COVID-19 crisis transitions from reactive to proactive, higher education cannot return to pre-pandemic operational norms. Libraries must position themselves to nimbly adjust to disruptions of traditional services rather than rely on “getting lucky” when change is forced upon them. Instead, make your own luck by intentionally integrating more digital resources into the collection and more virtual services into the workflow, using patron data to inform workflow decisions, and flexibly adapting crisis mode operations to sustainable, permanent operations. Ultimately, this article will show how librarians can combine the tried-and-true with new library practices to adjust to the digital shift in a way that positions them to lead campuses into the future of higher education.
Do No Harm: Ethical Reporting of Health News, Thesis for East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, December 2020
This thesis examines the ethics of reporting health news out of context and how this practice has primed our country for the “fake news” era as well as the implications of this priming as they relate to information literacy and trust in science and the media. In order to do this, the researcher reviews the basics of scientific and health news communication, information literacy, audience behavior, and implications for the future of information literacy and public trust in the media. In addition to this literature review, the researcher conducted a survey to determine how people react to conflicting health news and how much trust they place in the media. This is followed by a brief case study of reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Finally, implications for current media behavior and the necessary information literacy and health news communication steps to combat priming people to fall victim to the fake news era are discussed.
Ethical Journalists and Discerning Readers, A Matter of Spirit, Summer 2020. Volume 127.
An article about false information written for the election issue of A Matter of Spirit.
It’s Not Just for Public Libraries: An Academic Library’s Journey to Become a PA Forward Star Library, Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice, Fall 2018. Volume 6, issue 2.
Over 200 libraries across the commonwealth participate in the Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) PA Forward Star Libraries program. Only five of those are academic libraries. While it may seem like PA Forward initiatives and its Star Library program are only for public libraries, academic libraries offer an array of programs related to the literacies. This article describes how the Seraph Foundation Learning Commons at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences supported each of the five basic literacies with current and new programming to earn silver star status.
Promising Practices in Instruction of Discovery Tools, Communications in Information Literacy, July 2013. Volume 7, issue 1.
Co-author: Stefanie Buck
Libraries are continually changing to meet the needs of users; this includes implementing discovery tools, also referred to as web-scale discovery tools, to make searching library resources easier. Because these tools are so new, there has not been enough research done to create a definite list of best practices for teaching these tools; however promising practices are emerging. A promising practice is, “a program, activity, or strategy” that shows early promise for being effective in the long term and generalizable across institutions (Dare Mighty Things, n.d.). The researchers used three methods to develop a list of promising practices for teaching discovery tools— a review of the current literature on the tools; a survey for practice instructing librarians; and interviews with teaching librarians. More research and assessment is needed to determine whether or not these promising practices are in fact best practices for teaching discovery tools.
Understanding the Characteristics of Millennial Students as an Information User Group, Learning and Media (journal of the PA School Library Association), August 1, 2011.
Current elementary, high school, and college students are members of the millennial generation. This generation, whose members are often called “digital natives” because they have grown up with access to technology, has unique needs that libraries must meet. This paper examines millennial students and the way they interact with information. The literature review examines several characteristics of millennial students, including their search habits, attitudes, and similarities to other generations. The literature review also looks at how millennials impact libraries and library services. Following the literature review is information on how this user group could be studied, as well as information gleaned from an informal study of a handful of college students at a small, urban community college; the majority of the students were millennials. Findings from this informal study are compared to the findings in the research that was examined in the literature review. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of millennial students and the best ways to serve them.

Books

Library Science Education: Innovating Education for a Profession in Flux. Will be published by Routledge. In press, anticipated publication date of 2027.
Co-author: Meg Massey
ISBN: Not yet assigned
A Profession in Flux: Library Science Education Innovation aims to bring together voices from the profession in different library settings around the world to address the challenges of providing education for these changing professional needs and create more pathways to entry into the library profession while allowing our education to be more nimble and adaptable to the skills required in library science careers today. This work is part of the Critical Issues in Library and Information Sciences and Services series.
Librarians & Stereotypes: So, Now What? Published by Crave Press, 2015.
ISBN: 978-0985259969
Librarians & Stereotypes: So, Now What? examines librarianship through communication, gender, psychology, anthropology, and cultural studies theories to begin to get to the root of why certain librarian stereotypes exist today and whether or not it’s possible to change some of these stereotypes. It also looks at what stereotypes librarians think exist about the field today, how librarians present themselves and whether or not this is changing (and consequently helping or hurting, the profession), and what public perceptions exist about librarianship as opposed to just what the media tells us about librarianship. An overview of stereotypes presented in the literature is provided, however the point of this book is to go beyond simply rehashing what stereotypes are there and to look at how we can use knowledge of the current stereotypes and knowledge from other disciplines to change some of these stereo types. The book also looks at the possible impossibility of changing certain stereotypes, and possible repercussions our actions, or lack thereof, with regard to stereotypes may have on the future of the profession. Finally, tips are offered to help librarians begin to combat stereotypes.

Book Chapters

The Critical Précis: A Foundation for Writing, chapter in Writing the Disciplines: An OER Textbook, 2023.
Co-author: James Eric Siburt
The OER book is an interdisciplinary reference textbook focused on teaching college students how to develop written documents as seen across diverse professions. The edited collection includes individual stand-alone chapters that follow a standard template with content written by experts in a variety of fields.

Other Academic and Professional Writing

How to Stand Out in the Job Search, Library Worklife, March 1, 2012.
This article examines information interviews as a way to stand out in the job search.
Best Practices for Social Media Outreach, PaLA Bulletin, October 2011.
This article gives ten best practices for utilizing social media in academic library outreach.
Reflecting Our Changing Culture and Society: How the U.S. Census Bureau Modifies its Questions, GODORT Occasional Papers, June 2011. Number 6.
The various census survey questions provide important clues to the changing nature of the US culture; thus the process for modifying questions is important and often time consuming. This paper begins with an overview of data collection the Census Bureau engages in, then discusses the process for question modification and the standards of the modification process. Finally, there are examples of some of the changes to census survey questions from the following categories: multilingual supplemental materials, question format, method of test administration, general content, race, disability, and marriage and family.
For additional information on newspaper, magazine, and other professional writing portfolio pieces, please email me.

Conference and Workshop Presentations and Poster Sessions

Make it Memorable: Effective Communication Between Leadership and Staff, December 2025.
I presented this to the Southeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association. Description: Have you told your staff members something only to find out later they forgot what was expected? Did your manager ask you to do something but was unclear about their expectations? Could a recent meeting have been an email? These situations happen frequently, but they don’t have to. This session will provide an overview of the types of communication in an organization followed by tips for effectively communicating with staff so information is understood, documented, and more easily retained.
After the Futures School, November 2022.
Panelist. Description: The CT State Library Division of Library Development in partnership with The Futures School, will host a virtual gathering highlighting library alumnus from Transformation for Libraries: The Futures School to discuss perspectives, learnings, and the future of foresight in libraries. Panelists will share their experiences and discuss how they are implementing foresight within the library for planning, partnerships and beyond.
Make it Memorable: Effective Communication Between Leadership and Staff, September 2022.
I presented this to the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association. Description: Have you told your staff members something only to find out later they forgot what was expected? Did your manager ask you to do something but was unclear about their expectations? Could a recent meeting have been an email? These situations happen frequently, but they don’t have to. This session will provide an overview of the types of communication in an organization followed by tips for effectively communicating with staff so information is understood, documented, and more easily retained.
Lehigh Valley Pa Library Association Special Libraries Workshop, June 2021.
I presented a section on academic health sciences and medical libraries in this virtual presentation and panel discussion.
PaLA CRD Spring Workshop Discussion Series, May 2021.
I was a panelist in the Pennsylvania Library Association College and Research Libraries Division’s spring workshop series. The panel I was on was “Special Library Work,” and I discussed working in health sciences libraries.
A Sustainable Embedded Librarian Program, March 2019.
Presentation for the Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania. Description: In 2015, two new Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences librarians were hired with the goal of expanding the library’s instruction across the College’s curriculum. In 2016, these librarians launched an embedded librarian program to allow them to meet the needs of online, face to face, and hybrid programs with varying course lengths (some programs run on 5- or 8-week accelerated course formats while others are full 15-week semester formats). The program was immediately successful — it has led to greater librarian involvement across campus, an increase in research appointments, and an ever-increasing number of requests to add librarians to courses in the Blackboard LMS. The increased demand for librarian assistance combined with recent restructuring on campus means the current practice is not sustainable; thus librarians have been reconsidering their roles in courses, working to make their involvement in courses more strategic, and even working with faculty on assignment and course creation to integrate information literacy in more purposeful ways in order to make our embedded presence sustainable. This presentation will provide an overview of our program’s success, the resulting sustainability challenges, and the ways we are attempting to make our course involvement strategic and sustainable.
What Do PA Forward and the Star Library Program Have to Do With Academic Libraries?, February 2019.
Co-presenters: Amy Snyder, Joann Eichenlaub
Presentation for Pa Library Association’s Connect and Communicate Series. Description: Academic librarians, are you interested in participating in the PA Forward Star Library program but don’t know how it will work for you? Or, are you working your way through the program and want to learn more about how you can support the literacies and earn your stars? Join librarians from Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College) and Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences (PCHS) to learn how they became gold star libraries. Penn College’s Madigan Library and the Learning Commons at PCHS are the first two academic libraries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to earn the PA Forward Gold Star status. They are eager to share their experiences, challenges and opportunities as they achieved the Gold.
Online Faculty-Librarian Collaborations: A Smorgasbord of Opportunities, October 2018.
Co-presenter: Amy Snyder
Poster session for the Pa Library Association Annual Conference. Abstract: Presenters will provide a menu of options for partnering with faculty to be embedded in the course LMS. These options are currently being used by these presenters in their own embedded librarian program, and they range from answering student questions on a discussion forum to instruction to assignment creation.
Shooting for the Stars: An Academic Library’s Voyage, October 2018.
Co-presenter: Amy Snyder
Poster session for the Pa Library Association Annual Conference’s Legislative Day. Abstract: While it may seem like PA Forward initiatives and its Star Library program are just for public libraries, academic libraries offer an array of programs related to the PA Forward literacies. Learn how one academic library is shooting for the stars and supporting all of the literacies.
Working Together to Enhance Student Success, March 2018.
Co-presenter: Amy Snyder
Presentation for the Associated College Libraries of Central PA spring workshop. Description: This presentation provided an overview of collaborative assignments between librarians and faculty in two courses, ENG300: Advanced Composition for Health Care and IPC401: Undergraduate Research, at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. ENG300 involved low stakes research and APA assignments while IPC401 involved extra credit research consultations.
Was it worth it? Examining the impact of a faculty-librarian collaboration, February 2018.
Co-presenter: Amy Snyder
Presented at Lancaster Learns 2018 conference. Abstract: This session presents the results of a study undertaken by an adjunct English instructor and a librarian to see if active librarian instruction positively impacted the grades of and sources used in students’ research-based argument essay in an advanced composition course.
Embedded Librarianship: Beyond Meeting Students Where They Are, October 2016
Co-presenter: Amy Snyder
Mini session presented for the ACLCP fall workshop.