Karen Elizabeth Downing
(734) 615-8610 Work
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~kdown/karen.html
EDUCATION:
1987-89 THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Master of Information and Library Studies. Specialization in Academic
Libraries.
1979-82 THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Bachelor of Arts - Major, History of Art with additional emphases
on Communications, Geological and Archaeological Sciences
1978-79 EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY - General Studies
WORK EXPERIENCE:
7/95-Present UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, University of Michigan -
Senior Associate Librarian. Assistant to the Dean for Cultural
Diversity and Staff Development Officer.
- Provide leadership, guidance, and assistance with the development,
facilitation, implementation, and evaluation of library diversity
initiatives in the areas of human resources, user services, and
collection management.
- Facilitate communication and perform liaison functions between
library administration and library unit activities.
- Work with various university officers and constituents.
- Represent the Dean and the Library at appropriate meetings
and professional activities.
- Establish outreach mechanisms for increasing people of color
in applicant pools for all library positions.
- Administer Staff Development Program and Continuing Education
activities.
- Monitor allocation, expenditures, and encumbrances of staff
development budget ($58,000).
- Work with Library administrators and managers to establish
and ensure cohesive organizational change efforts.
- Coordinate librarian recruitment.
8/91-7/95 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, University of Michigan - Associate
Librarian. Coordinator of Academic Outreach Services.
- Designed and implemented a full range of undergraduate outreach
projects and services for the campus community to foster information
literacy
- Built liaisons and program partnerships with academic and
academic support units across campus
- Coordinated Peer Information Counseling Program (a minority
student retention program)
- Supervised directed field experience students (outreach interns)
- Academic Resource Center - responsible for facility, staffing
and programming of the campus-wide peer tutorial center.
- Reference, collection development, and user instruction responsibilities.
- Interim Coordinator of Collection Development (July 1993-February
1994) - managed a $300,000 collection budget, coordinated selection
activities of UGL selectors, implemented several special collection
projects
8/89 - 8/91 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, University of Michigan - Assistant
Librarian. Research Resident.
- Coordinated Peer Information Counseling Program - trained,
supervised and evaluated 10-14 students at Reference desk and
computing center. Managed PIC budget ($20,000)
- Reference - staffed busy reference desk, developed and revised
pathfinders, bibliographies, etc.
- Collection Development - areas of selection/deselection included:
American History, History of Art, Language, Literature and History
of Africa, Asia and Oceana
- Research Resident - planned and participated in series of
residency seminars, planned and implemented a qualitative research
project
- Bibliographic Instruction - conducted hundreds of course related
and course integrated instructional sessions using active learning
and conceptual frameworks, developed ties with faculty and student
support personnel
9/88 - 8/89 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, University of Michigan - Technical
Library Assistant I, Assistant to the Head of the Undergraduate
Library.
Coordinated national conference, assisted with signage project,
related special projects. MIRLYN Implementation, Reserves Committee
Liaison.
1986-88 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, University of Michigan - Technical
Library Assistant I, On-Demand Services.
- Assigned to any unit in the Library system to assist with
staffing. Assignments included:
- Physics/Astronomy Library - Circulation and ready reference
responsibilities
- Mathematics - Technical processing, ready reference, circulation
responsibilities
- Natural Science Library - Supervisor, circulation. Responsible
for hourly circulation staff, hiring, and scheduling. Responsible
for daily operation of library.
- Taubman Medical Library - Responsible for timely flow of interlibrary
loan requests
- Cooperative Access - Interlibrary Loan, Graduate Library.
Responsible for RLG and non-RLG requests and replies, 747-FAST
Faculty delivery service. Supervisory responsibilities, training
of replacement supervisors.
1985-86 CARSON PIRIE SCOTT - Executive Assistant.
Coordinated activities for cosmetics division within a large 20-chain
Chicago-based retail department store. Responsible for all monthly
divisional reports including advertising, budgets, and promotional/marketing
schedules and programs. Assisted Divisional Merchandise Manager,
Vice-President and eight Buyers.
1985 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, University of Michigan - Library
Assistant III, On-Demand Services.
- Worked successfully in many divisional libraries as well as
many units within the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library.
- Library Personnel - Responsible for recruitment and replacement
of 200-400 student employees. Coordinated library's work-study
job fair for Fall '85.
- Graduate Library Reference Department - Assisted public in
finding proper resources at Catalog Information Desk.
- Circulation Department - Provided factual information to public
on library procedures, performed all circulation functions.
1979-85 ANN ARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY - Circulation Assistant.
Worked with public in circulation capacity, assisted in training
and scheduling hourly workers, coordinated special youth programs,
produced and scheduled display exhibits on a monthly basis.
SERVICE:
School of Information and Library Studies
Homecoming Events Committee, 1990, 1991 Diversity Planning Committee,
1988/89
Martin Luther King Diversity Day Planning Committee, 1987/88
American Society for Information Science, Student Chapter Secretary,
1987-89
American Library Association
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) - 1997 National
Conference Planning Executive Committee 1995-97
Co-Chair, Contributed Papers Subcommittee, 1995-97
Council Committee on Minority Concerns, 1994-96
President's Committee on Cultural Diversity, 1991-93
ACRL/Bibliographic Instruction Section (BIS) - Instruction for
Diverse Populations Committee 1991-93, Chair 1992-93
Junior Members Round Table (JMRT), 1988-90
Minorities Recruitment Committee, 1989/90
Grassroots Grant Committee, 1989/90
University Library
Librarians' Forum Continuing Education Committee, 1995-
Librarians' Research and Creative Projects Committee, 1993- (chair
1993-94)
Staff Recognition Awards, We Did It Celebration Committee, 1993-95
Library Diversity Committee, 1992-
MLK Convocation Committee, Chair, 1992/93
User Literacy Committee, 1992
NOTIS Circulation Training Committee, 1989
NOTIS Circulation Implementation Team, 1988/89
Amity Program Committee, 1987/88
University of Michigan
Search Committee - Associate Director of Academic and Multicultural
Initiatives, 1995
Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs,
Committee on a Multicultural University, 1993-94
Recreational Sports and Facilities Advisory Committee, 1995-97
MLK Day - Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs,
Programming Committee, Co-chair, 1992/93
Association of Black Administrators & Professionals Salary
Equity Committee, 1992
Women of Color Conference Resource Committee, 1991/92
MEMBERSHIPS:
- American Library Association, 1987-
- New Member's Roundtable, 1987-91
- ACRL, 1988-
- B.I.S. 1991-
- American Association of Public Workers, Staff Development
and Training Section, 1995-
- Association of Black Administrators and Professionals, 1988-
- School of Information and Library Studies Alumni Society,
1989-
- University of Michigan Multi-Racial/Cultural Group, 1989-
- University of Michigan Alumni Association, 1982-
- Women's Faculty Association, 1990-92
PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS:
Downing, Karen and Lynn Westbrook. Freshman Year Experience Conference,
Austin, TX, April 1990. "Multiple Needs, Multiple Solutions:
Partnerships in the Electronic Information Age."
Downing, Karen and Joseph Diaz. American Library Association,
Poster Session, Chicago, IL, June 1990. "Promoting Diversity:
A Library's Leadership Role."
Downing, Karen and Joseph Diaz. Freshman Year Experience Conference,
Long Beach, CA, February 1990. "Promoting Diversity: A Library's
Campus Role."
Downing, Karen. Midwestern Conference on Ethnic Diversity, Champaign,
IL, October 1991. "Forming Partnerships on Campus: The Multi-Racial/Multi-Cultural
Group."
Downing, Karen and Miriam Willard. American Library Association,
Poster Session, San Francisco, CA, June 1992. "The Rise in
Research Interests Amongst Students on The Topic of 'Race Mixing'."
Downing, Karen. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, October
1992. "Peer Information Counseling."
Downing, Karen. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, June 1993.
"Diversifying Services to Undergraduate Students."
Downing Karen and Valarie Ashby. The Upside of Downsizing, Conference
on Bibliographic Instruction, University of California, Santa
Barbara, CA, March 1994. "Peer Information Counselors: Experienced
Students Assist Librarians in Extending Bibliographic Instruction
Programs."
Downing, Karen and Charles Ransom. MLA Annual Conference, Grand
Rapids, MI, October 1994. "Incorporation Diversity into Bibliographic
Instruction Activities."
Downing, Karen. Information Anxiety Conference, SUNY-Buffalo,
October 1994. "Information Anxiety Amongst Diverse Students."
Downing, Karen and Charles Ransom. School of Information and Library
Studies Brown Bag Lunch Series, November, 1994. "Incorporating
Diversity into Library Services."
PUBLICATIONS:
Downing, Karen. "Multicultural Services at the Undergraduate
Library," chapter in Cultural Diversity In Libraries,
edited by Donald Riggs. Neill Schuman Publishers: New York, 1995.
Downing, Karen, Barbara MacAdam and Darlene Nichols. Reaching
a Diverse Student Community. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT,
1993.
Downing, Karen and Joseph Diaz. "Instruction In A Multicultural
Environment," chapter in Learning To Teach. ALA Bibliographic
Instruction Section, 1992.
Downing, Karen. "Affirm Multicultural Heritage." Michigan
Daily (March 29, 1989) p 4.
AWARDS:
- 1993 Beta Tau Mu,-Service Excellence Award
- 1993 Academic Initiatives Award - for excellence in service
- 1987-1989 Opportunity Award, University of Michigan School
of Information and Library Studies
- 1982 Outstanding Service Award, for work as Publicity Director
of Central campus dormitories
- 1979 Dean's List, three semesters, Eastern Michigan University
COMPUTER and OTHER SKILLS:
Experience with Macintosh, IBM compatible (Windows/DOS) and UNIX
systems, online database searching on Wilsonline, Dialog, and
BRS. Telecommunications (email, telnet, conferencing) Internet:
Gopherspace, WWW. MIRLYN (NOTIS). GEAC, RLIN. Word processing,
Spreadsheeting, Presentation software. Authoring: ProducerPro,
HTML.
M-Quality: Concepts and Practices, Team Leader Training, Team
Facilitator Training.
REFERENCES:
Present and past employers have indicated they would be delighted
to provide references upon request.
(Rev.1/96)