Upcoming Presentation
I’m presenting at the upcoming CNI Fall Meeting in December. Abstract: 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.
Thinking Around the Box: using complementary innovation for designing programs and nurturing community
Forthcoming in: Practical Academic Librarianship
Expected December 2024
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.
In the works
I'm working on a book about Transition Design, a framework for tackling complex problems by creating equitable, sustainable, and desirable long-term change. This approach encourages us to look at the bigger picture, understanding how different challenges are connected and why it's important to address the root causes rather than just the symptoms. Transition Design focuses on finding a multitude of interrelated solutions that work together for lasting change. In the book, I explore how this framework can be used not just in libraries but also in archives, museums, galleries, and parks. By bringing these organizations together, we can act as facilitators and partners, creating networks that work collaboratively to address important issues in innovative, creative, and meaningful ways.
Working with changemakers to shape the future, I envision libraries as sources of creativity and connection. By bringing people and ideas together, we can tackle today’s great challenges and design transformative, sustainable solutions for tomorrow.
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.