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  • Lorin K. Jackson, MA, MI

    academic librarian & career support services

  • About Lorin

     

     

     

    Lorin (pronouns: she/them) is originally from New York City and currently lives in Philadelphia. Lorin identifies as Black, Indigenous, Queer, Gender Non-Conforming, and Disabled.

     

    Before becoming an academic librarian, Lorin worked with under-served youth in the non-profit and educational sector for a decade after graduating from college. During this time, they held positions as a teacher and Program Associate in after-school youth development programs in the Bay Area.

     

    In her spare time, Lorin likes to read, listen to podcasts, DJ, dance, craft, and garden. She is also interested in animation, graphic novels/comics, and photography.

     

     

    Services

     

    Through their work as a teacher, librarian, as well as independently, they provide direct support for career services. Lorin has helped several clients and friends land jobs through career counseling, resume/CV support, and mock interviews. Additionally, she offers academic support with a suite of tutoring services for K-12, as well as graduate and adult education.

     

    Research Interests

    • critical + radical librarianship
    • social justice + librarianship
    • prison librarianship + prison abolition
    • environmental justice
    • community + personal archives
    • zine creation + zine libraries
    • digital humanities
    • instruction

  • Core Values

    Values that motivate me and inform my work ethic.

    1

    Integrity

    • Demonstrating professional excellence and accountability as a leader
     
    • Prioritizing clear organizational strategies and robust project management principles
     
    • Integrating an evidence-based and intentional approach
     
    • Engaging through open, transparent, and nonviolent communication while illustrating an ethic of care
    2

    Innovation

    • Problem-solving with new ideas, generative creativity, and adaptability
     
    • Enhancing application of digital resources and systems
     
    • Leveraging change management and resilience skills
     
    • Modeling and operating from a framework of abundance 
    3

    Community

    • Applying respect, stewardship, and teamwork skills in service of deepening community relationships
     
    • Empowering others to develop and share leadership responsibilities
     
    • Cultivating direct application of values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) 
  • CV Snapshot

    Download full resume.

    Experience

    Executive Director of Region 2

    Regional Medical Libraries

    Medical University of South Carolina

    beginning September 2021

     

    Head of Access & User Services (interim)

    Swarthmore College

    January 2021 - September 2021

     

    Research + Instruction Resident Librarian

    Black Studies Librarian

    Swarthmore College

    2018 - 2021

     

    Teacher

    15 years of teaching experience

     

    Education

    Master of Information in Library + Information Science

    Rutgers University at New Brunswick

    2017

    Cumulative GPA: 3.8

     

     

    Publications

    'Have the Library Brought to You:’ Embedded Librarianship as Intentional Strategy to Support Underserved Patrons

    Upcoming chapter in Underserved Patrons in Academic Libraries: Assisting Students Facing Trauma, Abuse, and Discrimination, 2020

     

    Book Review: "Pushing the Margins: Women of Color and Intersectionality in LIS," edited by Rose Chou and Annie Pho.

    Librarian Parlor. November 8, 2019

     

    Recasting an Inclusive Narrative: Exploring Intersectional Theory

    by Diana Floegel and Lorin Jackson

    Presented at ACRL 2019 Conference in April 2019.

     

     

    Professional Service

    WOC+Lib Co Executive Director

     

    Librarian Parlor Contributing Editor

     

    Prison Health News Contributing Writer

     

    Awards and Recognitions

    Kathryn L. Morgan Award

    Swarthmore College, 2021

     

    IDEAL ‘19 Conference Scholarship Recipient:
    Advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in
    Libraries and Archives in Columbus, Ohio, 2019

     

    National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Recipient
    Institute at Brigham Young University, 2019

     

    Turock Endowed Family Fellowship
    Rutgers University, New Brunswick, 2018

     

    Newman Civic Fellow

    Campus Contact, 2013

     

    Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow

    Haverford College, 2006

    Technical Proficiency

    Catalog Software: Koha, Millenium, Alma/Primo, Destiny
     
    Other Libraries/Archives Software: Moodle, Blackboard, LibAnswers, LibGuides, Zotero
     
    Web Design: HTML, CSS, WordPress, SquareSpace, Drupal, Canva, github

     

  • Bloggadocious

    Thoughts, musings, and ruminations.

    “Shooting my Shot”
    February 25, 2022 · Health
    Where it All Began It all started on Halloween in 2012 when I lived in the Bay Area in...
    For Kenya, Librarian and Friend
    January 30, 2022
    "A house without books is like a room without windows." - Horace Mann  Dark Matters: On the...
    Bored @ Home? Organize your Digital Life!
    May 3, 2020 · organization
    Photo by Windows on Unsplash.
  • Services

  • Testimonials

    A Mentor

    "In just around a year and a half from now, I will earn a bachelor’s degree and be the first in my family to do so. Honestly, when I first started college, I often felt like I would never graduate. But with Lorin Jackson serving as my mentor since my second semester, my possibilities have bloomed beyond my wildest dreams.

     

    Lorin, truly and unequivocally, embodies love, care, and accountability. I have never met someone who so unyieldingly advocates for and protects students. As a librarian, Lorin frequently sees students when we are at our lowest, our most vulnerable, and our most desperate. She recognizes us in our humanity and works constantly to create a library environment that will allow us to thrive—both on an academic and personal level. Even now during a pandemic, in which students, faculty, and staff alike are scattered all across the globe, Lorin continues to make themselves accessible and finds creative ways to connect our community.

     

    One experience that particularly attests to Lorin’s commitment to students happened just a few weeks after they became my mentor. I was taking a philosophy course called “Human Rights and Atrocities” and decided to write my final paper arguing for the necessity of reparations for the descendants of enslaved Black folks in the United States. As someone whose own ancestors were enslaved, this paper was deeply personal and something I was determined to put all of my effort into. I mentioned my paper to Lorin and she suggested that we have a planning session to help me organize my argument. During this meeting, Lorin challenged me to think more critically and helped me refine my ideas. Within thirty minutes, I had a solid thesis statement and a thoroughly developed outline.

     

    A week or so after our meeting, my uncle passed suddenly. Grief-stricken, I could barely find the energy to get out of bed, let alone go to class or work on my assignments. My paper that should have only taken two days to write turned into an eight day nightmare. When I felt that I finally had an essentially finished product, I decided to meet with a Writing Associate, assuming they would help me locate lapses of clarity and grammatical errors in my paper. Instead, the Writing Associate I met with told me I needed to change my entire topic; “Reparations just aren’t feasible,” he said. He went on to barrage me with questions clearly beyond the scope of my paper, such as, “How much money would the reparations be?” Ultimately, the Writing Associate made it clear that he did not feel this paper was submittable. Holding back tears, I sat there stunned and defeated. The paper was due in just two days; considering it had taken me eight days to write this allegedly poor paper, and the fact that I had three other final assignments/exams within the next five days, changing my topic was impossible. Feeling totally lost and alone, I texted Lorin, who said they would read over my paper and meet with me the following day to brainstorm next steps.

     

    When I met with Lorin, they told me they were baffled by the Writing Associate’s comments. She told me my argument was strong, organized, and logical; just a few adjustments needed to be made, which would not take more than two or so hours. For the first time in two weeks, I felt my jaw unclench. When the Writing Associate told me my paper was unacceptable, I had known in my heart that was not the truth, but did not feel confident enough in my capabilities as a scholar to trust my intuition more than him. I revealed to Lorin how deeply affected I was by the meeting with the Writing Associate. They named the Writing Associate’s behavior as being unprofessional, harmful, and an inability to separate his personal disagreement with my argument from a fair assessment of my paper. Lorin’s acknowledgment that I was wronged speaks to her consistent validation of students. After my meeting with Lorin, I revised my paper with their suggestions in mind; I received an A on the paper.

     

    I do not want to know how very differently this experience would have gone without Lorin’s voice and support. What I do know is that my meeting with the Writing Associate made me feel like a failure—and that Lorin’s guidance asserted to me that I have capabilities I have yet to realize. Furthermore, since this experience, Lorin has emphasized the importance of self-advocating. If this interaction were to happen now, I would not have sat so quietly. Instead, I would have challenged the Writing Associate’s comments and demanded transparency.

     

    Lorin’s care and commitment throughout this experience is not an isolated occurrence; rather, it is a consistent behavior she has upheld throughout my mentorship. Importantly, I am not the only student, or Swarthmore community member in general, that Lorin has significantly impacted during their time at the College. Those of us who know Lorin know her not just as a librarian, but also as a collaborator, an advocate, and a friend. Behind marginalized college students are marginalized faculty and staff members who work tirelessly to ensure we are not left behind. Lorin Jackson deserves their flowers." - Helen



     

    New Inspiration & Customization

    "Lorin puts twists onto ideas that you thought you already had opinions on, only to make you see it in an entirely new light. She is extremely communicative, uses accessible language, is very friendly and easy to talk to. You just simply won't be anxious in working with them, only eager to progress in your work with their support. In our work together, it's always clear that Lorin is forward-thinking, always thinking about where you might want to go with certain ideas in the future. They're always keeping in mind of one's potential, as well as that of our projects. Personally, it helps to remove me from my stubbornness and to encounter new freshness, new processes. Nothing gets left behind, everything that's been said at some point eventually gets honored and held onto. They're not only super open to what you have to say, but also actively tailor resources to you. The way that they've documented info has honestly shown me many new things that I actually want to incorporate in my own business as well, and has me thinking about what I want to do for my clients to help organize and track our work histories together, too. With crediting Lorin, of course. They gently organize things that I didn't even think to organize...and I'm a hardcore Virgo. Through all of the tasks that she fulfills in her services for you, she reminds you of the importance of holding both the past and future in our present. Ultimately, Lorin is very good at their job. Their background truly shows, in everything that they do. It's really lovely to see and interact with."

    -Taylor Amari Little, (Un)Veiled Divine Technologies
     

    Stronger Together

    "Lorin Kingsley, colleague and friend. Lorin and I do not work directly together, but since she came into the tiny world I’ve been working in for 15 years a few years ago, I’ve been inspired and excited by pretty much everything she has accomplished both here and in everything else I know about in her career and her life.

     

    I have had the opportunity to collaborate with her on a special project during pandemic and it was an opportunity our regular work lives may not have intersected on, so that’s one silver lining for this weird world we all live in. It was also an opportunity to work directly with a colleague I’ve been admiring from afar for a few years. If you need guidance professionally I urge you to reach out to Lorin. She is a mentor, an educator, a realist, a librarian, a partner, a woman with a million plus facets that shine all day every day, even when times are tough.

     

    Thanks L for being in my life. I see you and I appreciate you and I am blessed by whatever god(esse)s there be to have ever met you. Let’s keep on keeping on." - Kerry

     

     

    Insightful Feedback

    "Lorin is a thoughtful and exceptional educator and former colleague of mine. They also gave me insightful feedback on some of my academic writing in the past. I highly recommend their services." - Rosie

  • Portfolio

    WOC+Lib

    Website Co-Founder

    A Beginner's Guide to Archives or Fantastic Items and Where to Find Them Zine

    Collaborated with Archvist, Alison Sielaff

    Critical Librarianship

    Spring Libraries Internship Presentation

    Second Career Librarianship Webinar

    Collaborated with Librarian, Symphony Bruce

  • Inspiration

    A sampling of things that inspire + motivate me.

    Octavia Butler (support Philadelphia Printworks with the purchase of a cool Octavia Butler shirt)

    Audre Lorde

    Maya Angelou

    James Baldwin

    Alexis Pauline Gumbs

    Dr. Joy Harden Bradford + Therapy for Black Girls

    Alison Bechdel, especially Fun Home + Dykes to Watch Out For

    Ta-Nehisi Coates

    Brené Brown

    Pedro Almodóvar

    Hannah Gadsby

    All About Love by bell hooks

    Muchelle B.

    I May Destroy You + soundtrack

    Insecure + soundtrack

    More

  • Resources

    Some sample writing and articles.

    High Contrast: Representations of Black Women in White America

    Syllabus from undergrad seminar class

    Plenty of Fish, But Very Few Keepers Article

    WHYY Speak Easy LGBTQ Series

  • Gallery

    Photo + video features.

    Diana Floegel and I presented at ACRL 2019.
    Promotional photo taken for the AIDS Library
    Spring 2019 Library Interns and me.
  • Contact Me

    General inquiries can be submitted here. I'd love to hear from you!

    Submit

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