Evan Kuehn
PhD, University of Chicago
Assistant Professor of Information Literacy
North Park University
What are your main duties at your library?
I am an instruction librarian and subject liaison for the Health Sciences, Education, and the Division of Sciences.
What do you like best about your job?
I really enjoy being able to consult with students and faculty on individual research projects. It helps me to learn more about the literature on a specific topic, and to be a part of what is happening across the university.
What are you working on now that you’re excited about?
Last year North Park hosted the first Chicago Research Summit, a gathering of librarians and faculty involved in Chicago-based pedagogy and research for undergraduates. I’m excited to be working on the planning for the next Summit and hope to see a lot of LIBRAS folks there.
What does librarianship mean to you?
Librarianship, for me, is about collecting and describing the stuff that provides a basis for new knowledge in communities. I like how Vesa Suominen describes this: the library sits “on top of what literature has produced,” and this is the basis for the library’s bibliographic and educational purposes.
What do you think is the most important challenge or opportunity for libraries going forward?
The global problems for which universities prepare their students are becoming more complex, and equipping students to engage with these problems is difficult even in the best of circumstances. Amidst this challenge, I think libraries have a great opportunity to coordinate with each other in consortial settings. I have always worked in Chicago-area libraries and one thing I love about this region is that there is a lot of great collaboration ongoing between institutions. I’ve learned so much from a lot of wonderful people.
What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?
I’m reading Carlos M. N. Eire’s Reformations: The Early Modern World, 1450-1650. I’m listening to Nori’s Reversing Climate Change podcast.
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy fiddling around in my garage and backyard. When I had more time, I used to do a good bit of homebrewing and cider making.