Hello! I’m really excited about the Beyond Books conference, as I have an abiding interest in exploring how librarians and journalists can work together to improve information access. I presented on this very topic at the 2008 NCMR academic pre-conference.

Currently I’m a doctoral student and Information in Society fellow in the Graduate School of Library & Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I received a Master of Science in Library and Information Science in May 2008 from GSLIS, and a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural and Interdisciplinary Studies in 2003 from Antioch College. I have happily put my research skills to use for several organizations, including the Alternative Press Center, the Prometheus Radio Project, and the Human Rights Documentation Exchange. As a master’s student I established a local chapter of the Progressive Librarians Guild. My research interests include library history, information policy, and the political economy of information. This semester I’m teaching one of the required master’s courses “Libraries, Information, and Society.” In spring 2012 I will teach a course on information policy.

Other than being a doctoral student, I am a past co-president of the Graduate Employees Organization of UIUC, the current co-chair of the CU Pride Fest Committee, and a volunteer airshifter at the local community radio station WEFT 90.1 FM.