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Katie Klein

Assistant Professor

University of North Texas

Department of Information Science

Email: Katherine.Klein@unt.edu

Professional Positions

    Academic - P-12

  • Research and Teaching & Learning Librarian, Rising Tide Charter Public School. Rising Tide Charter Public School. (2018 - 2021).
  • Library Media Specialist, Lake Region High School. Lake Region High School. (2015 - 2018).
  • High School Librarian, St. Margaret’s School. St. Margaret’s School. (2006 - 2010).

    • Academic - Post-Secondary

  • Course Assistant, University of South Carolina. University of South Carolina. (2022 - 2025).
  • Research Assistant, University of South Carolina. University of South Carolina. (2021 - 2025).
  • Adjunct Instructor, University of South Carolina. University of South Carolina. (2023 - 2024).

    • Professional

  • Per Diem Librarian, Walker Memorial Library. Walker Memorial Library. (2012 - 2018).
  • Project Manager and Affiliate Support, ITNAmerica. ITNAmerica. (2012 - 2015).

Licensures and Certifications

  • UNT RCR Basic Course, CITI Certifications. (2025 - 2029).
  • UNT Research Conflict of Interest, CITI Certifications. (2025 - 2029).
  • Social and Behavioral Researcher - Basic Refresher, CITI Certifications. (2025 - 2028).
  • South Carolina Professional Educator Certificate, Library Media Specialist, South Carolina Department of Education. (2021 - 2026).
  • Research Security Training (Combined), CITI Certifications. (2025 - 2026).
  • Research Security: A Basic Course, CITI Certifications. (2025 - 2026).
  • Integrative and Experiential Learning, University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence. (2024 - 2025).
  • Mental Health & Well-being Competency, University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence. (2024 - 2025).
  • Entering Mentoring, University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence. (2023 - 2025).
  • Fostering Proactive Learning Environments, University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence. (2023 - 2025).
  • Teaching Online for Graduate Students, University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence. (2023 - 2025).
  • Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research, CITI Certifications. (2021 - 2025).
  • Export Controls Course, CITI Certifications. (2021 - 2025).

Professional Memberships

  • Texas Library Association. (2025 - Present).
  • American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2021 - Present).
  • Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). (2021 - Present).
  • International Association for School Librarianship (IASL). (2021 - Present).
  • American Library Association (ALA). (2003 - Present).
  • South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL). (2021 - 2025).

Development Activities

  • Other (Community of Practice), Teaching in the AI Era: Community of Practice 2025-26, UNT Teaching Hub. Denton,TX,United States of America. (November 7, 2025 - May 2026).
  • Workshop, Fall Faculty Grant Writing Workshop: Cultivating and Funding Your Research, UNT Division of Research & Innovation. Denton,TX,United States of America. (December 10, 2025).

Teaching

Teaching Experience

    University of North Texas

  • INFO 5345 - School Library Program Development, 2 courses.
  • INFO 5420 - Literature for Youth in School Libraries, 2 courses.

Teaching at Other Institutions

  • University of South Carolina, ISCI 742 The Curricular Role of the School Librarian, Summer 2024.
  • University of South Carolina, ISCI 742 The Curricular Role of the School Librarian, Summer 2023.

Awards and Honors

  • Nominated for Honorable Mention for Rising Star Award, UNT College of Information. (December 5, 2025).
  • Dissertation Fellowship, University of South Carolina iSchool. (January 1, 2025).
  • Student Travel Grant, Library Research Seminar. (2024).
  • Graduate Student Travel Award to ALISE Annual Conference, ALISE / University of Washington Information School Youth Services. (2023).
  • Research Grant sponsored by School Library Connection, AASL. (2023).
  • Graduate Student Poster Award, University of South Carolina. (2022).

Research

Published Intellectual Contributions

    Book Chapter

  • Klein, K.E., Marquardt, L., Oberg, D. (2025). What principals need to know about school libraries: A survey of charter school leaders. School Librarians and Principals: Leading Together: International Perspectives. 126-137. Bloomsbury.

    • Conference Proceeding

  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2025). Professional Identity and Threats to Non-Normative Identities: Grand Challenges for LIS Education. 2025: ALISE Proceedings. University of Illinois Main Library. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2025.1945
  • Burress, R., Klein, K., Krutka, K., Santos Green, L., Johnston, M., Kodama, C., Moore, J., Cahill, M., Li, X., Pryde, K. (2025). School Library SIG: Evolving Practice and Elevating Libraries. 2025: ALISE Proceedings. University of Illinois Main Library. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2025.2026
  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2025). Navigating the Opinions of the Colonizers on What it Means to Be You: A Pedagogical Framework for Responding to Identity Conflicts. 2025: ALISE Proceedings. University of Illinois Main Library. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2025.1946
  • Church, A., Croft, M., Everhart, N., Farmer, L., Klein, K., Marquardt, L., Oberg, D. (2025). Principals and librarians: Partners for quality education. Other. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/slw/index.php/iasl/article/view/8809
  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2024). Who am I? How public library staff manage conflicting information about the self‐concept. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology. 61 (1) 914-916. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.1138
  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2024). Customer service, hard work, and normativity: Identity standards encoded into public library routines. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer.
  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2022). What guides knowledge work in the library? Maps, routines, and workarounds. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology. 59 (1) 76-88. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.606

    • Journal Article

  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2025). Who am I? How public library staff manage conflicting information about the self-concept. Journal of Documentation. 81 (7) 293-311.
  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2025). Workplace technology as a threat to worker identity: Evidence from Public Libraries. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105021849116
  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2025). Be who we all want you to be: Navigating identity regulation in the public library. Library Quarterly. 95 (4)
  • Freeburg, D., Klein, K. (2024). Are library staff autonomous? The influence of routines and the development of workarounds. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. 56 (1) 223-240.
  • Klein, K. (2023). “What library?” A survey of charter school leaders about school library services. School Libraries Worldwide. 28 (1) 78-97. University of Alberta Libraries. https://doi.org/10.29173/slw8680

    • Magazine/Trade Publication

  • Klein, K., Harrison, A., Burgess, R. (2024). Q and A: How to build relationships in nontraditional schools. Knowledge Quest. 52 (4) 42-45.
  • Klein, K. (2024). What about charter school libraries? Understanding library services in charter schools. Knowledge Quest. 52 (3) 44-48.

Presentations Given

    Invited Talk

  • Klein, K. (Presenter), iSchools PhD Seminar Series, Information Literacy in U.S. Charter Schools: An Institutional Ethnography, United States of America. (2025).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), Spiering, J. (Coordinator/Organizer), Byrd-Fort, V. (Coordinator/Organizer), South Carolina Library Association Annual Conference, Book First Aid, United States of America. (2025).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), SCLA / SCASL / USC Upstate Fall Workshop, Community Collaborations: Partnering with Outside Organizations, United States of America. (2024).
  • Johnson, C. (Presenter), Klein, K. (Presenter), School Librarians Regional Workshop, Makerspaces, United States of America. (2022).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), School Librarians Regional Workshop, Makerspaces, United States of America. (2022).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Massachusetts Library System Annual Meeting, Collaborate for online privacy, United States of America. (2019).

    • Keynote/Plenary Address

  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Colon-Aguirre, M. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Padilla, E. (Author & Presenter), South Carolina Library Association, How libraries are addressing America’s “knowing” challenges, United States of America. (2022).

    • Lecture

  • Klein, K. (Presenter), SCASL Annual Conference, Book first-aid: Preventative care and basic repair, United States of America. (2024).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author), Georgia Libraries Conference, Stories of routine work in the library: Barriers and Workarounds, United States of America. (2023).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), SCASL Annual Conference, Teaching middle schoolers to review books, United States of America. (2022).

    • Oral Presentation

  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy, Charter schools and information literacy: What higher education should know about IL in US charter high schools, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, United States of America. (2026).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Farley-Smith, K. (Author & Presenter), Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy, Librarian-Counselor Collaborations: Building a Culture of Information Literacy and Holistic Student Support, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, United States of America. (2026).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), Freeburg, D. (Presenter), South Carolina Library Association Annual Conference, Public library routines research: Implications for school libraries, United States of America. (2025).
  • Freeburg, D. (Presenter), Klein, K. (Presenter), ALA LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience, Stuck in a routine: When library routines become barriers, United States of America. (2024).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), AASL National Conference, How safe are your students’ data?: What you need to know to advocate for student data privacy, United States of America. (2023).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), Farley-Smith, K. (Presenter), SCASL Annual Conference, School librarian-school counselor collaboration: Opportunities for a healthier, happier school, United States of America. (2023).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), South Carolina Library Association Annual Conference, Stuck in a routine: The challenges and workarounds of routine work in libraries, United States of America. (2023).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), IASL 2022 Hybrid Conference and Research Forum, Teaching middle schoolers to review books, United States of America. (2022).
  • Klein, K. (Presenter), AASL National Conference, Middle schoolers make great book reviewers, United States of America. (2021).

    • Other

  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Farley-Smith, K. (Author & Presenter), ASCD Annual Conference, Librarian-Counselor Collaborations: Reimagining Learning through Information Literacy and Holistic Support, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Orlando, FL, United States of America. (2026).

    • Panel Presentation

  • Klein, K. (Panelist), Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference, Information Literacy in Charter School Cultures, School Library SIG: Evolving Practice and Elevating Libraries, Kansas City, MO, United States of America. (2025).
  • Farmer, L. (Panelist), Klein, K. (Panelist), Croft, M. (Panelist), Everhardt, N. (Panelist), Church, A. (Panelist), Oberg, D. (Moderator), Marquardt, L. (Moderator), IASL 2024 Virtual Conference and Research Forum, Principals and Librarians: Partners for Quality Education, United States of America. (2024).
  • Galloway, D. (Panelist), Giller, M. (Panelist), Klein, K. (Panelist), Sargent, J. (Panelist), Cox, T. (Moderator), SCASL Annual Conference, Four national award winners break out of the ordinary, United States of America. (2024).

    • Paper

  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), 88th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Public Library Workers, IT Identity Threats, and Implications for Artificial Intelligence, Virtual, United States of America. (2025).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference, Professional Identity and Threats to Non-Normative Identities: Grand Challenges for LIS Education, Kansas City, MO, United States of America. (2025).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), 21st International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Using Institutional Ethnography to Explore School Culture and Information Literacy, Virtual, United States of America. (2025).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author), 87th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Be Who We Want You to Be: Navigating Identity Regulation in the Public Library, United States of America. (2024).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), iConference 2024 Virtual Research Program, Customer service, hard work, and normativity: Identity standards encoded into public library routines, United States of America. (2024).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Library Research Seminar 8: Telling Library Stories, Using audio diaries to collect stories of library worker identities and routine work, United States of America. (2024).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), AASL National Conference, AASL research grant presentations: What library? A survey of charter school leaders about school library services, United States of America. (2023).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author), Carolinas Communication Association Annual Meeting, Interpersonal communication as a workaround for obstacles in public library work routines, United States of America. (2023).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference, “I ain’t read not one bit of it”: The influence of canonical maps on the knowledge work of public library staff, United States of America. (2022).

    • Poster

  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), AASL National Conference, Information Literacy in Charter School Culture, St. Louis, MO, United States of America. (2025).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference, Information Literacy in Charter Schools: An Institutional Ethnography, Kansas City, MO, United States of America. (2025).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference, Navigating the Opinions of the Colonizers on What it Means to Be You: A Pedagogical Framework for Responding to Identity Conflicts, Kansas City, MO, United States of America. (2025).
  • Klein, K. (Author), American Library Association Annual Conference, Information literacy in charter school culture: An institutional ethnography, United States of America. (2025).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), iConference 2025, Who Does the Computer Think I Am? How Technology Threatens the Identities of Public Library Workers, United States of America. (2025).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author), 87th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Who Am I? How Public Library Staff Manage Conflicting Information about the Self-Concept, United States of America. (2024).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Discover USC, University of South Carolina, Using audio diaries to uncover identity-based routines in public libraries, United States of America. (2024).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Library Research Seminar 8: Telling Library Stories, The public library routines project: problematizing routine library work, United States of America. (2024).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Freeburg, D. (Author), Twentieth Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Using audio diaries to uncover identity-based routines in public libraries, United States of America. (2024).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), AASL National Conference, Normalized barriers: The structure and performance of school library routines, United States of America. (2023).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Association for Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference, “What library?” A survey of charter school leaders about school library services, United States of America. (2023).
  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author), North Carolina Library Association Conference, Shifting the routine: Surfacing bias and discrimination in the routine work of public library staff, United States of America. (2023).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), Discover USC, University of South Carolina, Charter school library services, United States of America. (2022).

    • Sharing Session

  • Freeburg, D. (Presenter), Klein, K. (Presenter), SCLA Conference, Changing up the routine: Contextual supports for library staff who don’t fit the way we do things around here, United States of America. (2024).
  • Freeburg, D. (Presenter), Colon-Aguirre, M. (Presenter), Klein, K. (Presenter), Padilla, E. (Presenter), South Carolina Library Association, How YOU are (and can) address America’s “knowing” challenges, United States of America. (2022).

    • Symposium

  • Freeburg, D. (Author & Presenter), Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), CIC Research & Creative Scholarship Symposium, University of South Carolina, Are workers autonomous? The influence of routines and the development of workarounds, United States of America. (2023).
  • Klein, K. (Author & Presenter), CIC Research & Creative Scholarship Symposium, University of South Carolina, Charter school libraries pilot study, United States of America. (2023).

Service

University Service

  • Committee Member, External Affairs & Physical Resources Committee. (October 27, 2025 - Present).
  • Co-Director, Multiple Literacies Lab. (September 1, 2025 - Present).

Professional Service

  • Other (Co-chair), ALISE Juried Paper Sessions Committee. (November 1, 2025 - Present).
  • Other (Co-convener), ALISE School Library Special Interest Group. (October 21, 2025 - Present).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, School Library Research Editorial Board. (July 1, 2025 - Present).
  • Committee Member, ALA Library Research Round Table (LRRT) Executive Committee. (July 1, 2023 - Present).

Consulting

  • Government, U.S. Department of Education, United States of America. (November 2022 - September 2023).