Contact information
kara@tropeful.com (email)
http://www.tropeful.com (web)
Education
PhD in Library and Information Services
University of Maryland, College of Information Studies, 2007
Dissertation
Children Selecting Books in a Library: Extending a Model of Information Behavior to a Recreational Setting
Master of Library Science
University of Maryland, College of Information Studies, 2003
Master of Arts
Northwestern University, Department of English, 1997
Bachelor of Arts in English
Ohio University, Honors Tutorial College, 1995
Relevant experience
Digital Libraries & Web Production
Digital Library Manager, Jul. 2007 - present
Worthington Libraries
Worthington, OH
- » Coordinates the design, content, and implementation of library Web sites and Web services
Web Librarian, Jan. 2006 - Aug. 2006
Food Safety Risk Analysis Clearinghouse
Joint Institute of Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
- » Maintained collection of large, international, non-commercial digital library of materials for risk analysts in the field of food safety
- » Monitored, selected, and indexed Web sites for inclusion in the digital library
- » Advised team on best practices related to Web design and usability
Web Designer, Oct. 2005 - Jan. 2006
International Children's Digital Library
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
- » Redesigned and maintained small, international, non-commercial Web site
Managing Producer, Aug. 1999 - Jun. 2002
eCUIP Digital Library, Chicago Public Schools / University of Chicago Internet Project
Digital Library Development Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- » Managed all aspects of a large, local, grant-funded K-12 digital library of materials supporting Chicago Public Schools curriculum
- » Evaluated, selected, and indexed Web sites and curriculum materials for inclusion in the digital library
- » Promoted and provided training and support for use of Web site in the Chicago Public Schools
Producer, Jun. 1998 - Aug. 1999
cars.com
Chicago, IL
- » Contributed to the production of a large, national, commercial Web site as a member of the editorial staff with duties including coding and scripting, image processing, layout, and content development
- » Managed the launch and maintenance of several packages as lead producer
Research
Graduate Research Assistant, Aug. 2002 - Jan. 2006
International Children's Digital Library
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
- » Worked on interdisciplinary, intergenerational research team to develop a digital library of international children's books
- » Tested interface prototypes with children and adults in public libraries
- » Conducted a major research study on the use of the digital library by elementary school students
Usability Analyst, May 2000 - May 2001
Digital Library Development Center, University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
- » Conducted user testing with elementary school students and teachers in the Chicago Public Schools of "eCUIP," a K-12 digital library project, and "Chicago Web Docent," a K-12 museum project
- » Performed in-house user testing of the University of Chicago Library Catalog with undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and librarians
Teaching
Teaching Assistant, Aug. 2006 - Jun. 2007
College of Information Studies, University of Maryland
College Park, MD
- » Assisted in teaching online version of LBSC 601 (Information Use)
- » Assisted in preparing online version of LBSC 741 (Seminar in School Library Media Program Administration)
Instructor, Jul. 2000 - Apr. 2001
Division of Continuing Studies, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
- » Developed curriculum and provided instruction for Web Site Design 1 (HTML) and Web Site Design 2 (Web Authoring Tools)
Selected presentations
Reuter, K. (2008). "Children selecting books in a library": Implications for encouraging effective book selection. Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference: Youth Services SIG Business Meeting. January 10, 2008, Philadelphia, PA.
Reuter, K. (2008). "Children selecting books in a library": Extending a model of information behavior to a recreational setting. Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference: Awards Panel. January 9, 2008, Philadelphia, PA.
Radford, M. L., Connaway, L. S., Cooper, L. Z., Reuter, K., Zhou, N., & Agosto, D. (2007). Behaviors and preferences of digital natives: Informing a research agenda (SIG USE). Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. October 24, 2007, Milwaukee, WI.
Murray, G. C., & Reuter, K. (2005). Children's acquisition of categories and the implications for research in the development of classification schemes. 16th ASIS&T SIG/CR Classification Research Workshop. October 29, 2005, Charlotte, NC.
Reuter, K., & Druin, A. (2004). Children's book searching and selection behavior using the International Children's Digital Library. 21st HCIL Annual Symposium and Open House. June 4, 2004, College Park, MD.
Reuter, K., & Rose, A. (2003). The International Children's Digital Library. Reading the World Conference V. March 1-2, 2003, San Franciso, CA.
Cunningham, C., Lorch, B., Viltz, S., Reuter, K., Borst, J., & Thomas, C. (2001). CUIP: A university/public schools partnership supporting technology in local schools. National Educational Computing Conference. June 25, 2001, Chicago, IL.
Reuter, K., & Thomas, C. (2000). eCUIP: A digital library project. 2001: A Technology Odyssey for the New Millennium [Chicago Public Schools Principals' Technology Conference]. December 4, 2000, Chicago, IL.
Reuter, K., & Thomas, C. (2000). eCUIP: A digital library project. Rising to the Challenge [Chicago Public Schools Professional Development Conference]. October 27, 2000, Chicago, IL.
Selected publications
Reuter, K. (2008). "Children Selecting Books in a Library": Extending Models of Information Behavior to a Recreational Setting. VDM Verlag: Saarbrücken.
Reuter, K. (in press). Teaching Effective Book-Selection Strategies and Inspiring Engaged Readers in the Library Media Center. Library Media Connection.
Reuter, K. (2007). Assessing aesthetic relevance: Children's book selection in a digital library. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 58(12), 1745-1763.
Reuter, K. (2006). Greenfield, Eloise. In J. Zipes (Ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature (Vol. 2, pp. 173-174). London: Oxford UP.
Reuter, K. (2006). Hogrogian, Nonny. In J. Zipes (Ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature (Vol. 2, p. 247). London: Oxford UP.
Reuter, K. (2005). Weaving a Library Web: A guide to developing children's Websites [Book Review]. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 56(14), 1555-1556.
Reuter, K., & Druin, A. (2004). Bringing together children and books: An initial descriptive study of children's book searching and selection behavior in a digital library. Proceedings of the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (pp. 339-348). Medford, NJ: Information Today.
Professional memberships
American Library Association (ALA)
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)
Library Research Round Table (LRRT)
American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T)
Assocation for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE)
Portfolio
Access my Portfolio to view examples of my work as a Web designer, Web producer, writer/reporter, and editor.