The San José State University (SJSU) School of Information has hired Dr. Mary Ann Harlan, an iSchool alumna and lecturer, as an assistant professor and coordinator of the Teacher Librarian program. Harlan brings a wealth of research and experience in teacher librarianship and youth services to the tenure-track position.

“It is a pleasure to be joining the iSchool in this capacity,” said Harlan. “I am deeply connected to the Teacher Librarian program, and am excited that I can deepen my work with the program and explore some new opportunities for the students.”

Harlan has already been coordinating the fully online Teacher Librarian program at SJSU, and has also worked as a teacher librarian herself in Arcata, California, and in San Lorenzo, California. In her new assistant professor position, she will supervise field placements for students in the program at locations that vary from urban schools to isolated rural schools. She will be responsible for preparing assessment and accreditation reports for the program and will also represent the iSchool at state, national, and international professional meetings.

Harlan received her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree from SJSU in 1999. She completed her PhD from the San José Gateway PhD program, a partnership between the SJSU School of Information and the Queensland University of Technology, in 2012. She has conducted research on the information practices of youth content creators, adolescent learning, and information literacy, and plans to continue working in these areas in the future. “I am very happy to have an opportunity to continue and extend my research in teen information practices, connected learning, and school libraries,” said Harlan.

Harlan will teach online courses for students in the MLIS and Teacher Librarian programs on the topics of administration, instruction, and common core in K-12 school libraries. She expressed excitement to begin the next phase of her work with the students and faculty at the School of Information. “I have a deep respect for the faculty and am thrilled to continue working with them,” remarked Harlan. Her new role as assistant professor officially begins in August 2015.