Laureen is the Head of Access Services & Outreach at Colorado Mesa University’s Tomlinson Library and serves as liaison to the Business programs, among other responsibilities. She has a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Drexel University (2011) and a PhD in Information Science from the University at Buffalo (2024). She has taught information literacy instruction for 10+ years, since being an intern with Reference & Instruction at UPenn while in graduate school at Drexel. Her publication history includes: > co-editing Memphis Noir (2015, Akashic Books) and Finding Your Seat at the Table: Roles for Librarians on Institutional Regulatory Boards and Committees (2022, Rowman & Littlefield), and editing (plus chapter contributions) Intersections in Healing: Academic Libraries and the Health Humanities (2024, Rowman & Littlefield); > book chapters on digital badging, health humanities and librarianship (incl. history of; bibliotherapy and literary caregiving; abolitionist healthcare; and outreach/podcasting), misinformation and social media influencers (2021, ACRL), libraries as curiosity-driving spaces (2023); and > articles about librarians and information literacy instruction as critical thinking activism; STEM subject area outreach; librarians on IRBs; MOOCs and libraries; nursing and information literacy; curbside pickup services; and other topics of interest. Projects in progress include co-editing a book about spatial literacy development and public health themes (due out summer 2024, ACRL), and co-chairing a working group to develop an IL framework for nursing.
Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic
Head of Access Services & Outreach, Tomlinson Library
Colorado Mesa University
Resources Contributed
Integrating geographic information systems (GIS) and social media analytics can be an effective approach to monitor disease outbreaks (such as flu, COVID-19, and hepatitis A) with near real-time updates and actionable intervention methods. Social media platforms can be used to investigate the public’s view and risk perceptions as they co-evolve with an outbreak, offering public health professionals an opportunity to tailor more effective responses or interventions to outbreaks. Using geo-tagged…
Disasters, natural or manmade, disrupt society and can expose people to public health emergencies. In preparation for impending natural disasters, national agencies, such as the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will situate supplies (emergency food and rations) close enough to locations facing potential impacts but far enough away not to be compromised in a disaster area. However, these are emergency supplies and are not designed to meet long-term needs or the needs…
Informed decision-making about spatial data selection and reliability is a fundamental part of spatial literacy. The proliferation of spatial data on the internet and the large quantity of user-generated data increases thechances of integrating unreliable data into research. This chapter focuses on evaluating spatial data using the Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose (CRAAP) test with additional focus on the importance of Margins of Error (MOE) in American Community Survey (…
Environmental health (EH) is the study of physical, chemical, and biological factors in the environment that affect human health. EH data include environmental exposures, health outcomes, and socioeconomic status (SES), which are often place-based or have geographic correlations. This chapter aims to develop students’ spatial literacy skills to address two EH themes—environmental disparities and exposure-health associations—with open online mapping tools. Environmental disparity…
The two learning activities outlined in this PowerPoint will aid in developing students’ understanding of spatial epidemiology and the intersectionality of socio-economic and environmental factors.
Task 1 involves a short presentation on the software SaTScan covering cluster analysis and including the data types needed for the analysis. Following this, students receive a scenario-based task using a pre-designed hypothetical dataset of the spread of a contagion in the UK. Students input…
Public health concerns are often multi-faceted, complex problems. Any exploratory analysis conducted to support public health concerns should be scalable to this multi-attribute nature. This activity pairs with a chapter focused on spatial clustering techniques for multivariate analysis, which can reveal the locations with unusually high or low occurrences of multiple diseases. We will use obesity and insufficient sleep, which often occur together, as conditions to analyze considering their…
Powerpoint to accompany social media influencer/business information literacy activity, exploring roles and responsibilities of consumers and content creators, debates regarding influencer marketing tactics and misleading advertisements, and ways to distinguish sponsored content. Created by Mia Wells and Laureen Cantwell. Accompanies chapter "Bad Influence: Disinformation and Ethical Considerations of Influencer Marketing Campaigns on Social Media Platforms," from the book Teaching About Fake…