For nearly two decades, I have been an academic librarian specializing in reference and instruction, but also with significant responsibilities in website maintenance, online tutorial and game creation, and library assessment. I have developed a significant body of scholarly writing including two books and a number of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics such as game-based learning, formative assessment, adult learning theory and practice, graphic design, composition and rhetoric, disability studies, and burnout. I have found writing for publication to be one of the best forms of professional development and the best way to satisfy my professional curiosity. With my accomplishments in practice and scholarship, I earned two academic rank promotions and became a facilitator with a national continuing education program for instruction librarians.
CliftonStrengths Online Talent Assessment Results (2024):
1) Relator: Friendly, loyal, genuine
2) Learner: Curious, inquisitive, studious
3) Responsibility: Dependable, committed, responsive
4) Developer: Patient, encouraging, others-oriented
5) Individualization: Perceptive, people-oriented, tailored
More About Me
In the spring of 2022, I began studying instructional design at Bloomsburg University and began a new position as the Arts & Humanities Librarian at Bucknell University. I have found numerous opportunities in the library to practice what I was learning in my coursework, such as creating an interactive map and tutorials as well as Vyond videos. In the spring of 2024, the university launched an updated interactive tutorial that I designed and built to teach incoming first-year students about Bucknell’s expectations regarding academic honesty.
My work as an academic librarian and the work of an instructional designer are closely intertwined. I have already used authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Flash, and Screencast-O-Matic as well as other multimedia softwares to create library tutorials and games. In 2009, I created an online plagiarism education game called Goblin Threat that continues to get hundreds of thousands of visits every year. My work as coordinator of library assessment for over 15 years developed significant analytical skills that will serve me well as an instructional designer. Additionally, I have experience working with subject matter experts (teaching faculty), and my excellent research skills are demonstrated in my written publications.
I have a strong interest in disability studies and digital accessibility. My knowledge is still a work in progress, but I am taking advantage of many opportunities to learn more about accessibility at Bucknell University. In the past year, I have participated in an accessibility learning community, led workshops on digital accessibility for various groups of staff and faculty, participated in an accessibility technology committee, helped to select a disability-themed book for the 2023 common reading program for incoming students, and created an accompanying video in Vyond that includes interviews with staff and faculty who experience disability at Bucknell. In the fall of 2024, I began work on a Certificate of Professional Development in Information Accessibility Design and Policy through the University of Illinois. I am eager to continue to develop both my understanding of disability experiences as well as refine my understanding of how to put that knowledge to practical use to improve the accessibility of the digital objects I create for diverse learners.
On a more personal note, I live in central Pennsylvania with my family and pets. I enjoy reading, knitting, sewing costumes (see below), and hiking. I love to travel, particularly to France where I was an exchange student in high school. In addition to the scholarly interests above, I am very interested in vampires and using them to explore real-world social issues.
