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Laura Burt-Nicholas

Associate Professor/Science Librarian

Education

  • 2016 Educational Research Methodology Certificate, University of Illinois at Chicago
  • 2005 MLS and M.A. in History, Indiana University - Bloomington
  • 2002 B.A. in History and English, Northern Michigan University, 2002

Work Experience

  • 08/2013--present, Reference Librarian at the College of DuPage Library
  • 05/2010--08/2013, Head of Instruction at North Park University
  • 09/2005--05/2010, Reference and Instruction Librarian at North Park University

Publications & Presentations

PUBLICATIONS

  • “A Tale of Two Literacies: Merging Information Literacy and Scientific Literacy in a Learning Community,” in Pinkley, Janet and Kaela Casey (eds.). The Community College Library: Instruction and Reference. Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), 2022.
  • “Making Research Real: Focusing on Community-based Sustainability,” Focus on Educating for Sustainability: Toolkit for Academic Libraries. Library Juice Press, February 2014.
  • Review of Mentoring In The Library: Building For The Future by Marta K. Lee. Public Services Quarterly 8, no. 1 (2012): 64-65.
  • Review of Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data by Nicole C. Engard, ed. Public Services Quarterly 6, no. 4 (2010): 274-375.
  • Review of Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your Academic Library by Barbara Jones. Public Services Quarterly 5, no. 4 (October 2009): 275-276.
  • Review of Designing the Digital Experience: How to Use Experience Design Tools and Techniques to Build Web Sites Customers Love by David Lee King. Public Services Quarterly 5, no. 3 (2009) 203-4.
  • “Vivian Harsh, Adult Education, and the Library's Role as Community Center,” Libraries and the Cultural Record 44, no 2 (2009) 234-255. Review of Web 2.0 for Librarians and Information Professionals by Elyssa Kroski. Public Services Quarterly 5, no. 1 (2009) 52-53.
  • Review of Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow’s User ed. by Nancy Courtney. Public Services Quarterly 4, no. 3 (2008) 247-248.
  • The Changing Faces of Liberty: Interpretations of the Statue of Liberty, co-authored with John Bodnar, Jennifer Stinson, and Barbara Truesdell. (National Park Service manuscript).

PRESENTATIONS

  • “Scientists Who Changed the World,” with Kathleen Hess, Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Purdue, IN, August 2022.
  • “Science, Society, and Social Media,” with Beth Shaffer-McCarthy, National Learning Community Conference, virtual, October 2021.
  • “Fake Science: Training Students to Critically Read Research Articles,” with Beth Kirkpatrick, Forward Focus Conference, Peoria, IL., October 2018,.
  • “They Said What? Designing and Implementing an Ethnographic Study for Your Library,” with Derrick Willis, Forward Focus Conference, Peoria, IL. March 2016.
  • “Studying Up: Designing an Ethnographic Research Study and Marketing Library Spaces and Services to Students,” with Derrick Willis, IACRL Conference, Rosemont, IL. June 2013
  • Poster Presentation, “Plastics Recycling: A Service Learning Project in the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Curriculum, with North Park University and the City of Chicago as Community Partners,” with Kaitlin Dailey and Isabel Larraza, 43rd National Organic Chemical Symposium, Seattle. May 2013.
  • “The MOOC and The Library: How Massive Online Only Courses Could Change the Future of Library Instruction,” LOEX Conference, Nashville, TN. October 2011.
  • “Beyond a Virtual Center: Infusing Collaboration in a Silo Institution,” co-lead with Carol Martin, Director of the Writing Center at NPU, Chicagoland Writing Tutors in Collaboration, Chicago, IL. November 2008.
  • “Research as Writing Process: A Library/Writing Center Collaboration,” co-lead with Carol Martin, International Writing Centers Association Conference, Las Vegas, NV. July 2007.
  • Roundtable Discussion “What Academic Librarians Can Learn from Public Librarians and Vice-Versa,” co-lead with Uri Toch, Schaumburg Township District Library, ACRL Conference, Baltimore, MD January 2007.
  • “Celebrating Freedom, Celebrating the Statue: Statue of Liberty Commemorations,” Daughters of the American Revolution Centennial, Bloomington, Indiana chapter.

Special Projects

IMLS Grant

See the results pf the IMLS Grant ethnography that I completed with COD anthropology professor Derrick Willis

Internal COD projects: 

  • Student Research Symposium
  • Sustainability Film Festival, sponsored by a COD Foundation Resource for Excellence Grant, 2016-2020

 

Information Literacy Focused Special Projects

Courses Taught

  • Science, Society and Social Media, a COLLG 1116 & BIOLO 1100 learning community with Beth Schaffer-McCarthy, Fall semesters
  • It's Our World: Making Environmental Decisions We Can Live With, A COLLG 1116 & BIOLO 1110 learning community with Shamili Ajgaonkar, Spring semesters

My Guides

  • URL: https://library.cod.edu/burtnicholas
  • Last Updated: Mar 14, 2023 11:36 AM
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