The past year has been one of achievements, professional growth, and scholarly excellence for the employees of the University Libraries. Through research publications, conference presentations, professional awards, and newly earned certifications, library faculty and staff have demonstrated their commitment to advancing within the library profession, supporting academic success, and contributing to the university’s mission of teaching, learning, and research. Please find our listings below:
Presentations
Mark Coltrain and Emily Kader
- A panel presentation at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference.
Mark Coltrain and Celine Shay
- Exploring the Lenoir Family Papers. [presentation] Watauga County Historical Society Annual Meeting, Boone, NC.
Mark Coltrain
- Avery County community history listening night, part 1 and 2. [presentation] Avery County Morrison Public Library.
- An Introduction to the Appalachian Oral History Program. [presentation] Blowing Rock Historical Society Annual Meeting, Blowing Rock, NC.
- Exploring the Appalachian Oral History Project. [presentation]. App State presents speaker series, Blowing Rock, NC.
Laura Langberg, Mollie Peuler, and Dusty Ross
- A panel presentation: “Liberating the Classroom”; presented at the 45th Annual Gender Studies Symposium.
Emily Kader
- A panel presentation at the New River Symposium.
- Presentation at the Watauga County Historical Society.
Whitney Bevill and Veronica Wells
- Poster presentation – “Decolonizing the Stacks: A Diversity Audit of Indigenous Literature”, poster presentation at ALA in Chicago
Agnes Gamble
- “Idea to Impact: Crafting Concept Papers with Purpose” at a joint workshop with UNC Asheville and Appalachian State University
- “Deaccessioning and Transferring Oral History Collections” at the 18th Bridging the Spectrum Symposium at Catholic University of America
- “Research Refresh: IP and Copyright” with the Office of Research and Innovation
- “Writing Copyright Colloquium” at Tulane Law School
- “New Licensing and Label Frameworks for Creators in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” at the ABC Copyright Conference in Alberta, Canada
- Enabling Lawful Uses in Publisher/Vendor Contracts” at the University Information Policy Officers Annual Meeting at Yale University
- “Designing Open Repository Agreements for a Generative AI World: Mitigating Risks While Enabling Open Knowledge Exchange” at the international Open
- Repositories annual meeting, “Scholarly Publishing Partnerships Through Book Proposal Development” at the Library Publishing Forum
Publications
Bill Pillow
- Poems in Floyd County Moonshine journal – Issue 18.2. https://www.floydshine.com/
Allan Scherlen
- Poems in Appalachian Journal Autumn 2026 vol 54 (no.1),p. 85.
- “Trees Grow Among Stone” As the Crow Flies, An Open-Access Expansion of Appalachian Journal (upcoming).
- “ Brown Beneath Snow”, Appalachian Journal,
- Poems in the Bacopa Literary Review, Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG), Florida Oct 2026
- “The Urine Bag”, “Leaning on a Cane,”
- Poems in SHIFT Literary Magazine Vol 8 a Publication of MTSU Write, Middle Tennessee State University, August 2026.
- “Flying Free,” “Sunset-in-a-Box”, “Shrunken Balloon,” & “The Glorious Toilet Bowl Brush
- Poem in Write Pittsburgh; New Dawn: An Anthology of Writers in Recovery, July 2026
- “Frozen Sunflowers,”
- Poem in The Bluebird Word, July 2026
- “Bury the Watchman,”
Sharon Taylor
- Poems published in Wingless Dreamers Publishing and Poet’s Choice Publishing
Emily Kader
- Editors’ Column, Appalachian Curator (ongoing)
Agnes Gambill
- “The Uneasy New (Artificial Intelligence) Relationships: Tech, Publishers, and Authors in Academic Publishing” in the Journal of the Copyright Society
- “Successful Marketing Strategies for Scholarly Communications” in the American Library Association’s RUSQ: A Journal of Reference and User Experience.
Breanne Crumpton, Jackie Eagleson, Laura Langberg, Dusty Ross
- Information literacy: What it is and how to teach it. In N. J. Bird & M. A. Crumpton (Eds.), Academic libraries: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.
Awards
Jewel Davis – Governor’s Awards for Excellence for Public Service
Angela Howell – Elected to the Society of NC Archivists Executive Board as Member at Large
Kari Salisbury – Member of the Governance Council for the North Carolina Preservation Council
Greta Browning – Elected to the Society of NC Archivists Executive Board as Conference Planning Chair
Certifications
Kelly Burkett completed Crest Summit Series and PACE Recertification
Andrea Stephens completed Crest Summit Series