Ms Liz Chapman

MA Librarianship (distinction), University of Sheffield (2007); MA Applied Translation Studies (distinction), University of Leeds (2003); MA Modern & Mediaeval Languages, University of Cambridge (2001)

Contact Details

Research interests

Children's librarianship; public libraries; provision of 'minority' materials; diversity and social inclusion; library staff attitudes to diverse user groups; serendipity.

Liz's PhD thesis looks at the provision of LGBT-related fiction to children and young people in UK libraries. It is funded through a University of Sheffield studentship and supervised by Ms Briony Birdi and Professor Nigel Ford.

Teaching

Children's librarianship; public libraries; collection development and management; children's and young people's books and reading; diversity and social inclusion; book awards.

Liz teaches on the 'Library Services for Children and Young People', 'Public Libraries', 'Libraries, Information and Society' and 'Information Resources and Information Literacy' modules of the MA in Librarianship. She also supervises MA independent study projects: past and current students' topics include public library services for refugees and asylum seekers; public and school library services for Traveller children; and attitudes to the use of age restrictions in public and school libraries.

Departmental responsibilities

Liz is the postgraduate student representative for the Libraries & Information Society Research Group on the Research Staff-Student Committee.

Professional esteem and awards

Member of Expert Consultative Panel, Youth Chances project (2011- )
Invited contributor to workshop on 'Measuring the Value of Public Libraries: the fallacy of footfall and issues as measures of the value of public libraries', Leeds Metropolitan University, March 2011 (see also Walker et al., forthcoming)
Editorial Board member, Public Library Journal (2009-11)
Editor, Public Library Journal (2008-09)
University of Sheffield PhD Studentship (2008-11)
West Riding County Library Annenberg Award for Performance in Public Librarianship (2008)
AHRC Professional Preparation MA Studentship (2006-07)

Previous roles

Liz has previously worked as an adult, young adult and children's librarian in the London Borough of Enfield, and as a library assistant in Cambridgeshire.

Publications

Chapman, E. L. (2010) 'Over to you', Public Library Journal, 25 (1), Spring 2010, 5-8.

Brewster, L. and Chapman, E. L. (2009) 'LIS education: what's changed since the 1960s?', Library and Information Update, April 2009, 44-46.

Chapman, E. L. and Wright, C. (2008) 'Provision of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans materials for young people in UK public and secondary school libraries'. In S. McNicol (ed.) Forbidden Fruit: the censorship of literature and information for young people. Boca Raton, Florida, BrownWalker Press.

Chapman, E. L. (2008) 'Informing the future' (interview with Roy Clare, Chief Executive, MLA), Public Library Journal, 23 (2), Summer 2008, 22-23.

Chapman, E. L. and Birdi, B. (2008) 'Fiction for all', Public Library Journal, 23 (1), Spring 2008, 8-11.

Conferences and posters

'"No more controversial than a gardening display?" Provision of LGBT-related fiction to children and young people in libraries.' Invited speaker at Young Hearts Run Free 2, London Metropolitan Archives, October 2011.

'LGBT fiction for children and young people in public libraries'. Poster presented at the 9th Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services: proving value in challenging times, University of York, August 2011.

'"If they changed the words and the pictures it would be good": LGBT picture books, quality and the public library. Paper presented at Demystifying Public Engagement: gender & sexuality studies beyond the academy, Newcastle University, May 2011.

Winner of best group presentation of a project responding to the ESRC's Knowledge Exchange Small Grants Scheme. White Rose workshop on 'Building Impact into Social Science Research', University of Leeds, April 2011.

'"It's patchy, it's poor, it still terrifies many librarians": provision of LGBT fiction to children and young people in UK public libraries'. Paper presented at University of Sheffield LGBT Staff Network research seminar, February 2011.

Joint winner of 'best poster' award for 'Provision of LGBT fiction to children and young people in public libraries'. Research2 PhD Forum on Research Methods in Information Science, Loughborough University, July 2010.

'Provision of LGBT materials for children and young people in UK public and secondary school libraries'. Paper presented at Forbidden Fruit: the censorship of literature and information for young people, Southport, June 2008.