It is significant that John calls Jesus “the Word” in his gospel (John 1:1,14). Jesus is the ultimate Source of truth and reality. He, as the Word, is the archetype of meaning found in language, communication, information. All of scripture indicates that words have value. They signify—point to—reality. Scripture admonishes us, among other things, to “rightly handle the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and to “be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:15). As Christian educators, our responsibility is to teach students to correctly employ language, to handle information with integrity (for example, protecting copyright and avoiding plagiarism), and to be excellent in our academic pursuits. As a Christian librarian, teaching students to be information literate—one of our profession’s main objectives—entails helping them to do due diligence in their research, to properly use others’ works, and to think critically about the information they receive. It is my job to help students make judgments about the quality and correctness of the sources they unearth. As an educator and a believer, it is also a part of my job to encourage them to not give up their pursuit when they don’t initially find pertinent sources. The Apostle Paul said “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23, emphasis mine); this certainly applies to conducting oneself in an academic environment. I believe the Lord is glorified when we do our work with integrity and excellence.
My graduate education took place at the School of Information Sciences (now the College of Communication and Information) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Although the philosophical underpinnings of Information Science have broad applications, I chose coursework specifically designed to prepare students for a career in academic libraries. My first professional position was as a Reference and Instructional Librarian at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. My second position brought me back to my alma mater, Bryan College, where I stayed for 10 years, first as the Outreach Librarian and then as the Quality Enhancement Plan Coordinator, a position tied to the accreditation/ reaffirmation process. I joined the King University Libraries team as Electronic Resources Librarian in February 2015.
In addition to information science as it relates to the world of higher education, I am also interested in First Year Experience theories and practice and in promoting and supporting undergraduate research.
M.S., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. May 2002. Majored in Information Science, with an emphasis on Academic Library Reference and User Services.
B.A., Bryan College, Dayton, TN. May 2000. Majored in English Literature.
Bryan College’s Quality Enhancement Plan Report (2014).
Tenopir, C., King, D.W., Boyce, P.B., Grayson, M., & Paulson, K. (2005). Relying on electronic journals: Reading patterns of astronomers. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 56(8), 786-802.
Paulson, K. (2003). Recruitment, education, and retention of librarians: A response to the top issues. College & Research Libraries News, 64(2), 89.