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Bronwen K. Maxson - Head, Research & Learning Services

Head of Research & Learning Services, Bronwen K. Maxson

Photograph of Bronwen Maxson. A white middle-class woman with shoulder length curly brown hair in a blue dress in front of out of focus pine trees

Contact Information

KL 275 Suite, Kolligian Library
University of California, Merced
5200 North Lake Road
Merced, CA 95343
209-756-7423
bmaxson@ucmerced.edu

Pronouns

She/her/hers

Bio

Bronwen Maxson joined the UC Merced Library in August 2023. As the Head of Research & Learning Services, she leads a team that provides valuable research and learning services to the UC Merced community. With the goal of advancing students’ information literacy skills, she partners with campus and academic programs to engage users with the library through user-centered services and inclusive programs and educational experiences. She currently serves as the Library Liaison to Sociology and Languages, Literatures & Cultures.

Bronwen’s professional interests include information literacy, teaching and learning, creating digital learning objects, and promoting inclusivity through scholarship and outreach.

Education/Degrees

Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) 

University of Denver (DU), Denver, Colorado      

Bachelor of Arts (BA), English and Spanish

University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), Boulder, Colorado

Professional Affiliations

American Library Association (ALA), 2012-2023

  • New Member Round Table
  • Library Instruction Round Table

Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), 2012-2023

  • Current Sections: Instruction Section (IS); European Studies Section (ESS)
  • Past Sections: Literatures in English (LES), Politics, Policy, and International Relations Section (PPIRS, formerly LPSS)
  • Innovations Component Committee, ACRL 2017

Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM), 2013-Present

  • Member-at-Large, elected 2023-2025
  • Conference Program Planning Task Force, member 2023
  • Social Media Coordinator, appointed 2019-2021
  • Acquisitions Committee Chair, appointed 2018-2021
  • Co-Chair, Research and Instruction Services Subcommittee, elected 2016-2018
  • Co-Coordinator, Apoyo Profesional, Orientación y Oportunidades (APOYO), 2015-2019
  • Co-Coordinator, DíScoLA, 2015-2018

Selected Publications

Book Chapters

  • Maxson, B. K. & Reyes, B. M. (2024). Lessons from a research trip to Mexico. In K. Matusiak, D. Schachter, & K. Bright (Eds.), Bridging research and library practice: Global perspectives on education and training (pp. 300-310). De Gruyter.

Journal Articles

  • Hicks, A., Maxson, B. K., & Reyes, B. M. (2021). “Hay muchos Méxicos”: A new approach to designing international information literacy instruction opportunities. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 21(4), 859-884. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/818431

  • Lowe, M. S., Maxson, B. K., Stone, S. M., Miller, W., & Snajdr, E. (2020). Boolean redux: Performance of advanced versus simple Boolean searches and implications for upper-level instruction. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(6) 1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102234

  • Maxson, B. K., Neely, M., Roberts, L. M., Stone, S. M., Lowe, M. S., Macy, K., & Miller, W. M. (2019). The power of peers: Approaches from writing and libraries. Reference Services Review, 47(3), 314-330.  http://hdl.handle.net/1794/24585

  • Stone, S. M., Lowe, M. S., & Maxson, B. K. (2018). Does course guide design impact student learning? College & Undergraduate Libraries, 25(3), 1-17. DOI: 10.1080/10691316.2018.1482808

  • Reyes, B. M., Hicks, A., & Maxson, B. K. (2018). Information literacy practices of Spanish-speaking graduate students at the University of Kansas. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 18(3), 595-615.  https://scholar.colorado.edu/libr_facpapers/119/