Writing. Research. Education.

Building social impact spaces. 

Intellectual curiosity and a love for research combined with a passion for learning and knowledge has gifted me with unique communication, information management, and technology skills.  I’m privileged by my higher education, academic librarianship, and pioneering experiences with networked library systems, online learning, digital libraries, and open access digital repositories.

My Ph.D. is in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Joining the program at a critically transformative time for libraries, I received an interdisciplinary education in traditional and emerging digital libraries.  My dissertation integrated research and design. I investigated user behaviors, and then, using the WWW technologies and standards I transformed a print journal. I created a prototype hypermedia journal for information work in the health sciences.

I have taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Santa Barbara, and University of Arizona, Tucson. My research has been published in ISI-ranked peer reviewed Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Journal of Education for Library and Information Science Education, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Journal of Documentation, Knowledge Organization and presented at international and national conferences such as the European Conference on Digital Libraries and the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries.  My professional honors include:  A Library Journal Movers & Shakers award given to those shaping the future of libraries for my pioneering work establishing dLIST the first open access repository in the multi-disciplinary Information Sciences; American Library Association and the Library of Congress for my pioneering work with Metadata education; Digital Library leadership from the American Society for Information Science and Technology;  Outstanding faculty award for teaching, School of Information, University of Arizona, Tucson, and numerous others.

I want to make a difference.

I am a scholar leveraging my classical library, communications, digital media, and instructional technologies expertise for social justice.  I aim to empower learning, increase awareness to build strong communities, and improve the quality of life for all people.  I am a PC(USA) ordained Deacon, anti-racism facilitator, contemplative, and lay theologian who teaches Bible Studies and crafts liturgies integrated with the practice of mindfulness.  I am trained facilitator for the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.

In 2012, I began to experiment with publishing and writing creative realism genres that combine the power of literary research, macro-social statistics, local theologies, and intimate, personal narratives.  Such writing has often brought activism into my life.  I try to extend grace to all people, including faith leaders, and publicly elected officials. Being a voice of hope and healing in polarizing situations is my hall-mark.  I’ve been called a “change agent”, an “innovation champion” and “Barnabas” after the New Testament character who was so encouraging that it became his name!

In 2015, I founded the Anti-racism Digital Library and International Anti-racism Thesaurus.  I continue to curate it and have presented two papers about how the ADL can be used to teach anti-racism along with the ACRL Information Competency Framework at the 2016 and 2017 Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association. 

In 2018, I increased awareness of the OC homelessness crisis by founding Irvine for Everyone, a grassroots advocacy initiative and community education campaign.  To demystify homelessness, I created the I4E /Housing for Everyone digital library and housing hub.  I am grateful to the PC(USA), Presbyterian Women, Inc., friends from interfaith groups, clubs, and non-profits for coming alongside as partners.

Reading, gardening, yoga, dance, volunteering, digital photography and droning, while also spending time with family and friends are some of my favorite activities.

Thank you for visiting.

Anita Coleman, Ph.D., M.S. Ed., MS.L.S.