2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Forming a Pod: A Naval Architecture, Marine and Ocean Engineering Librarian Community of Practice

Presented at Engineering Libraries Division (ELD) Poster Session

Naval Architecture, Marine, and Ocean Engineering (NAMOE) programs are unique in that they are specialized, interdisciplinary, and uncommon at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a result, librarians or subject specialists who liaise with these areas can encounter a lack of resources and knowledge to support the students and faculty in these programs. A group of librarians who have NAMOE programs as part of their institutions recently started a dedicated group, combining elements of communities of practice and peer group mentoring to discuss how best to support these programs and each other as professionals with varying experience in this subject area. Plans include development of a resource similar to chapters in Osif’s Using the Engineering Literature and enhancing discovery of OER in NAMOE. In this article, in addition to sketching out some of the resources we plan to create and share, we will discuss the formation of this group and reflect on how it has impacted our work. By combining our efforts, we will enhance teaching and research for NAMOE programs, deepen our expertise in NAMOE library services, and present a framework for other specialized librarian communities to follow.

Authors

Sarah Barbrow http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8033-3945 University of Michigan [biography]

Sarah Barbrow is a librarian and the Assistant Director of the Engineering Library at the University of Michigan. She is a liaison to three departments: Computer Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

Sarah graduated with an MSI in Library and Information Services from the University of Michigan School of Information. She also has an MSc in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology also from the University of Michigan.
Ms. Kelly Durkin Ruth United States Naval Academy [biography]

Kelly Durkin Ruth is the United States Naval Academy’s engineering librarian. She is a recipient of an ATG Media Up and Comers Award and an SLA James M. Matarazzo Rising Star Award. Her work with SLA's Physics-Astronomy-Math division and ASEE's Engineering Libraries Division has led to research projects on the experiences of STEM librarians without STEM degrees and on STEM librarian professional motivations. In 2023 she was named an Institute for Research Design in Librarianship (IRDL) scholar. She received her Master of Information degree from the University of Toronto.
Ms. Amber Janssen http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-9013-224X California State University Maritime Academy [biography]

Amber Janssen is an Associate LIbrarian at California State University, Maritime Academy (CSUM). Her research background is in the instruction and assessment of information literacy in undergraduate engineering education.
Christina Mayberry University of California San Diego [biography]

Christina Mayberry is an engineering librarian at the University of California San Diego where she serves as a subject liaison to the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, and the Structural Engineering Department at the Jacobs School of Engineering.
Dr. Sarah Over http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2599-0050 Virginia Tech [biography]

Dr. Sarah Over is the Engineering Collections and Research Analyst at Virginia Tech, serving as their Engineering Librarian and representative for their new Patent and Trademark Resource Center. She is also part of a team focused on research impact and intelligence to support the College of Engineering and Office of Research and Innovation at Virginia Tech. Dr. Over’s background is in aerospace and nuclear engineering, with years of experience teaching engineering research methods and introductory coding.
Sarah Parker http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1710-9825 University of British Columbia, Vancouver [biography]

Sarah Parker (she/her/hers) is a reference librarian on Canada's west coast at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where she also received her MLIS. As the liaison to several departments in the Faculty of Applied Science including Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Sarah provides research support and instruction to undergraduate and graduate students. As an adjunct instructor at UBC's School of Information she brings her knowledge and experience supporting engineering into the classroom encouraging students to consider STEM librarianship.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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