Research Spotlights
The research that Dr. Meghan Harper has done into care-based practices and trauma informed care in libraries has found an audience with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners in Boston. Having seen Dr. Harper present at a number of conferences regarding how libraries can help address the opioid crisis in their community, staff in Boston recognized her insights into the library's role in as a safe space for the public. Her work, "Libraries Lending Hope" will be utilized in a November Massachusetts state library conference to help educate and inform public and school librarians how they can better serve members of their community through bibliotherapy, mindfulness and creating supportive networks. Dr. Harper has also been invited to speak on this same topic at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, the Ohio Educational Library Media Association 2019 Conference, the Northeast Ohio Network for Educational Technology (NEONET), and the Ohio Library Council (OLC).
Recently Dr. Lala Hajibayova published results of her research into how cultural sites and objects in former conflict zones are constructed in user-generated narratives. For "An investigation of cultural objects in conflict zones through the lens of TripAdvisor reviews," she analyzed TripAdvisor reviews and images of the South Caucuses, finding that these reviews and images demonstrated the embodied orientation of reviewers’ narrations. Further, where the nature of the cultural sites was disputed, these reviews are mainly voiced in the form of dissatisfaction with the socio-economical situation and services. This research suggests that the forgotten nature of frozen conflicts engendered an erosion of and disconnect from cultural heritage, ties and significance for those who fled the contested areas.