Jillian is the Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian at Rolvaag Memorial Library. In her role, she connects faculty, staff, and students with various primary sources in Special Collections and Archives through class sessions, events, and exhibitions. Jillian is passionate about creating hands-on opportunities for people to explore the library’s collections and hopes people view Special Collections and Archives as a “lab” for the liberal arts. Paraphrasing Michael Suarez S.J., Director of Rare Book School, engaging in bibliographic or archival research requires us to think about the lost human labor that was essential to producing a book or to building the St. Olaf community and to take that labor out of the realm of nostalgia. Instead, students working with our collections are invited to discover and learn how to describe the human presences in original materials.
In 2020, Jillian was selected as a M. C. Lang Fellow in Book History, Bibliography, and Humanities Teaching with Historical Sources. She is eager to work with faculty to create a community of practice centered on special collections and archives instruction.
Areas of interest and expertise
- Artists' books
- Bookbinding
- Exhibitions
- History of the book and print culture
- History of book illustration
- Outreach and social media
- Primary source literacy
- Special Collections and Archives management
I can help you
- Develop students' primary source research skills
- Explore the Rolvaag Memorial Library Special Collections and College Archives
- Integrate special collections and archival material into your curriculum
Education
- MLIS with Certificate in Book Studies, University of Iowa (2015)
- MA, English with a concentration in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Victoria, BC (2012)
- BA, English and French & Francophone Studies, Creighton University (2011)