LEADERSHIP

Keren Dali, Ph.D. - Convener/Communication Coordinator

Associate Professor, University of Denver

Dr. Keren Dali is Associate Professor at the Research Methods & Information Science Department, U of Denver. Her primary research interests are community engagement in libraries; inclusion at the workplace; relationships between LIS and Social Work; disabilities; LIS education with the focus on humanistic pedagogies; and reading practices of adults. With the background in Social Work and LIS, Dr. Dali holds the Outstanding Instructor Award from the iSchool, University of Toronto; the Connie Van Fleet Award and the Norman Horrocks Leadership Award from ALISE; and the David Cohen/ EMIERT Multicultural Award 2018 from ALA, and several paper and reviewer awards from Emerald. Her research has been funded by IMLS, SSRHC, and ALA, among others.

Contact: Keren.Dali@du.edu

Andrew Smith, Ph.D. - Convener

Associate Professor, Emporia State University

Dr. Andrew Smith, an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University, studied at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, Georgia State University, Atlanta, and the University of Aberystwyth in Wales. He was a Robert T. Jones Memorial Scholar at Emory University and in 2015 was elected a Visiting Professor of the University of Belgrade, Serbia. He has previously served SLIM in both Dean and Associate Dean positions. Dr. Smith developed Emporia's Global Experience program and has led 17 international study trips. He has taught extensively in the field, currently concentrating on collection development, library advocacy, and multiple literacies. Current interests include diversity, equity and inclusion; open access materials for teaching and scholarship; genealogical information provision; and grassroots digitization.

Contact: asmith37@emporia.edu

Kim Thompson, Ph.D. - Convener

Professor, University of South Carolina

Dr. Kim M. Thompson is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the College of Information and Communications and Professor in the School of Information Science at the University of South Carolina. Her research has a principle focus on the relationship between information access and social inclusion. She uses critical and qualitative methods to examine conceptualizations of digital inclusion, information access, and information poverty. Some of her current work includes analysis of inclusive/exclusive language in library job ads in Australian and United States contexts and considerations of how to set diversity more deeply into the LIS curriculum.

Contact: KTHOMPSO@mailbox.sc.edu

Brady Lund, Ph.D. - Website Manager

Assistant Professor, Information Science, University of North Texas

Brady Lund is an Assistant Professor of Information Science at the University of North Texas. He received a bachelor's of arts degree in communication science and disorders (speech pathology/hearing science) from Wichita State University, and a MLS and Ph.D. from Emporia State University. He has published several articles and books on the topic of disability and inclusion in higher education and librarianship.

Contact: Brady.Lund@unt.edu

https://infosci.wixsite.com/bradylund

Clayton Copeland, Ph.D. - Webinar Co-Coordinator

Instructor, University of South Carolina

Dr. Clayton A. Copeland is on faculty with School of Information Science, University of South Carolina. She is Director of the Laboratory for Leadership in Equity and Diversity (LLEAD) and helps manage the Linda Lucas Walling Collection for Universal Access. Her research, teaching, and service focus on equity of access to information for underserved populations, Universal Design, Universal Access. Dr. Copeland’s research is among the first to explore the lived experiences of library patrons with disabilities. Offering comparative analyses of patrons who are typically-able and those who are differently-able, her work explores equity, access, and inclusion pertaining to the physical environment, the virtual environment, and interactions among library patrons and staff.

Contact: copelan2@email.sc.edu

Kevin Mallary, Ph.D. - Webinar Co-Coordinator

Assistant Professor, Library & Information Studies, Old Dominion University

Dr. Kevin J. Mallary is an Assistant Professor in Library & Information Studies at Old Dominion University. His research explores (a) the delivery of innovative library and information services for patrons with disabilities (e.g., assistive technologies), (b) disabled patrons' use of accessible information for enhancing their well-being, and (c) the implementation of Universal Design for Learning in library and information science education.

Contact: kmallary@odu.edu

Mirah Dow, Ph.D. - SIG Advisor

Professor, Emporia State University

Mirah J. Dow is Professor, and Director of the Ph.D. program in the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University. She has written 40 articles and book chapters and one book. She was the founding Director of the Kansas Resource Center on Autism at The Teachers College, Emporia State University, a collaborative project with the TEACCH® Autism Program, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Her research has been funded by Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services; the Donald D. Hammill Foundation, Austin, Texas; and the Laura Bush 21st Century Library Grant, Institute of Museums and Library Services. She received the Kansas Association of School Librarians, 2014 Vision Award. Dr. Dow is an American Library Association Libraries Transform Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities Advisor selected for experience with community engagement, disability services, and developing local programs for public audiences. She received the 2019 Beta Phi Mu Award recognizing an individual for distinguished service to education for librarianship.

Contact: mdow@emporia.edu

Deborah Charbonneau, Ph.D. - SIG Advisor

Associate Professor, Wayne State University

Dr. Deborah Charbonneau is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Sciences at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She currently teaches courses in library management, health informatics, information policy, and research methods. Deborah completed her PhD in Sociology at Wayne State University, and she holds a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She is the recipient of the 2014 Donald A. B. Lindberg Research Fellowship from the Medical Library Association. Deborah was also selected as a 2015 recipient of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) New Leaders Award. Prior to joining the faculty, she held positions at the Vera P. Shiffman Medical Library at Wayne State University and the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library at the University of Utah. Her research interests include outreach, health literacy, consumer health, health informatics, and accessibility in libraries. She has been an invited guest speaker to health departments, community groups, and public libraries.

Contact: dcharbon@wayne.edu

Laura Clark Hunt, Ph.D. - SIG Advisor

Assistant Professor, Library & Information Science, University of Southern Mississippi

As an Assistant Professor at The University of Southern Mississippi School of Library and Information, Dr. Laura Clark Hunt has served in libraries for over ten years. Her experience has involved public and academic libraries in management, programming, and collection development roles. Her dissertation focused on emergent literacy in public libraries and was celebrated as one of the most notable dissertations for 2017 by American Libraries https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/05/01/2017-notable-dissertations/. As her postdoc, she served as the assessment coordinator for FPAN and then went on to work as an academic library director. She is positioned to pursue research in public and academic libraries through collaborative research projects focused on interdisciplinary discovery. Evaluation and assessment focusing on Needs-Based Research are at the core of her interest. Her research interests include cultural heritage, assessment in libraries, censorship, library users with disabilities, and library management.

Contact: Laura.ClarkHunt@usm.edu

The leadership of the “Disabilities in LIS” SIG consists of the following positions:

All of the below positions are volunteer-based. Individuals can remain in each position indefinitely (continuously) or choose not to continue at the end of each year. If an individual decides not to continue in their position the following year, they need to declare their intent to resign no later than three months before the ALISE conference. If individuals decide to resign, convener(s) will issue a call for volunteers to fill the respective position.

Convener(s). There may be one to three conveners each year. Conveners change after the annual ALISE conference. If there are fewer than three conveners left after the conference, the remaining convener(s) will issue a call for volunteers to the SIG members and the attendees of the conference SIG session. Conveners are responsible for all related SIG communication; communication with the Board on ad-hoc and ongoing matters; submitting the annual SIG report at the end of the cycle; planning the conference SIG session; planning and carrying out the annual SIG business meeting during the conference; organizing ad-hoc meetings of the leadership team; ensuring minute taking at all meetings; overseeing information on the SIG website (https://lisdisabilities.wixsite.com/home); other duties as needed. Duties are divided among the conveners as agreed upon.
Treasurer. A treasurer is responsible for communicating with the ALISE Board regarding possible funding for SIG activities and, time-permitting and as required for SIG activities, seeking external funding or support.
Webinar Coordinator. A webinar coordinator is responsible for organizing at least one webinar per year. There may be more than one webinar coordinator.
Website Developer. A website developer is responsible for maintaining the SIG website, https://lisdisabilities.wixsite.com/home including the membership section. There may be more than one website developer.
Social Media Coordinator. A social media coordinator is responsible for creating and maintaining the SIG social media presence. There may be more than one social media coordinator.
SIG Advisor. A SIG advisor is an individual who lends their knowledge and expertise to help with decision making and document preparation. There may be more than one SIG advisor.

Even when all leadership positions are filled but other SIG members express interest in joining the SIG leadership, they will be welcomed to join continuing leaders in their chosen roles. This will ensure an influx of new ideas and diversify the SIG.