Librarianship

 

I am a supervisory librarian in Discovery and Preservation Services at the Library of Congress, where I oversee cataloging and bibliographic control activities for serials publications in arts, humanities, and sciences received via US Copyright. My current interests in librarianship include library leadership and theory, information literacy, scholarly communications, and the history of books, libraries, and publishing. I previously served as a theology librarian and library director at Wesley Theological Seminary, where I supervised and led all aspects of the library’s operations, strategic planning, and collection development, and was personally responsible for information literacy instruction, e-resource management, and scholarly communications. As a member of the administrative faculty, I worked with teaching and administrative colleagues in curricular planning, instructional design, and institutional assessment. I continue to maintain active interests in theology and religious studies librarianship and scholarly communications.

     A graduate of The Catholic University of America (MS in Library Science, 1992), I have over two decades’ professional experience in a variety of libraries and special information centers. Although my education focused on the book arts (special collections and rare books), the majority of my experience was in reference, research and instruction, and information services, before moving into library administration and leadership. 

Partial CV

 

Memberships:

  • Atla (formerly, the American Theological Library Association), 2013–present

Presentations:

  • Presider, “A Question of Identity: Vocation, Professionalization, and Atla Membership.” Atla Annual Conference (Vancouver, BC), 2019.

Publications:

  • “Uncertainty and Resilience: Experiences at Theological Libraries During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Megan Welsh, Ian Burke, and James Estes, in Theological Librarianship 14:1 (April 2021).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.31046/tl.v14i1.2729
  • Shifting Stacks: A Look at the Future of Theological Libraries in Celebration of Atla’s 75th Anniversary. Matthew Collins, James Estes, and Myka Kennedy Stephens (2020).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.31046/atlaopenpress.39
  • “A Question of Identity: Vocation, Professionalization, and Atla Membership”. James Estes, Shaneé Yvette Murrain, Sandy Shapoval, and Megan Welsh, in Summary of Proceedings: Seventy-third Annual Conference of Atla (Atla, 2019).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.31046/proceedings.2019.1611
  • “The Merits and Mandate of Professional Development — or, What Happens When a Theology Librarian Reads The Economist,” ATLA Newsletter (March 10, 2017)

Service:

  • Atla Editorial Board (Books @Atla Open Press), 2018–2022
  • Atla Professional Development Committee, 2014–2018

For more information: