Jessica Hronchek began her work at Van Wylen Library in 2009. She is a research and instruction librarian and liaison to the visual and performing arts departments on campus, providing research support, information literacy instruction and collection development for these departments and the general education program. Her research interests include information literacy pedagogy, information need in the creative arts and training for peer-assisted library support.

AREAS OF INTEREST

• Information literacy – What does it look like to navigate the information landscape effectively and thoughtfully, and how do we teach this to students?
• Research support in the visual and performing arts – What are the unique information needs of creative performers/scholars?
• Art copyright – How do we legally use the creations of others while having the resources needed to advance creative knowledge?

Areas of Expertise

• Research desk assistant training – How can the library leverage peer-to-peer learning to provide better access to library resources?
• Research support in the visual and performing arts – What are the unique information needs of creative performers/scholars?
• Data visualization – How can clearer data help us make better decisions in libraries?

EDUCATION

• MLS in library science and M.A. in art history, Indiana University, Bloomington, 2009
• B.M. in vocal performance and B.A. in art history, Lawrence University, 2005

HONORS, GRANTS & AWARDS

• “Data Storytelling: Using Tableau to better understand and communicate data-Presentation,” with J. S. Holman and V. E. Longfield, Michigan Academic Library Association Annual Conference, lecture, online, May 18, 2022
• “Something Creative Here: An Arts-Informed Discussion of Sustainability in Academic Libraries,” with presenters G. Haynes and K. De Mey, Michigan Academic Libraries Association Annual Conference, breakout session, Michigan Academic Libraries Association, Kellogg Conference Center, Lansing, Michigan, May 18, 2018
• “Assessment A la Carte: Using Small Scale Citation Analysis Projects to Shape Library Instruction,” with Todd Wiebe, presentation at the Michigan Library Association Academic Libraries Conference, Lansing, Michigan, May 30, 2014

Published Works

• “Assessing History Student Research Activity and Learning Outcomes through the Understanding Library Impacts Project,” poster presentation at the Michigan Library Association Academic Libraries Conference, Traverse City, Michigan, May 16, 2013
• “Scavenging for Research Ingredients,” in The Discovery Tool Cookbook, edited by Nancy Fawley and Nikki Krysak, Association of College and Research Libraries, 2016
• “Undergraduate Research Assistants at Hope College,” with Rachel A. Bishop, in Peer-assisted-Learning in Academic Libraries, edited by Erin Rinto, John Watts and Rosan Mitola, Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, 2017, 191-205
• “Copyright and Fair Use for Graduating Studio Art Majors,” in Fair Use in the Visual Arts: Lesson Plans for Librarians, Occasional Paper no. 17., Art Libraries Society of North America, 2018, 58-63
• “Embracing Diverse Information-Seeking Behavior through the Lens of Creative Research Practices of Faculty Choreographers,” in Art at the Intersection of Librarianship and Social Justice, edited by Nina Clements, Sacramento, California: Library Juice Press, 2023

Outside Hope

Jessica is a singer by training and continues to express her musical side through helping lead worship at her church. She also enjoys cooking and board games. She, her husband, and three children like to explore the outdoors in beautiful West Michigan.

View some of Jessica’s published work at Digital Commons.