Aaron Elkins, PhD

Office: SH 417
Phone: 940-898-2181
aelkins3@twu.edu

Education

PhD, Florida State University, Library and Information Studies
MA, University of South Florida, Library and Information Studies
BS, University of South Florida, Environmental Science and Policy
AA, St. Petersburg Junior College, Associate of Arts

Research Interests

Media and information literacy education; role of libraries in advancing social justice; gaming and 21st century literacies.

Profile

Aaron J. Elkins served as a school librarian for ten years. In that role, Elkins achieved National Board Certification and served as an assessor for the National Board. In addition to running a vibrant school library program, he worked to increase collaboration between school and public libraries, serving as the liaison to the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative’s Young Adult Special Interest Group. After leaving PK-12 education to complete his PhD in information studies at Florida State University, Elkins came to Texas Woman’s University where he is now a tenured professor. His current research focuses on unpacking social information culture and improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the LIS field and academy.

Selected Publications

Publications (Refereed)

Elkins, A. J. & Hollister, J. (2020). Power up: Games and gaming in ALA-accredited library and information science curricula in the United States. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science. 61(2), 229-252.

Hollister, J. M., Lee, J., Elkins, A. J., & Latham, D. (2020). Potential Implications and Applications of Terror Management Theory for Library and Information Science. Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science, 54(4), 317–349.

Elkins, A. J. (2018). Mind the gaps: A comparison of Florida school librarians’ job descriptions and the national professional standards for school librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, 24(1), 87-98.

Elkins, A. J. (2015). Let’s Play! Why school librarians should embrace gaming in the library. Knowledge Quest, 43(5), 58-63.

Elkins, A. J. (2015). Organizational Citizenship Behavior and school librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, 21(2), 103-114.

Publications (Invited)

Elkins, A. J., Navares, M., Dyer, R., & Bryan, L. (2018). School Librarianship: A profession in four acts. Knowledge Quest, 47(2), 48-54.

Elkins, A. J., Chonko, D., Dirscherl, B., Hall, D., & Mitchell, K. (2010). Professional excellence: Becoming a National Board Certified school librarian. Knowledge Quest, 38(5), 13-17.

Book Chapters

Simons, R. & Elkins, A.J. (2023). Treating a Viral Culture: Using Cultural Competency and Social Informatics to Design Contextualized Information Literacy Efforts for Specific Social Information Cultures. In S. Yang, X. Zhu, & P. Fichman (Eds), The Usage and Impact of ICTs during the Covid-19 Pandemic (pp. 98-134). Routledge.

Edited books

A. J. Elkins, J. H. Kang, & M. A. Mardis (Eds.), Enhancing Students' Life Skills Through School Libraries. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual International Conference Incorporating The 17th International Forum On Research In School Librarianship, August26-30, 2013. Bali, Indonesia.

Conference Proceedings

Marino, J., Evans, S., Moore, J., Smith, D., Schultz-jones, B., & Elkins, A. J. (September 24-26, 2019). Preparing library professionals for data literacy leadership: Administrator perspectives. In Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) 2019 Conference: Exploring Learning in a Global Information Context.

Elkins, A. J. & Hollister, J. M. (March 25-28, 2018). Power up: Exploring gaming in LIS curricula. iConference 2018 proceedings.

Moore, J., Elkins, A., & Boelens, H. (2017). Libraries on the Move: By Land, By Sea, and By Air. Juried paper presented at the International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference, Long Beach, California, August 7, 2017.

Elkins, A. J., Wood, J. L., & Mardis, M. A. (2015). School librarians’ roles: Preliminary results of a national survey of priorities, performance, and evaluation in the context of professional guidelines. In L. Das, S. Brad-Gruwel, K. Kok, & J. Walhout (Eds.), The School Library Rocks: Living it, Learning it, Loving it. Proceedings of the 44th International Association of School Librarianship International Conference, Incorporating the 19th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship, June 28-July 2, 2015. Maastricht, Netherlands.

Conference Presentations and Posters

Elkins, A. J. (2022, September 30 – October 1). Using Archives in Queericulums [Conference session]. Queer History South 2022: Archives for All Y’All Conference, Dallas, TX, United States. https://invisiblehistory.org/qhs/

De La Rosa, S., Elkins, A. J., Majumdar, T., Orepitan, V., Simons, R., Vierkant, A. (November 4, 2021). Minimizing harm while maximizing engagement: using identity affinity groups to engage with diversity, equity, and inclusion topics in LIS courses [Conference presentation]. New Librarianship Symposia: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, virtual.

De La Rosa, S., Simons, R., & Elkins, A. J. (October 30-November 2, 2021). Teaching with Color: Calling in White Faculty to Address Whiteness in the LIS Curriculum [Poster presentation]. 84th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

Simons, R. N., Girard, R., & Elkins, A. J. (October 22- November 1, 2020).  Supporting inclusive gaming communities through fostering online‐offline hybrid spaces [Poster presentation].  83rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology, virtual 

Elkins, A. J. & Hollister, J. (March 25-28, 2018). Power up: Exploring gaming in LIS curricula [Poster presentation]. iConference, Sheffield, UK.

Elkins, A. J., Moore, J. E., & Chetzron, J. (April 3-6, 2018). The Deliberate Librarian: Evidence-Based practice in school libraries [Conference session]. Texas Library Association, Dallas, TX, United States.

Hollister, J., Elkins, A. J., & Lee, J. (February 6-9, 2018). Power up: Exploring gaming in LIS curricula in South Korea [Poster presentation]. Association for Library and Information Science Education conference, Denver, CO, United States.

Hollister, J. & Elkins, A. J. (January 17-20, 2017). Power up: Gaps in and opportunities for gaming in LIS curricula [Poster presentation]. Association for Library and Information Science Education conference, Atlanta, GA, United States.

Elkins, A. J. (September 23-24, 2016). En-Twine-d in the Curriculum: Creating Non-Linear Digital Experiences across Content Areas [Conference session]. Gaming As Meaningful Education conference, Rochester, NY, United States.