Karina Kletscher

Hello! My name is Karina Kletscher and I am an emerging professional in my first year of academic librarianship. I am currently the Reference and Instruction Librarian at Creighton University's Health Sciences Library on the new Phoenix Health Sciences Campus.

 

I graduated with my MLIS from the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. There I served as a Research & Teaching Fellow and the Graduate Assistant for Teaching & Learning at UMD Libraries. While I was originally drawn to an MLIS to increase accessibility and outreach archives, I fell in love with teaching information literacy and supporting research. My other professional interests include library and cultural programming, critical pedagogies, and student success.

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Prior to starting a second career, I worked at University of Southern California as an events coordinator dividing my time between Academic Events (putting on Commencement and New Student Convocations) and Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative bringing in writers, performers, advocates, and beyond for free cultural programming. I love to bring people together to celebrate each other's achievements and inspire and empower one another by sharing our stories, backgrounds, and ideas. I earned my BA in Narrative Studies from USC, minoring in American Popular Culture. I love to think about how the ways we express ourselves in the things we create and consume reflect how we see -- or wish to see -- ourselves in the world.

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Between my background in cultural heritage institutions and higher education as both a volunteer and staff member, I have over a decade of experience in events and programs, advancement, and collections outreach and instruction. 

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My mission as an academic librarian is to ensure the library is a welcoming, inclusive space where the campus community feels safe to engage in open inquiry and transformational growth.