Professional Documents
Culture Documents
E-mail: abigail.phillips@usu.edu
Website: www.abigailleighphillips.com
Twitter: @abigailleigh
EDUCATION
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Editorial Intern, Journal of Education in Library and August 2012 August 2013
Information Science (JELIS), Tallahassee, Florida
Librarian, Lee County Library, Leesburg, Georgia July 2008 July 2012
Library Assistant, Lee County Library, Leesburg, Georgia August 2006 June 2008
TEACHING
Adjunct
Masters Level:
Assessing and Improving Your Librarys Social Media Presence (Fall 2016)
Undergraduate Level:
Lead Instructor
Undergraduate Level:
Teaching Assistant
Undergraduate Level:
Masters Level:
Guest Lecturer:
Information Needs of Young Adults, Masters level course, School of Information, Florida State
University (Fall 2014)
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Information Ethics for the 21 st Century, Undergraduate level course, College of Communication
and Information, Florida State University (Fall 2015)
Information Needs of Young Adults, Masters level course, School of Information, Florida State
University (Fall 2015)
Assessing Information Needs, Masters level course, School of Information, Florida State
University, (Fall 2015)
Information Ethics for the 21 st Century, Undergraduate level course, College of Communication
and Information, Florida State University (Spring 2016)
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at particular risk for cyberbullying,
as they often have difficulty understanding social norms and communication patterns. These
differences in understanding communication can make these individuals targets for bullying
behaviors. As demonstrated in popular press and recent research, cyberbullying is a pervasive
problem among young adults ages 12 to 18. However, cyberbullied youth with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) have received little interest from researchers. Through a mixed method approach,
my colleague, Amelia Anderson, and I are investigating how librarians can better prepare
Vitae for Phillips 5
individuals with ASD to navigate communications in the online environment both to avoid
cyberbullies and to appropriately address conflict when cyberbullying occurs.
The Empathetic Librarian: Rural Librarians as a Source of Support for Rural Cyberbullied
Young Adults
The primary focus of this dissertation is the integration of two perspectives: young adult
perceptions of librarian support for cyberbullied youth and librarians perceptions of the support
they provide cyberbullied youth. The integration of these perceptions will culminate in practical
recommendations regarding cyberbullying support for school and public librarians. Using video
autoethnographies and interviews with rural young adults, school librarians, and public
librarians, my research will highlight the types of support cyberbullied young adults need and the
ways in which librarians can provide this support. I successfully defended my dissertation on
Monday, February 8, 2016 and I am currently working on several journal articles based on this
dissertation.
Lets Facebook It: Promoting Library Services to Young Adults Through Social Media
In this exploratory mixed-method study, I investigated how librarians use social media to
engage with young adult patrons and what roles these librarians perceive social media as having
for promoting library services. Additionally, the professional roles and responsibilities young
adult librarians perceive themselves portraying to young adult patrons through their librarys
social media presence are examined. In June 2015, I published an article in Public Library
Quarterly that focused on findings culled from the first part of this study (an online survey).
Currently, I am writing another paper incorporating the findings from both parts of this study
(surveys and in-depth interviews).
Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy as Means of Preventing Cyberbullying Among Young
Adults
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Information ethics is deeply rooted in the issue of cyberbullying. At the core of
cyberbullying are unethical online behaviors and the poor online relationships of youth.
However, this is one area where librarians and LIS researchers can help. This paper will
introduce digital citizenship and digital literacy as possible avenues for preventing cyberbullying
from occurring among young adults. Additionally, the paper will discuss the importance of
including digital citizenship and digital literacy in LIS curriculum. Digital citizenship is critical
for the intervention of cyberbullying. Through training on digital citizenship and digital literacy,
librarians can educate young patrons on ethical, safe, and responsible online activities. Along
with instructing future librarians in the basics of digital literacy and online behaviors, LIS
educators must incorporate digital citizenship into relevant coursework. Librarians can use this
information and training to develop programming, workshops, and training sessions for at-risk
youth once employed in libraries
After hearing from the young adult participants in my dissertation about anonymity,
pseudo-anonymity, drama, and cyberbullying, I am interested in delving deeper into the
perceptions, motivations, and views of this age group regarding cyberbullying. I believe that by
learning more about what teens truly perceive as drama, cyberbullying, and online aggression,
we can develop better ways to prevent and intervene in cyberbullying and support young victims.
Additionally, my teen participants discussed their library use (or lack thereof) in the
interviews for my dissertation. Because of these interviews, I have become interested in the
future of library services for youth. Recently, the Young Adults Library Services Association
(YALSA) released a report, The Future of Library Services For and With Youth: A Call to
Action which encouraged aspects of my dissertation work and continues to serve as an
indication that more research is needed into the future of youth services. I am excited about the
possibilities of learning more about what changes need be made to library services for young
adults and how we can best meet the needs of this young and vibrant age group.
PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Journal Articles:
Phillips, A. (2014). More than just books: Librarians as a source of support for cyberbullied
young adults. Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, 4(1). Retrieved from
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/jrlya/2014/05/more-than-just-books-librarians-as-a-source-of-
support-for-cyberbullied-young-adults/.
Phillips, A. (2014). Systematic marketing facilitates optimal customer service: The marketing
audit of a rural public library system. Public Library Quarterly, 33(3), 1-16.
DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2014.937212
Phillips, A. (2015). Facebooking it: Promoting library services to young adults through social
media. Public Libraries Quarterly. 34(2), 1-20.
Lee, V. R., Lewis, W., Searle, K. A., Recker, M., Hansen, J., & Phillips, A. (Under Review).
Supporting interactive youth maker programs in public and school libraries: Design
hypotheses and first implementations. In P. Blikstein & D. Abrahamson
(Eds.), Proceedings of IDC 2017. Stanford, CA: ACM.
Book Chapters:
Mon. L., & Phillips, A. (2015). Becoming social: Exploring library services for adults and teens
in social spaces. Advances in Librarianship, 39, 241-268.
Phillips, A. (In Press). But what are teens doing online? Teenagers and digital media. Digital
media usage across the lifecourse. Surry, England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Phillips, A. (2016). Highlights-The life of a YALSA Board Fellow. Young Adult Library Services
(YALS), Summer Issue, 4-6.
Phillips, A. (2013 September 22). How you too can transition from a librarian to a doctoral
student. Hack Library School. Retrieved from
http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/tips-for-transitioning-from-librarian-to-
phd-student/.
Phillips, A. (2014 February 28). Dont panic! Its only your first semester as a doc student.
Overworked TA. Retrieved from http://www.overworkedta.com/blog/2014/2/26/dont-
panic-its-only-your-1st-semester-as-a-doc-student.
Phillips, A., Skinner, J., Frasier, Z., Spears, L., & Yu, C. (2014 June 28). Why we decided on the
PhD. Hack Library School. Retrieved http://hacklibraryschool.com/2014/06/28/why-we-
decided-on-the-phd.
Phillips, A. (2014 July 31). Politics schmolitics! What does politics have to do with libraries?
Letters to a Young Librarian. Retrieved from
http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/07/politics-schmolitics-what-do-
politics.html.
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Phillips, A. (2014 September 17). Worrying about my post-PhD life. Letters to a Young
Librarian. Retrieved from
http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2015/09/worrying-about-my-post-phd-life-
by.html.
Phillips, A. (2015 December 30). Top 5 YA and libraries research (but mostly from Pew
Research Center). YALSAblog. Retrieved from http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2015/12/30/top-5-
ya-and-libraries-research-in-2015-but-mostly-from-pew-research-center/.
Phillips, A. (2016 January 13). What does Radical Change mean for YALSA and teen services?
YALSAblog. Retrieved from http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2016/01/13/what-does-radical-
change-mean-for-yalsa-and-teen-services/.
Coleman, L.-E. & Phillips, A. (2016 July 26) The empathetic museum and the empathy of
librarians. Museum Commons. Retrieved from
http://www.museumcommons.com/2016/07/empathetic-museum-empathy-
librarians.html.
PRESENTATIONS
Phillips, A. (2014 January). More than just books: Librarians as a source of support for
cyberbullied young adults. Presented during the Works-in-Progress poster session at the
Association of Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) in Philadelphia, PA.
Phillips, A., Skinner, J., & Chatham, J. (2015 January 27). Cats in Space: Educating the public
while searching for cat likeness in NASA satellite images. Presented during the Works-in-
Progress poster session at the Association of Library and Information Science Education
(ALISE) Annual Conference 2015 in Chicago, IL.
Phillips, A. (2015 January 27). What do librarians really think? Exploring librarians
perceptions, attitudes, and use of social media. Presented during the Work-in-Progress
poster session at the Association of Library and Information Science Education (ALISE)
Annual Conference 2015 in Chicago, IL.
Phillips, A. (2016 January 7). The empathetic librarian: Rural librarians as a source of support
for cyberbullied rural young adults. Presented during the Work-in-Progress poster session
at the Association of Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Annual
Conference 2016 in Boston, MA.
Phillips, A. (2016 March 22). The empathetic researcher: Applying research methods from
anthropology to LIS. Presented during the Poster Session at the iConference 2016 in
Philadelphia, PA.
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Wood, J., Phillips, A., & Mardis, M. (2016 July). Public and school libraries in the Florida
Panhandle: Straddling the Digital Divide. Presented during the Poster Session at 8th
International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries in
London, UK.
Phillips, A., & Anderson, A. (2017 January 17). Cyberbullying and patrons with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD). Presented during the Works-in-Progress poster session at the Association
of Library and Information Science (ALISE) Annual Conference 2017 in Atlanta, GA.
Anderson, A. & Phillips, A. (Under Review). Cyberbullying and patrons with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD). Will be presented at the ALA Annual Conference 2017 Poster Session in
Chicago, IL.
Coleman, L-. E., & Phillips, A. (Under Review). Understanding Empathy in the Profession: A
Comparative Study of American Museum Professionals and American Librarians. Will be
presented at the ALA Annual Conference 2017 Poster Session in Chicago, IL.
Phillips, A. (2013 September 19). More than just books: Librarians as a source of support for
cyberbullied young adults. Presented at 21st Century Literacies Lecture Series at Florida
State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Phillips, A. (2015 January 29). Digital citizenship and digital literacy as means of preventing
cyberbullying among young adults. Presented during the Information Ethics Special
Interest Group panel session at the Association of Library and Information Science
Education (ALISE) Annual Conference 2015 in Chicago, IL.
Phillips, A. (2014 October 8). Lets Facebook it: Promoting library services to young adults
through social media. Presented during the Library Research Seminar VI at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Phillips, A. (2015 June 28). You have my empathy: What does empathy look like in the library?
Presented during the American Library Association Annual Conference 2015 in San
Francisco, CA.
Phillips, A., Lee, V., Hansen, J, & Recker, M. (Accepted). Librarians in transition: Investigating
CSCL potentials within the school library. In Victor Lee (Chair), Libraries as emerging
spaces for computer-supported collaborative learning in schools and communities.
Symposium conducted at the meeting of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Phillips, A., Lee, V., Recker, M., & Hansen, J. (Accepted). Thats going on at your library??
Innovations at the Library. Will be presented at the Utah Library Association Annual
Conference 2017 at South Towne Expo Center.
Invited Presentations:
Phillips, A. (2015 May 6). Cyberbullying and the public librarian: How can I help? Presented as
a webinar for Public Library Association.
Phillips, A. (2016 June 20). Assessing and Improving your Library's Social Media Presence.
Presented at the Jewish Library Association Annual Conference 2016 in Charleston,
South Carolina.
Congress of Graduate Students (COGS) Travel Grant, Florida State University 2015
NASA Space Apps Challenge, 1st Place, Making Awesome, Tallahassee, FL 2015
NASA Space Apps Challenge, 2nd Place, Making Awesome, Tallahassee, FL 2014
Congress of Graduate Students (COGS) Travel Grant, Florida State University 2014
FUNDED GRANTS
Collaborator, 21st Century Literacy Lecture Series Interdisciplinary Team 2013, Florida State
University
SERVICE
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Professional:
Library Representative, Leadership Lee, 2008-2009, Lee County, Georgia
Library Representative, Lee County Family Connection, 2009-2012, Lee County, Georgia
Board Member, Lee County Family Connection, 2010-2012, Lee County, Georgia
Committee Member, Nominating Committee, New Members Round Table, 2016-2017,
American Library Association
Committee Member, Governance Committee, New Members Round Table, 2015-2017,
American Library Association
Chair, ALA 2017 Local Arrangements Committee, Young Adult Library Services Association,
2016-2017, American Library Association
Committee Member, Governance Committee, Young Adult Library Services, 2016-2017,
American Library Association
Committee Member, ALA Conference Committee, Young Adult Library Services Association
Representative, 2016-2017, American Library Association
Committee Member, ALA Committee on Professional Ethics, Young Adult Library Services
Association Representative, 2016-2017, American Library Association
Committee Member, Governance Nominating Committee, Young Adult Library Services
Association, 2015-2018, American Library Association
Mentor, Young Adult Library Services Association, 2016-2017, American Library Association
Mentor, New Members Round Table, 2016-2017, American Library Association
Committee Member, Research Journal Advisory Board, Young Adult Library Services
Association, 2017-2018, American Library Association
Doctoral:
Committee Member, Academic Affairs Committee, 2013-2014, School of Information, Florida
State University
Committee Member, Development, Outreach, and Recruitment Committee, 2013-2016, School
of Information, Florida State University
Committee Member, YALSA Competencies Update Taskforce, 2014-2015, American Library
Association
Committee Member, YALSA Midwinter Paper Presentation Committee, 2014-2016, American
Library Association
Co-Convener, Doctoral Student Special Interest Group, 2014-2015, Association of Library and
Information Science Education
Committee Member, Leadership Development Committee, 2015-2016, Florida Library
Association
Chair, Doctoral Student Special Interest Group, 2015-2016, Association of Library and
Information Science Education
Member, Making Awesome, Tallahassees Makerspace, 2014-2015, Tallahassee, Florida
Committee Member, Leadership Development Committee, 2015-2016, Florida Library
Association
Member-At-Large, Library Research Round Table, 2015-2017, American Library Association
Committee Member, ALA 2016 Local Arrangements Committee, Young Adult Library Services
Association, 2015-2016, American Library Association
Undergraduate:
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Member, Honor Society, 2002-2004, Darton College
Secretary, Phi Beta Kappa, 2002-2004, Darton College
Member, Alpha Phi Omega, 2004-2006, University of Georgia