Kate Wimer, MLIS

I came to George Fox and to Oregon in June of 2020, and it's already been my best adventure to date. I had a peripatetic childhood that has instilled in me the importance of community connection, and that taught me to be creative and flexible. I love working with the George Fox community, and am especially glad to support scholarly inquiry that is grounded in the virtues of our shared faith.

What do you do at Fox?

I am a research and instruction librarian, which means a large part of my job is supporting the questions and scholarship of students and faculty in my assigned liaison departments – specifically, the Portland Seminary and the School of Theology, business & economics, mathematics, undergraduate education, undergraduate psychology, and undergraduate social work. I teach, order materials, and offer one-on-one consultations.

I also serve as the outreach & engagement librarian, working to support library programming and events, managing our social media and external communication, and dreaming up partnerships to do cool things here on campus.

Education & Experience

MLIS, Library and Information Science, University of Denver
BA, History, Harding University

My previous experience includes time as a public reference and programming librarian as well as three years with the innovative Research Center at the University of Denver Libraries. Other work experience includes two summers as a counselor to 8-year-olds at sleepaway camp, many varied productions as a costume seamstress and stagehand, and service as a design lead for church websites.

Expertise & Research Interests

I'm increasingly convinced of the role of wonder and hope in learning and research and am currently pursuing how engaging these values might help us better understand and teach information literacy.

I've recently spoken (LOEX 2023, ILAGO Summit 2023, and ATLA Annual 2023) about Research Ready (the George Fox faith-integrated information literacy curriculum) and constructive approaches to understanding authority in the undergraduate classroom. I expect to publish a chapter with my colleagues Tate Jackson and Jenny Bruxvoort in 2024 on our holistic and collaborative design of a Puzzle Hunt for new undergraduates.

I'm proud to be a founding member of the Round Table for Virtue Driven Information Literacy, a collaboration of librarians at several Christian colleges and universities that is wrapping up a successful pilot year in July 2023.

What is something you'd like to do in the future?

Professionally, I’m hoping to publish some of my recent work in information literacy instruction. Personally, I am determined to learn major Oregon plants and wildflowers by sight.

Beyond the Library

I’m a daughter of a blended Catholic/Protestant family, and an advocate for neurodiversity and mental health awareness. If I’m not in my office at Murdock, I might be teaching or at a campus event, but I might also just be outside chasing the sun or exclaiming over daffodils.