Rachel is an academic instruction librarian interested in (M)LIS education, information literacy, student-centered librarianship, critical library practice, mentorship, and feminist management/ supervision. As Head of Teaching & Learning Services at the University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries, Rachel oversees a team of amazing librarians and graduate students. Together, they maintain a 5k person instruction program, provide teaching support for Libraries staff, and create outreach and learning opportunities for UMD graduate and undergraduate students. Rachel's research interests center on intersections between librarianship and student affairs, resistance and conformity among middle managers, joy and belonging in library practice, and professional identity development among librarians. She has a BA in Art History (2010) and MSIS (2012) from the University of Tennessee (go Vols!) and an MA in English Literature (2014) from West Chester University. In 2017, she started her Ph.D. in Student Affairs. Rachel is a co-founder of the Fellowship and is proud to have helped lead the program since its inception in 2015.
Lindsay is the Head of Research Education and liaison to the Second Language Acquisition program at UMD Libraries. Lindsay manages the Libraries' Open Educational Resources initiatives, provides pedagogy training to library faculty and staff, and teaches undergraduate information literacy and research skills. Lindsay is also a doctoral student in the College of Education's Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy program, where her research focuses on the experiences of international students on US campuses with an emphasis on language, race, and identity. Lindsay has worked with the Fellowship since she joined the Libraries in 2017.
Ben is one of the two Teaching and Learning Librarians at UMD Libraries. Ben is the library liaison to the Academic Writing Program (AWP), and coordinates the Libraries' ENGL101 instruction program. He also serves as a course instructor for LBSC 750 and LBSC751, two of the one-credit courses required for the Fellowship. He is passionate about the role of teaching in libraries, promoting exploration of books and primary sources, and encouraging students to explore the library as a space for joy and personal self-development. His current research is focused on information literacy education about artificial intelligence. Ben is a former MLIS student at UMD and Graduate Assistant at McKeldin, and an official affiliate and fan of the Fellowship.
Amber is one of two Teaching and Learning Librarian in Teaching and Learning Services at UMD Libraries. She oversees outreach and support to special populations within McKeldin Library, such as the Gemstone program, Honors Colleges, high schools, and more, in addition to providing one-shot instruction for ENGL101 classes. Amber has served as a course instructor for LBSC 751, LBSC 752, and LBSC 734. As a former community college librarian, Amber is interested in the transfer experience, student-centered pedagogy, and exploring new methods of enhancing students' information literacy skills. Amber holds a B.A. in Literature from Stockton University and an MLIS from UMD. She is an alumna of the Research and Teaching Fellowship's class of 2020 cohort.
N. Yasmin Bromir (she/her)Yasmin is an MLIS student and a Graduate Assistant in the Libraries' Teaching and Learning Services unit. She has over ten years of experience working in both academic and public library systems. Yasmin presented at MLA's virtual Annual Conference in May 2021, "Integrating Difficult Conversations into Children’s Programming", and recently co-published her first paper, "Integrating Immigrants into the US LIS Profession: Findings from a Pilot Collaborative Project".
Yasmin serves as Vice-President of the REFORMA Mid-Atlantic Chapter and recently completed her term with the 2023 Pura Belpré Award Selection Committee. She graduated from Wingate University with her B.S. in Educational Studies in Elementary Education.
Daria is an MLIS student focusing on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She previously worked as a Digital Navigator Library Associate with the DC Public Library. Prior to pursuing her MLIS degree, Daria was the Advisory Director for Corporate Ethics and Integrity at Gartner, a technology and business advisory company. She earned her BA in Political Science at The Ohio State University and her Master of Public Administration at the Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State.
Daria's interests include academic librarianship and community archives, especially in an LGBTQ+ context, information literacy, digital literacy, cycling, bouldering, and beekeeping.
Suzy was the Teaching & Learning Librarian at UMD Libraries and an alumna of the Research & Teaching Fellowship. From 2018 - 2022, she worked closely with the fellows and managed the first-year library instruction program for UMD's Academic Writing Program (ENGL 101). Suzy was instrumental in helping to grow and sustain the Fellowship and the program would not be what it is today without her leadership. She is now a formal Friend of the Fellowship and continues to support Fellows and Alumni of the program.
Alex serves as a liaison librarian for the School of Engineering and STEM academic units within the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt, supporting the research of faculty and developing curriculum-integrated information literacy instruction programs for students in the sciences. Previously, Alex was the Lead Librarian for Research Engagement and the Research Librarian for Engineering and Biotechnology at the NC State University Libraries. Prior to joining NC State, Alex was the Agriculture and Natural Resources Librarian at the University of Maryland. Alex was a co-founder of the Fellowship and was formally involved with the program administration from 2015-2016 and maintained a role as a research collaborator from 2017-2018. Alex is now a formal Friend of the Fellowship and continues to support current Fellows and Alumni.
