I am an Associate Professor at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS),
Faculty of Education, at the University of Alberta. I received my PhD from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the
University of Western Ontario and I am a proud alumna of the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta where I completed my MLIS.
My program of research centers upon using critical approaches to interrogate and critique conceptions of data, information, and knowledge and their attendant systems, platforms, and information institutions. I am particularly interested in the cognitive and social aspects of human information interaction and understanding people’s status as knowers (epistemology), social locations, and the broader social forces that shape people’s interactions with information. My previous work has examined mental health and currently, I am collaborating with Dr. Tanya Berry and Dr. Colleen Norris in a project examining the information practices of women with heart disease and with Dr. Danielle Allard and Angela Lieu, I am engaged in a research project that draws from intersectional feminist anti-violence frameworks to examine patron-perpetrated sexual harassment in libraries. My research interests include the following:
My program of research centers upon using critical approaches to interrogate and critique conceptions of data, information, and knowledge and their attendant systems, platforms, and information institutions. I am particularly interested in the cognitive and social aspects of human information interaction and understanding people’s status as knowers (epistemology), social locations, and the broader social forces that shape people’s interactions with information. My previous work has examined mental health and currently, I am collaborating with Dr. Tanya Berry and Dr. Colleen Norris in a project examining the information practices of women with heart disease and with Dr. Danielle Allard and Angela Lieu, I am engaged in a research project that draws from intersectional feminist anti-violence frameworks to examine patron-perpetrated sexual harassment in libraries. My research interests include the following:
- human information interaction, particularly in consumer health contexts
- public libraries, qualitative research, and critical approaches to the library and information professions
- publishing and media industries as they relate to the information professions
- knowledge production, dissemination, and reception
- LIS education
