I am a doctoral candidate in Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. My research focuses on public library storytime praxis, children’s librarians’ professional learning, early literacies, and equity in library and educational settings. My work brings together my background as a former children’s librarian with critical qualitative research in literacy and learning.
Current Research Focus
- public library storytimes and storytime praxis
- children’s librarians’ professional learning
- autoethnography as method
- discourse, practice, and professional identity in children’s librarianship
Dissertation Focus
My current doctoral research examines storytime praxis in public libraries, with attention to how ideas about literacy, childhood, families, and equity circulate through professional learning texts, programming practices, and institutional discourse. I am especially interested in the relationship between what librarians are taught, what they enact in practice, and what remains difficult to address within existing early literacy frameworks.
Theoretical / Methodological Interests
My work is informed by critical literacy, sociocultural theory, critical discourse analysis, and qualitative approaches that connect professional practice with institutional and cultural contexts.
Related Areas
- children’s and young adult literature
- storytime and early childhood education
- public librarianship and community engagement
- professional development and learning cultures
- equity in education
Ellen at the Library 