Forthcoming Paper:
A Cambrian Moment for Libraries: Shaping Futures through Evolution and Leadership
portal: Libraries and the Academy, April 2025
Academic and research libraries are undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by technological advancements, shifting societal dynamics, and evolving institutional priorities. This essay examines how these forces are driving libraries to evolve into specialized and distinct models, shaping their future and drawing parallels to the Cambrian Explosion—a period of rapid diversification in natural history. Using the frameworks of evolutionary theory, ecosystem models, and systems thinking, it explores the interplay between external pressures and internal strategies. By fostering adaptability and embracing leadership attuned to complexity, libraries can redefine their roles to meet the unique and emergent needs of their communities, ensuring they remain vital forces of knowledge, culture, and well-being in an ever-changing world.
Forthcoming Editorial:
Interdisciplinary by Design: Envisioning Libraries in 2050
College & Research Library News, 2025
The library of 2050 must evolve beyond a repository of knowledge to become a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary collaboration. Faced with global challenges—climate change, health crises, and technological disruption—libraries can serve as co-creation spaces, knowledge integrators, and accelerators for innovation. By embedding interdisciplinarity into their design, libraries can connect people, ideas, and resources to drive real-world impact. From global collaboration hubs to living knowledge ecosystems, libraries have the potential to shape the future by fostering integration, problem-solving, and creativity. This vision calls for bold transformation—reimagining libraries as engines of connection, insight, and action.
Recent Presentation:
Personal & Collaborative Knowledge Management Systems: Infrastructure for Idea Management & Research (link)
In the fast-paced and increasingly interdisciplinary research landscape, effective knowledge management has become critical to the success of teams. This talk will explore the potential of personal and collaborative knowledge management systems designed to foster idea emergence, identify research gaps, and coordinate tasks across projects. By integrating foundational resources, glossaries, expert networks, and tracking future trends, these customized systems serve as essential knowledge infrastructure to support the exploration of complex, cross-disciplinary problems. Attendees will gain insights into how these tools can pragmatically accelerate research team collaboration. The session will feature a live demonstration of a prototype system designed to support both individual researchers and teams in mapping new directions for their work.
Recent Article:
Thinking Around the Box: using complementary innovation for designing programs and nurturing community
In Practical Academic Librarianship
We’ve all heard the call to “think outside the box”—but what if true innovation in libraries isn’t about leaving the box behind, but rather thinking around it? In my upcoming essay, I introduce an approach called complementary innovation, which allows us to creatively combine services, resources, and expertise to build dynamic, interconnected experiences that are both practical and inspiring.
Imagine a library that creates vibrant ecosystems tailored for diverse groups—researchers managing complex data, undergrads immersed in coursework, creatives developing new projects, or sustainability activists driving change. By layering services in ways that connect and resonate, libraries can foster community, spark collaboration, and inspire a true sense of belonging, becoming essential spaces where ideas and people flourish together.
Recent Presentation
I presented at the Internet Librarian Conference on the concept of Problem-Centered Librarianship. I explored how librarians might develop new roles as facilitators in problem-solving spaces, using systems thinking and strategic foresight to help address global challenges such as climate change, food and water security, public health, and social inequality. By drawing on their expertise in finding, organizing, and synthesizing information, as well as facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration, librarians can actively contribute to team-based initiatives and knowledge-building efforts. This talk aimed to position librarians as key partners in tackling complex, multifaceted issues, working alongside research teams to find innovative solutions.
Archiving Robots 🤖
In the "Multimodal Archives Toolkit," our team tackled the complex challenge of archiving the wide array of materials produced in the field of robotics. This toolkit provides a thoughtful approach to preserving everything from physical artifacts like machines, prototypes, and sensors, to digital elements such as code, datasets, and design documentation. By embracing interdisciplinary methods, we devised strategies to collect and steward these intricate and interconnected materials. This project embodies a forward-thinking approach to archiving, aiming to create a living repository that adapts to the evolving nature of scientific research.