Statement of Research Interests and Experience

My research interests are in the areas the history of books, libraries and librarianship. With a PhD in American history, I study the role of books and records in society and explore how libraries represent the culture and values of their time and place. My publications have examined the feminization and professionalization of librarianship, documented the ideas and contributions of some of the field’s pioneers, and surveyed the role libraries play in community formation.

Possible PhD Thesis Topic Areas

• History of libraries and other information environments and centers
• History of LIS education
• Women in librarianship

Ten Representative Publications

• Hansen, D. (Forthcoming). Oral history in libraries and archives. In M. Bates et al. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 3rd ed. New York: Taylor and Francis.
• Hansen, D, (2017). Library wars: The making of librarianship at the Los Angeles Public Library, 1890-1910.  Libraries: Culture, History and Society, 1(1), 97-125.
• Hansen, D. (2014). First class: Pioneering students at San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science, 1928-1940. Student Research Journal 4(1).
• Wakimoto, D. K., Hansen, D. G., Bruce, C. S. (2013). The case of LLACE: Challenges, triumphs, and lessons of a community archives. American Archivist 76(2), 438-457.
• Hansen, D. (2013). Depoliticizing the California State Library: The political and professional transformation of James Gillis, 1899-1917. Information & Culture 48(1), 68-90.
• Hansen, D. (2010). A Pioneering and independent spirit: The history of San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science. Victoria, BC, Canada: Trafford
• Hansen, D. (2006). Libraries and the immigrant in the American West. In G. M. Bakken & Alexandra Kindell, Encyclopedia of immigration and migration in the American west. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
• Hansen, D. (2006). Libraries and the immigrant in the American West. In G. M. Bakken & Alexandra Kindell, Encyclopedia of immigration and migration in the American west. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
• Hansen, D. (2004). Virginia Haviland, librarian, author, critic. In S. Ware (Ed.), Notable American women: A biographical dictionary, volume 5, 1976-2000. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Hansen, D. (2004). Professionalizing library education, the California connection: James Gillis, Everett Perry, and Joseph Daniels. Library Trends, 52(4), 963-987.
• Hansen, D. (2004). Virginia Haviland, librarian, author, critic. In S. Ware (Ed.), Notable American women: A biographical dictionary, volume 5, 1976-2000. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Hansen, D. (2004). Professionalizing library education, the California connection: James Gillis, Everett Perry, and Joseph Daniels. Library Trends, 52(4), 963-987.
• Hansen, D. (2003). Clubs (women’s) in the west. In G.M. Bakken & B. Farrington (Eds.), Encyclopedia of women in the American west. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Hansen, D. (2000, Spring). A lion in the hennery: Charles F. Lummis and the Los Angeles Public Library, 1905-1910. Vitae Scholasticae, 10, 5-33.
• Hansen, D., Gracy, K. & Irvin, S. (1999, Fall). At the pleasure of the board: Women librarians and the Los Angeles Public Library. Libraries & Culture, 34, 311-346.
• Hansen, D. & Irvin, S. (1996). Interactive video and female learning. Feminist Collections, 17(2), 13-15.
• Hansen, D. (1989/1990 ). Ethnic studies in Orange County [Resources and Research Materials Section]. Journal of Orange County Studies, 3/4, 80-64.
• Hansen, D. with Hansen, A., et al., comps. (1995). Annotated bibliography for Manzanar National Historic Site. Fullerton: California State University, Fullerton, for the National Parks Service.

Professional Memberships and Related Matters

I have served as an officer in the American Library Association’s Library History Round Table, California Library Association’s Library History Round Table, and the Society of California Archivists Publications Committee.