Classes
I’m a library school instructor passionate about connecting students with up-to-date and relevant research that demonstrate how dynamic the fields of librarianship and archival science can be.
I teach courses in archival theory, information literacy, and critical digital librarianship, among other topics. I’m always happy to share syllabi and talk to anyone interested in any courses. I also list readings, etc., for some of my classes here.
Critical Digital Librarianship
Course Description:
This course explores major topics in critical digital librarianship, an emerging field relevant to all types of library roles that interact with unique digital collections. We will engage with material that bring feminist, antiracist, queer, and other critical frameworks to digital librarianship.Topics include ethical digital selection, responsible open data, reparative description, critical software review, and the role of training for future librarians. This course pulls from the instructor's first-hand experience with a wide variety of critically-engaged cultural heritage projects, as the co-founder of the #LDLasData Speaker Series and as editor of the Journal of Critical Digital Librarianship.
The schedule of the course will be flexible to meet the needs and interests of the students. We will prioritize creating spaces of respect and appreciation for the work of our colleagues, and we will approach all critiques from a place of honest attempts for a healthier, more inclusive librarianship.
By the end of the course, students will have:
An understanding of the major themes of critical digital librarianship Examined the ways unquestioned digital library structures perpetuate knowledge structures and historic assumptions about library usersDiscussed examples of alternatives to contemporary digital library models Identified means of staying up-to-date with new developments in the field of critical digital librarianship
Course Outline:
Module One: Ethical Digital Selection
Module Two: Responsible Open Data
Module Three: Reparative Description
Module Four: Critical Digital Library Software Review
Module Five: Library Training and the Future of Digital Libraries
Data Ethics in Cultural Heritage Institutions
In this class we explore current efforts to re-think materials in archival collections as data. We focus specifically on the ethics of it all. We read work by Thomas Padilla, Dorothy Berry, Tonia Sutherland, Jacquelin Wernimont. This course is based primarily on my work with the #LDLasData project with the Louisiana Digital Library.