A Scholarly Communication Librarian has joined the Claire T. Carney Library team this Fall! Although the position is new, Emma Wood has been with the university for 13 years, including as a librarian at the UMass Law Library where she assisted students and faculty with legal research. She is interested in supporting research and publication on campus as well as promoting OERs (free and low- cost teaching materials). Read on to learn more about our new librarian.
What is a Scholarly Communication Librarian?
It’s an exciting and relatively recent development in the world of librarianship. I have the opportunity to enhance and encourage scholarship on campus by supporting research and publication. This means meeting with faculty to help to make their research and scholarly articles more discoverable, creating faculty profiles, and by identifying resources to help with their digital projects. For example, I hope to see an online repository of faculty scholarship developed in the near future. I will also work with students on data management tools and best practices and will provide reference help. An important part of my job will be getting the word out about the advantages of Open Educational Resources, not only how they save students money but also how they improve teaching/learning in the classroom. Everyone benefits from accessible, affordable textbooks and class materials!
Where are you from and where did you go to school?
Way out in the western part of the state – The Berkshire Mountains – a town called Adams, MA. I moved to Dartmouth more than a decade ago to work at UMass Dartmouth. I received my undergraduate degree in English/Communications from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and I completed my Masters in Library Science at Simmons College (now Simmons University) in Boston, MA.
What are your hobbies/interests?
Food, travel, 80s movies, books, cats, writing, Stranger Things, Cobra Kai, and metal bands!
What are you looking forward to this fall semester?
I’m eager to get to know more UMass Dartmouth faculty members and their research interests. Not only is their teaching important to our success, but the articles and original studies and projects they produce are vital to our culture and profile as a university. I’m looking forward to working with both faculty and students to enhance the resources they need to find, produce, and disseminate scholarly works. And I am thrilled to be working with open education materials – a concept that has interested me since my time as a student trying to buy textbooks and as a librarian helping students get access to what they need for class.
What do you want students and faculty to know about you?
That I am dedicated to supporting them, and I want the library to be everyone’s favorite place!
How can someone contact you?
Email me at emma.wood@umassd.edu or call 508-999-8681
Interested faculty members are encouraged to schedule a Scholarly Check-In with me where we can discuss ways to increase the visibility and discoverability of your scholarly publications. You may also schedule an OER Consultation to consider free and low-cost materials that you may integrate into your classes.
Are you a student who has experienced the benefits of low or no cost textbooks or a faculty member who uses OERs? I want to hear from you!
