Erin Ackerman (Assistant Director for Public Services, Social Sciences Librarian)
ackermae@tcnj.edu
Erin Ackerman coordinates the library’s public services activities and serves as subject specialist for the social sciences. She is also an adjunct professor in TCNJ’s Department of Political Science. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the Johns Hopkins University and an MLIS from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Before becoming a librarian, she was assistant professor of political science at John Jay College, the City University of New York (CUNY). Her research and teaching interests include collection management, research training and strategies of early career academic librarians, American law and politics, gender and politics, and information literacy in the social sciences. Her research has been published in several academic journals, including The Journal of Academic Librarianship and Law & Society Review. She is also the author of a chapter in They Say/I Say on writing in the social sciences. She is active in ACRL’s Politics, Policy, and International Relations Section (PPIRS), and has served as PPIRS chair.
Terrence Bennett (Business/Economics Librarian)
tbennett@tcnj.edu
Terrence Bennett has more than twenty years of experience as an academic librarian. Before that, he had a career as a corporate tax accountant, and worked in the publishing industry in editorial production. In addition to his MS in Library Science from the University of Illinois, he holds an MBA from Tulane University and a BA from The Catholic University of America. His research interests include explorations of research data services in academic libraries, as well as issues in information literacy among undergraduate business students. See more on his ORCID profile.
Amanda Cowell (Engineering, Physical Sciences, and Web Design Librarian)
cowella@tcnj.edu
Amanda Cowell serves as the subject liaison for all departments in the school of Engineering as well as Physics, Math, Computer Science, Design and Creative Technology, and Integrative STEM Education. Before taking on her current role, she spent ten years as the Emerging Technologies and Digital Projects librarian, identifying, evaluating, and promoting current and emerging best practices in the application of web and digital technologies to improve teaching and learning effectiveness at the Gitenstein Library. She also spearheaded the library’s archival digitization program including the digitization of the full run of TCNJ’s student newspaper The Signal. In addition to her MLIS from Rutgers University, she has a BS in Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology and a MBA from Rutgers University. Before coming to TCNJ she worked as the technical lead for Brooklyn Visual Heritage at the Brooklyn Public Library and as a digital archivist at Rutgers University. Prior to becoming a librarian, she worked as an engineer designing real-time software for radar applications. Her research interests focus on how technology can be used in the library to improve library services and information literacy education.
Linda Dempf (Music and Media Librarian)
dempf@tcnj.edu
Linda Dempf is the Music and Media Librarian and also serves as subject librarian for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She earned her DM in music (horn) from Indiana University Bloomington, where she also earned her Masters of Library Science. Her research interests include settlement music schools, the history of all-women orchestras in the U.S., and bringing to light new and old repertoire for the horn. An avid natural hornist, she has performed with period instrument ensembles throughout the United States and has recorded on the Chandos, Naxos, and Cedille labels. [Photo credit Robyn Graham Photography]
Ewa Dziedzic-Elliott (Education Librarian)
dziedzie@tcnj.edu
Ewa Dziedzic-Elliott serves as the subject librarian for all departments in the School of Education. She has 10 years of experience as a K-12 librarian, including work in both elementary and high school settings. She holds an MLIS from Rutgers University and an MA in Polish Language and Literature with a minor in Speech Therapy from Jan Kochanowski University, Poland, EU. She also holds NJ supervisor and principal certifications. Her research interests include research skills of high school and first year college students; diversity and equity in collection management; and barriers to information, especially in the immigrant, multicultural, and bilingual communities. She has published in the Journal of Academic Librarianship and Library Connections. She is an executive board member for New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) and currently serves as NJASL President.
Rebeca Jefferson (Health and Life Sciences Librarian)
jeffersr@tcnj.edu
Dr. Rebeca Jefferson is the Health and Life Sciences Librarian, serving as subject librarian for biology, as well as the health sciences, including nursing, public health, and kinesiology. In addition to her MA in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she is also a Doctor of Medicine, having completed her MD at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She completed a specialty residency in psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, and spent years in clinical practice prior to starting her library career. Prior to coming to TCNJ, she worked in digital asset management and research support at Promega, a global biotech company based in Wisconsin. Her research interests include the implementation of inclusive teaching practices in science, information literacy in the health and life sciences, and barriers to access to sexual health information.
Forrest Link (Acquisitions Librarian)
linkf@tcnj.edu
Forrest Link spent over twenty-five years in the book distribution industry, assisting academic libraries throughout the country in refining their collection development policies and processes. A one-time Latin teacher, he holds a Masters degree in Classics along with his MLS. His research interests include following trends in the publishing industry, especially as they relate to promoting scholarly access, and he has written several articles on e-book marketing and applications. He has served on the editorial board of Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS), a leading library journal.
Jia Mi (Electronic Resources/Serials Librarian)
jmi@tcnj.edu
Jia Mi has been the Electronic Resources/Serials Librarian at The College of New Jersey since September 2003. She is responsible for providing electronic resources access and coordinating collection development and maintenance of online databases, electronic journals and print serials subscriptions. Prior to working at TCNJ, she worked as a System Analyst at Factiva, a Dow Jones & Reuters Company, from 1999 to 2003. Her experience included working as an Electronic Resources Librarian at Rutgers University Kilmer Library and Saint Peter’s University Library. She holds MLS, MBA and MIS degrees. Her primary research interests are electronic resource accessibility, digital libraries and the complexities in translating print to electronic formats.
David C. Murray (Humanities Librarian)
murrayd@tcnj.edu
David C. Murray’s thirty years of experience in both academic and public libraries includes a 12-year stint as the History and Spanish Librarian at Temple University Libraries. He holds, in addition to his MS, LIS, a second interdisciplinary masters degree with a focus on the art and archaeology of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. His research interests include the intersection of print and digital cultures in the humanities; information literacy, particularly in the field of history; and reference services. He served as chair, History Section of RUSA, American Library Association in 2015-2016. See more on his ORCID profile.
John T. Oliver (Information Literacy Librarian)
oliverj@tcnj.edu
John T. Oliver coordinates instruction at Gitenstein Library and specializes in the information skills learning of first-year students. He teaches IDS 102 (“Information Literacy Proficiency”), a mandatory library skills and academic research course that is a graduation requirement for all TCNJ students. He holds an MLIS from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and an MA in Cognitive Studies in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before becoming a librarian at TCNJ, he was a health sciences librarian at Columbia University Medical Center. He earned his undergraduate degree (in English) at TCNJ. His research interests include best practices in multimedia teaching and learning; information literacy, especially in first-year students and other students in transition; and strategies and supports for librarian collaboration with campus partners. See more on his ORCID profile.
Lisa Roe (Reference & Instruction Librarian)(Part-Time)
roe@tcnj.edu
Lisa Roe joined TCNJ in 2004 and has over twenty years of experience as an academic librarian. Before becoming a librarian, she worked in corporate training and development and in roles to support individuals with special needs. She is an adjunct professor in TCNJ’s Liberal Learning Program and holds both an undergraduate degree in Communication and an MLS from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Her research interests include strategies for inclusion in academic libraries and the roles of reference services for marginalized students.
Debra Schiff (Archivist and Special Collections Librarian)(Part-Time)
schiffd@tcnj.edu
Deb Schiff joined TCNJ in early 2020 as its first Archives Librarian. She received her MLIS from Rutgers University and BA in Communication — Radio, Television, and Film from William Paterson University. She has served as a consulting archivist for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) since 2015. Previously, she held Archivist and Librarian positions at Chester Public Library, Plainfield Public Library, and Historical Society of Plainfield. She served as an officer of the NJLA History & Preservation Section from 2014-2017 and the SAA Lone Arrangers Section from 2014-2019. She also served on MARAC’s Programming, Mentoring, and Local Arrangements Committees. Schiff received the 2020 NJLA Susan G. Swartzburg Preservation Award for developing and presenting basic archival skills workshops for public librarians and local historians throughout New Jersey.
Bethany Sewell (Access Services and Reference Librarian)
sewellb@tcnj.edu
Bethany Sewell earned her MLS from Indiana University, as well as undergraduate degrees in philosophy and visual arts from the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to joining the faculty at TCNJ as the Access Services/Reference Librarian, she served as the Access Services Librarian at the University of Denver. Her research agenda is focused on best practices for user-centered access services and she has presented and published on topics such as interlibrary loan, document delivery, and managing library access services departments. At the national level in the library profession, she has been active in the Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section of the Reference and User Services Association division of the American Library Association. See more on her ORCID profile.
Yuji Tosaka (Cataloging/Metadata Librarian)
tosaka@tcnj.edu
Yuji Tosaka joined the library faculty in 2008 from OCLC, a non-profit global library cooperative in Dublin, Ohio. He is primarily responsible for cataloging library materials in all formats and performing authority control and catalog database maintenance working with the Head of Cataloging and Metadata. He holds an MLIS from Kent State University, as well as a PhD in history from The Ohio State University. He has written and presented on various cataloging and metadata topics, such as professional continuing education, cataloging standards and practice, and the use and value of bibliographic data in online library catalogs. See more on his ORCID profile.
Valerie Tucci (Emeritus)
vtucci@tcnj.edu
Valerie Tucci has over forty years of experience working in scientific, engineering, and computer science libraries in the industrial sector along with approximately ten years working in academic libraries. Her industrial experiences include managing Library and Information Services and Research Quality at Air Products and Chemicals in Allentown, Pa. and Library Research Manager at NEC Research Institute in Princeton. She holds a BA in chemistry, an MLS in Library and Information Services, an Advanced Certificate in Information Science and is ABD in the Library and Information Science PhD program at the Univ. of Pittsburgh.
Yongming Wang (Systems Librarian)
wangyo@tcnj.edu
Yongming Wang manages library systems, including Alma, which supports online library operations, and TCNJ’s digital repository (https://dr.tcnj.edu), which collects, preserves, and provides access to the college’s scholarly output and archives, etc. He applies and integrates information technology in library services and operations. His research interests include the application of information technology and open-source software in library and information science, digital library, data analytics, data visualization, research data management, digital humanities, and artificial intelligence and machine learning.