-This interview featuring Hilary Bussell was conducted on July 10th, 2017 by Brooke Little. 

The STEAM Factory is constantly growing with new members! Each month, we will be sharing a series of interviews that feature current STEAM members. Also, look for the STEAM Member Spotlight feautures on our Facebook and Twitter! 

Meet our STEAM member, Hilary Bussell! 

Bio Summary:   

Hilary Bussell is an Assistant Professor and Subject Librarian for Political Science, Economics, and Communication. Previously she was the eLearning Librarian at Ohio University. Her research interests involve: information practices of interdisciplinary researchers, research needs of graduate students and critical information literacy. 

Brooke:   What was your inspiration to go into library and information science?

Hilary:      Before I pursued LIS, I was a graduate student in philosophy. One of my research interests was how knowledge is constructed and organized by social institutions, and how this impacts who is empowered and who is marginalized in a society. The organization of knowledge is a central question in LIS, so after deciding not to pursue academic philosophy as a career the switch to LIS made sense.

B:             What factors influenced your research interests to primarily focus on critical information literacy and information practices of interdisciplinary researchers?

H:            I became interested in critical information literacy through working with students on information evaluation, both in the classroom and in research consultations. “Information literacy” is traditionally defined as the ability to determine when information is needed, to search for, access, and evaluate that information effectively, and to integrate it within your existing system of knowledge and beliefs. We’re interacting with information environments that are becoming more abundant, decentralized, and varied, thanks to emerging forms of digital media and information. The ability to find information on a topic is easier than ever, but determining whether it’s “good” information or not is another question, and so the ability to evaluate information is even more important. At the same time, traditional frameworks for evaluation, for establishing authority and credibility, require rethinking. Critical information literacy involves understanding how cultural and socioeconomic factors, including commercial interests, shape contemporary information production and dissemination, and using this understanding as a lens for evaluating the information we consume.

My interest in interdisciplinary researchers’ information practices comes out of my own interdisciplinary background and out of my experience working with faculty to help their students gain research skills. I went to a college with a great books curriculum, where you study foundational texts in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences for all four years. This type of curriculum encourages comparing and synthesizing insights across disciplines, and this stoked my interest in understanding the value of interdisciplinary knowledge. Once I became a librarian, my interest focused in on the information practices and information seeking-behavior of researchers doing interdisciplinary work. I’m interested in how someone who is an expert in one area goes about searching for and engaging with information in a new discipline. What challenges do they face, and how do they overcome them?

B:              What do you love most about your field of study?

H:              Like many subject librarians, I work with several academic departments. In this capacity, I offer one-on-one consultations with individual researchers and teach classes on research skills and information literacy tailored to particular course assignments. This opportunity to work with students and faculty in different disciplines is exciting, because I get to work on some fascinating research and because I see different curricular trends that are going on across campus. In particular, I love that I work with students at different stages of development as researchers, from first semester undergraduates all the way to folks working on their dissertations. It is fascinating and rewarding to help students gain expertise and autonomy as researchers.

B:               How many countries have you visited?

H:               Fifteen

B:               Which one was your favorite? Why?

H:                Italy. The food.

B:                Are you planning on traveling anywhere soon to conduct research?

H:                Not to conduct it, but I hope to present the results of some research at a conference in Spain next year.

B:                What current projects are you working on?

H:                 I’m working on a qualitative study of gender practices in librarianship, along with two researchers at institutions in California and Oregon. We finished our data collection this spring and are in the middle of analysis.

I’m also in the literature review/preparation phase for a study looking at the role librarians play in interdisciplinary research.

B:                What are your biggest pressing questions?

H:                Just like the rest of academia, libraries can be siloed by discipline. With increasing interest in interdisciplinary collaboration, how can libraries and librarians play an active role in facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations?

Another question I think a lot about is information literacy in the current age of digital media. There has been a lot of talk recently about misinformation and fake news, and the need for a more information literate citizenry. What will this entail? Will focusing on critical thinking about information stop the spread of misinformation? How do we encourage people to reflect more on their own biases and their emotions shape their responses to information?

B:                Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

H:                Hard to say! I’m about a year into the tenure process, so my focus right now is on establishing my research and teaching agendas. I would love the chance to develop courses at OSU in the area of critical information literacy. And I hope to establish partnerships with others who are excited about interdisciplinary research.

B:                 What have you enjoyed most about working at The STEAM Factory?

H:                 On such a huge campus, it’s great to have a space that encourages folks to come together and not only share their research but find connections and shared interests across what on the face of it might seem like radically different fields. The STEAM Exchanges are particularly good opportunities for this.

B:                 Favorite genre and/or favorite book?

H:                 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1 by Michel Foucault.