James
Elmborg |
 |
I have been at The University of Iowa since the fall of 2000 and
am currently the Director of the Library and Information Science program.
In addition to working in Library and Information Science, I have an appointment in the Project On Rhetoric of Inquiry (POROI), and I am affiliated faculty with the Language, Literacy, and Culture Ph.D. program in the UI College of Education. Before coming to Iowa, I was an academic librarian. My most recent position
was in South Carolina as the Andrew Mellon Librarian for Information
Technology at Furman University and Wofford College. As librarian for
the Mellon grant, I did workshops for faculty and librarians to help
them use internet technologies in teaching and learning. Before that
time, I was Head of Library User Education at Washington State University,
Pullman. Before I became a librarian, I was an English teacher. I taught
composition and literature for twenty years at both high school and
college levels. My Ph.D. is in American poetry.
Research
My research deals with information literacy in general, and its implementation in library practice specifically. I see information literacy in the context of student learning, so I am interested in how information literacy fits into the general education and development of college students. My writing is related closely to literacy studies and is informed especially by studies in new media literacy and by critical literacy theory. I draw extensively on research in composition studies because of the long tradition of theoretically rich, pragmatically oriented work done by composition and rhetoric scholars. I see the "handling" of information as a key component of rhetoric--one of the primary ways that academic writers establish credibility and demonstrate that they belong in a given academic culture. I am increasingly convinced, in fact, that the distinction between teaching writing (composition ) and teaching research (information literacy) is artificial and that these activities can be better described and taught as one literacy practice.
The Virtual Writing University
Since 2003, I have supervised
a team of graduate students who work in the International Writing Program
as digital librarians. This program has been funded by the Graduate
College and by a Major Project Grant from the Arts and Humanities Initiative
at t he University of Iowa. The students work in the Shambaugh House
(the home of the IWP) where they are engaged in creating a research
archive for scholars and students interested in the 1,000 writers who
have visited Iowa City during the thirty-five years of the International
Writing Program's existence.
This project has grown to be part of the Virtual Writing University,
a group of scholars and writers at The University of Iowa who use digital
technology to expand the definitions of writing and art. The project
grows from Iowa's reputation as The Writing University. The University
of Iowa was the first university in the United States to grant graduate
degrees for creative projects--a practice that evolved into the MFA.
Iowa's Writers Workshop has been recognized as a leader in developing
young writers through the MFA. The Virtual Writing University aims to extend
this writing tradition into the evolving digital environment. Major
participants in the project include the International Writing Program,
POROI (Project on the Rhetoric of Inquiry), Intermedia, the Graduate
College, and the writing units on campus.
Links:
The Virtual Writing University Website
Virtual Writing University Partners:
The
International Writing Program
POROI
Intermedia
ACRL
conference presentation about the IWP Archive
If you have questions about the Virtual Writing University, feel free to email me at the above address. I would be happy to provide more information.
Selected Recent Publications:
Elmborg, James K. (2006) "Critical Information Literacy: Implications for Instructional Practice." Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32(2 ), 192-199.
- Library Instruction Round Table "LIRT Top Twenty" publication of 2006
Elmborg, James K. ( 2006) "Locating the Center: Libraries, Writing Centers and Information Literacy. Writing Lab Newsletter.
Elmborg, James K. (2006) "Libraries in the Contact Zone: On the Creation of Educational Space." Reference User and Services Association Quarterly, 46(1), 56-64.
- Winner of 2007 References Services Press Award for the best article in the last two years of the RUSA Quarterly
- Winner of 2007 ACRL/IS Ilene F. Rockman Award for Outstanding Publication of the Year
- Finalist for outstanding book of 2005, International Writing Center Association
Elmborg, James K. and Pawley, Christine. "Historical Research as Critical Practice and Relationship: The Carnegie Libraries in Iowa Project." Journal of Education in Library and Information Science. 44:3/4 (Summer/Fall 2003).
Elmborg, James K. "Information Literacy and Writing Across the Curriculum: Sharing the Vision." Reference Services Review. 31:1 (2003).
- Library Instruction Round Table "LIRT Top Twenty" publication of 2003
- Winner of the ACRL Instruction Section's Outstanding
Publication Award of 2003
Classes I teach
(including syllabi) are:
Reference
User
Education/Multimedia
Scholarly
Domains
College
and University Libraries
Information LIteracy
