Lori Townsend is the Learning Services Coordinator and Engineering Librarian for the University Libraries. Her research interests include threshold concepts and information literacy, academic librarians of color and cultural humility. 

Lori holds a BA in history from the University of New Mexico and an MLIS from San Jose State University. Before coming to UNM, she worked as the Electronic Collections Librarian at California State University, East Bay from 2005-2010. Lori is a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley.

Recent Presentations & Publications

Russo, A., Jankowski, A., Beene, S., & Townsend, L. (2019). Strategic source evaluation: Addressing the container conundrum. Reference Services Review, 47(3), 294-313. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-04-2019-0024

Hurley, D., Kostelecky, S., & Townsend, L. (2019). Cultural humility in libraries. Reference Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-06-2019-0042 

Hofer, A. R., Lin Hanick, S. and Townsend, L. (2019). Transforming information literacy instruction: Threshold concepts in theory and practice. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. https://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited/product.aspx?pc=A4947P

Koelling, G., & Townsend, L. (2019). Research clinics: An alternative model for large-scale information literacy instruction. Communications in Information Literacy, 13(1), 75-90.

Jankowski, A., Russo, A., & Townsend, L. (2018, May 16). "It was information based": Student reasoning when distinguishing between scholarly and popular sources. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/it-was-information-based/

Townsend, L., Hofer, A. R., Lin Hanick, S. and Brunetti, K. (2016). Identifying threshold concepts for information literacy: A Delphi study. Communications in Information Literacy, 10(1), 23-49.

Hofer, A.R., Lu, S., & Townsend, L. (2015, April). What's the big idea?! Incorporating threshold concepts into your teaching practice. Keynote at the Information Literacy Summit, Palos Hills, IL.  Watch the recorded presentation: https://youtu.be/OSahSjLBf-w