Columns, Blogs, Links

MA, English Literature, Mankato State University (1992).
MLIS, Library and Information Science, University of Texas at Austin (1981).
BA, Russian Literature, University of Kentucky (1976).

Experience

1987 - present
Academic Librarian at Gustavus Adolphus College. Promoted to Associate Professor and received tenure in 1993; promoted to Professor in 2002. Elected to a three year term as department chair June 2008; previously served as department chair from 1997-2002; served (part-time) as Associate Dean of Faculty, 2004-2005; then as co-coordinator (with Laura Behling) of the Gustavus Faculty Development Program, 2005-2007. Currently serving as the Kendall Center Faculty Associate for Student Learning Outcomes. In my years at Gustavus, I have coordinated the library's instruction program and have participated in collection development, reference services, and shared management of the library.

1983-84
Consultant, Medical Library, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.I created a collection development policy for the library, assisted in research and reference for the medical staff, and prepared the library for an accreditation visit.

Publications

Through the Cracks. [fiction] forthcoming from St. Martin's Minotaur, spring 2010.

"Publishers and Librarians: Two Cultures, One Goal." Library Journal May 1, 2009 (cover story).

"Means, Motive, Opportunity: A Small Library Launches a Big Mystery Event." Library Journal (online edition only) April 15, 2009.

"Skirting the 'Creepy Treehouse' Effect." AFT On Campus 28.3 (Jan/Feb 2009): 12.

"Fostering Information Literacy Through Faculty Development." Library Issues 29.4 (March 2009). 

"Aggregated Interdisciplinary Databases and the Needs of Undergraduate Researchers." With Julie Gilbert and Amy Fry. portal: Libraries and the Aacademy, 8.3 (July 2008): 273-292.

In the Wind. [fiction] New York: St. Martin's Minotaur, 2008.

"Learning in the Present Tense," AFT On Campus 27.5 (May/June 2008): 13. This article was reprinted in Education Digest 74.4 (December 2008):63-4.

"Curriculum Issues in Information Literacy Instruction," with Thomas W. Eland in Information Literacy Instruction Handbook. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2008.

"What if You Ran Your Bookstore Like a Library?" Library Journal, April 15, 2008

"Face Value." Inside Higher Ed, February 18, 2008.

"One Book, One Campus: Exploring Common Reading Programs." E-Source for College Transitions 5.1 (Sept. 2007).

"When the Sacred Ginmill Opens: Crimespace Opens a Virtual Bar." Mystery Scene 100 (Summer 2007): 46-47.

"Crime Fiction with an Icelandic Accent: Barbara Fister on Arnaldur Indridason." [Interview] Shots March 2007.

"The War Within: Matt Beynon Rees' Palestinian Mystery." [Interview] Mystery Scene 98 (Feb. 2007): 28-31.

"Wikipedia and the Challenge of Read/Write Culture." Library Issues 27.3 (Jan. 2007).

"'Reading as a Contact Sport': Online Book Groups and the Social Dimensions of Reading." Reference and User Services Quarterly, 44.4 (Summer 2005): 303-309.

"Copycat Crimes: Crime Fiction and the Marketplace of Anxieties." Clues: A Journal of Detection 23.3 (Spring 2005): 43-56.

"Bodies of Evidence: How Mystery Writers Imagine Their Worlds Through Research," invited article for a special issue, "Mysteries: From Creation to Consumption," Collection Management 29.3/4 (2005): 5-19.

"Embracing the Challenge of Change Through Collegial Decision-Making," co-authored with Kathie Martin. Currents and Convergence: Proceedings of the Twefth National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Ed. Hugh Thompson. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2005. 32-38.

"Choosing Sources in the Library of Babel." LOEX Quarterly 31.4 (2005): 6-7.

"Google's Digitization Project: What Difference Will it Make?" Library Issues 25.4 (March 2005).

"Go Ahead, Book Me." Library Journal (November 15, 2004): 26, 28. (Part of a cover story on university presses.)

"Common Ground: Libraries and Learning." Library Issues 25.1 (September 2004).

"Academic Authors and the Crisis in Publishing." Against the Grain 16.3 (June 2004).

"Place and Space: Libraries and the Cartography of Knowledge." Invited essay in Musings, Meanderings, and Monsters, Too: Essays on Academic Librarianship, ed. Martin Raish. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2003. 41-50.

"The Devil in the Details: Media Representation of 'Ritual Abuse' and Evaluation of Sources." SIMILE: Studies in Media and Information Literacy Education 3.2: May 2003.

"What do They Know? Assessing the Library's Contribution to Student Learning." Library Issues 23.3 (January 2003).

On Edge. [fiction] New York: Dell, 2002.

"Fear of Reference." The Chronicle of Higher Education June 14, 2002, B20.

"Changing Landscapes, Enduring Values: Making the Transition from Bibliographic Instruction to Information Literacy." Coauthored with Elizabeth Hutchins and Kris Huber MacPherson. Journal of Library Administration 36 (1-2) 2002: 3-19.

"Trade Publishing: A Report from the Front." portal: Libraries and the Academy 1.4 (October 2001): 509-523.

"Elmore Leonard's Legman: A Full-Time Researcher Helps the Renowned Mystery Writer Keep it Real." American Libraries 32.4 (April 2001): 82-84.

"Collegial Leadership in Academic Libraries." Coauthored with David Lesniaski, Kris Huber MacPherson, and Steve McKinzie. Crossing the Divide: Proceedings of the Tenth National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Ed. Hugh Thompson. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2001, 233-239.

"From BI to IL: The Paths of Two Liberal Arts Colleges." Coauthored with Elizabeth O. Hutchins and Kris Huber MacPherson. Crossing the Divide: Proceedings of the Tenth National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Ed. Hugh Thompson. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2001, 203-212.

"Balancing the Trade-Offs: Pros and Cons of Library Technology," Library Issues 19.1 (September 1998).

"Mugging for the Camera: Narrative Strategies in Brazil," Literature/Film Quarterly 42.3 (1996): 288-292.

Third World Women's Literatures: A Dictionary and Guide to Materials in English. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1995.

"Connected Communities: Encouraging Dialogue Between Composition and Bibliographic Instruction." Invited chapter in Writing Across the Curriculum and the Academic Library: Implications for Bibliographic Instruction, ed. Jean Sheridan, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995, 33-51.

"Teaching the Rhetorical Dimensions of Research." Research Strategies 11.4 (Fall 1993): 211-219.

"The Research Processes of Undergraduate Students." Journal of Academic Librarianship18 (July 1992): 163-169.

"Common Ground: The Composition/Bibliographic Instruction Connection." In Academic Libraries: Achieving Excellence in Higher Education, ed. Tom Kirk, Chicago: ACRL, 1992.

"Sources of Authority: A Case Study Approach to Using Primary Sources." In Judging the Validity of Information Sources: Teaching Critical Analysis in Bibliographic Instruction, ed. Linda Shirato, Ann Arbor: Pierian, 1991.

"For our Silent Sisters: Third World Women's Literature." Choice 29 (September 1991): 39-47.

"Recreating the Renaissance: Dramatic Presentations in an Art History Class," co-authored with Linnea Wren. Research Strategies 8 (Fall 1990): 200-203.

"Teaching Research as a Social Act: Collaborative Learning and the Library," RQ 29 (Summer 1990): 505-509. (This article was named one of the twenty best articles of the year by the American Library Association's Library Instruction Round Table.)

Additional publications

Contributed material to several Bedford/St. Martin's publications including The Everyday Writer, The Bedford Handbook, Literature and its Writers, Elements of Argument, A Writers Reference, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age, Rules for Writers, The Bedford Guide for College Writers, and The Bedford Guide to the Research Process. The Web version of Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age was chosen for the sixth annual "Best Free Reference Web Sites" chosen by the MARS section of RUSA, the American Library Association's reference division (Fall 2004).

Contributing member of ACRLog, the official blog of the Assocation of College and Research Libraries, Librarians at the Gate, a blog for undergraduates interested in librarianship, and Free Exchange on Campus.

Weekly columnist for Library Journal's Academic Newswire, April 2009 --.

Book reviewer for Mystery Scene Magazine and Reviewing the Evidence.

One Book, One College: Common Reading Programs, a list of reading programs on college campuses. 

Scandinavian Crime Fiction, a Website and companion blog covering Scandinavian crime fiction in English translation.

Presentations

"Open Access and Books in a Digital World - What Role Should Libraries Play?" talk presented at the ALA's Office of Information Technology Policy advisory committee retreat, November 2008.

"Engaging Institutions in Improving Student Learning Through a National Study." Panel presentation at the Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference, April 2008.

"Why I Teach and Why it Matters," panelist at the NEA/AFT Higher Education Joint Conference in Washington DC, March 2008 responding to the "Why I Teach" Free Exchange on Campus blog meme.

"Inventing the Library." Presentation and workshop for the Ohio State University Libraries, Columbus, Ohio, December 2007.

"Information Literacy in a Wired World," workshop presented at the University of Illinois at Springfield, March 2007 as part of a two-day consultancy.

"Libraries and the Cartography of Knowledge," keynote address presented at the Alaska Library Association Conference, Anchorage, February 2006. At this conference  I also presented a paper, "Reading as a Contact Sport" and conducted two workshops, "Research as a Rhetorical Act" and "Assessing Libraries’ Contribution to Student Learning."

"Smoke and Mirrors: Finding Order in a Chaotic World," plenary address presented at WILU 2005, University of Guelph, Ontario, May 2005. Catalan translation via RECERCAT.

"Libraries and the Patriot Act: Your Loss of Privacy?" panelist at a conference held in St. Paul on May 16, 2005.

"Assessment as Opportunity: Knowing Your Students, Reaching Your Faculty," poster session presented with Michelle Twait at the Association of College and Research Libraries Twelfth National Conference, Minneapolis, April 8th, 2005. Handout.

"Information Literacy and the Marketplace of Anxieties," a workshop prepared for the Ontario Library Association Superconference, Toronto, February 2005.

"Information Literacy: A Cross-Disciplinary Conversation," a workshop conducted with Laura Behling for faculty at Carleton College, Northfield MN, Sept 2004.

"The Point-and-Click Generation Goes to the Library." Presentation at Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon, June 2004.

"Just the Facts, Ma'am: How Crime Fiction Re-Invents Reality." Continuing Education lecture sponsored by the St. Peter Community and Family Education program, presented March 16th, 2004.

"Another Set of Eyes: Peer Mentoring Can Be Fun" Workshop presented with Elizabeth O. Hutchins, sponsored by the Minnesota Oberlin Group Libraries Reference / Instruction Group, held at Carleton College, Northfield MN, December 3rd, 2003.

"True Lies: Libraries, Research, and the Facts of Fiction." Presentation at the Cooperating Libraries in Consortium Annual Retreat held at Northwestern College, Roseville MN, November 19th, 2003.

"Common Ground: The Library as a Laboratory for Developing Critical Literacy" Presentation for library staff at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, March 25th 2003.

"Reference Services: Virtual, Digital, and In-Library--A New Model for Effective Delivery." Panelist for a teleconference produced by the College of DuPage Office of Special Services, February 7, 2003.

"Assessment: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go." Instruction Dialogue sponsored by the Academic and Research Libraries Division (ARLD) of the Minnesota Library Association Minnesota State University, Mankato, December 9th, 2002

"Developing Information Skills in the General Education Curriculum," Workshop for the faculty of Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, November 19, 2002.

"The Future of Publishing." Panel presentation at the Bouchercon World Mystery Conference, Austin TX, October 19, 2002.

"In Reference to Reference: How do Students Seek Information? What can Reference Services Do to Help?" Oberlin Group Annual Conference, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, October 12, 2002.

"Generation Y Comes to the Library . . . Or Not: Information Seeking Behavior of Undergraduate Students." Panelist for workshop held at Minnesota State University, Mankato, April 11 2002.

"Reintroducing Students to Good Research." Keynote address presented to the faculty of Lake Forest College, November 7, 2001.

"The Virtual Library of Babel: Seeking Knowledge in an Information Age." Keynote address presented at the Association of Lutheran College Faculties Annual Conference, Gustavus Adolphus College, October 2001.

Information Literacy Pilot Project, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. Workshop for faculty on information literacy standards and assessment, with Molly Pederson, May 2001.

"Merging Tradition and Innovation: A Visionary Future for Libraries." Minitex Conference panel, Plymouth, MN, April 2001.

"Information Literacy: Connecting Standards and Objectives to Programs and Curriculum: Case Studies of Early Implementers." Panel presentation at the Association of College and Research Libraries National Conference, March 2001.

"How to Make Shared Leadership Happen," College Libraries Section panel, American Library Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, June 1999.

"Border Crossings: Strengthening Collaboration for Meaningful Student Inquiry," invited keynote presentation at the ACM Bibliographic Instruction Conference, St. Olaf College, October 1998.

"When Higher Education Becomes a Business, What Happens to Traditional Library Values?" College Libraries Section Panel, American Library Association Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., June 1998.

"On the Threshold of Representation: The Function of the Holbein Christ in The Idiot," presented at the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, University of Kentucky, April 1996.

"Fifty Critical Minutes: Teaching Critical Thinking in Course-Related Bibliographic Instruction," presented at the Minnesota Library Association annual conference, October 1992.

"The Research Processes of Undergraduates," presentation to the College Libraries in Consortium Bibliographic Instruction Taskforce, Fall 1991.

"Only Connect: Writing Instruction and BI," presented at the Minnesota Library Association annual conference, October 1989.

Grants and Awards

Recipient of the Gustavus Faculty Scholarship Award, 2009.

Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Grant to develop a comprehensive website on Scandinavian crime fiction in English translation, 2008,

Kendall Center Departmental Mini-grant to develop curriculum mapping for information literacy, with Julie Gilbert, 2008.

Bush Departmental Mini-Grant to involve new students in an online discussion of the book chosen for the campus Common Reading before they arrive on campus, 2005.

"How Crime Fiction Reflects Social Anxieties," funded by the college's Research, Scholarship, and Creativity (RSC) Fund, 2004.

Bush Teaching and Learning Mini-Grant to support a project for understanding student research processes in a hybrid print/electronic environment, awarded October 2001.

National Leadership Grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to support a two-year research and demonstration project to enhance developmental research skills across the undergraduate curriculum in a hybrid print/electronic information environment. Co-directed with Sandy Fuhr. Awarded September 1999.

Support from Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to attend the HERS Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration, Bryn Mawr College, June 23-July 16, 1996.

"Teaching Research: Perspectives from Two Fields," funded by the RSC, 1992.

"Third World Women's Literature," funded by the RSC, 1990.

Joyce Scholar's Grant to develop a research course, 1990.

"The Research Processes of Undergraduates," funded by the RSC, 1989.

Courses

Books & Culture, January 2009

First Term Seminar: The Mysterious World, Fall 2008

Information Fluency for Graduate Studies, Spring 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and January 2005. A short version of this course was adapted for a faculty development workshop in January 2009. 

First Term Seminar: Common Readers, Fall 2006

Introduction to Library Research, Spring 1992, 1993, 1995.

Library Research Seminar: The Manhattan Project, January 1990, 1991.

Supervised fourteen independent study projects.

Service

Editorial board member of College and Research Libraries, Association of College and Research Libraries, 2008-- 

Editorial board member of Publications in Librarianship, Association of College and Research Libraries, 2008--

Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Information Literacy, American Library Association, 2000-2001.

Blog Advisory Board member for the Association of College and Research Libraries, 2005--2007.

Contributing editor, Library Issues: Briefings for Faculty and Administrators, 2004-- .

College service

Commission Gustavus 150 Community Engagement Task Force member, 2008-09.

Technology Services Planning Core Committee member, 2008-09.

Ex-officio member Curriculum Committee, Academic Operations Committee, Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee, 1997-2001, 2008--

Web Advisory Board, 2003--

Reading in Common Book Selection Committee chair, 2008-2009.

Personnel Committee, 2005-2007.

Faculty Senate Subcommittee on Academic Planning, 2005-2006.

Program Assessment and Development Committee, 2001-02, 2004-2007.

Course Approval Subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee, 2004-2007.

President's Inaugural Symposium Committee, 2003-2004.

Writing Program Advisory Committee, 2002-2004.

Women's Studies Personnel Committee Chair, 2002.

Bush Planning Advisory Committee member, 1999-2001.

Chair, Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee, 1998.

Instructional Resources Committee, 1994-95.

Chair of Humanities Area, General Education Committee, 1988-93.

January Term Committee, 1992-93.

Faculty Development Committee, 1989-92.

Writing Program Committee, 1988-92.

Memberships 

American Association of University Professors

American Library Association

Association of College and Research Libraries

National Book Critics Circle

Sisters in Crime

last updated 5/09