San José State University

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE



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SLIS Home – San José Gateway Ph.D. – Doctoral Supervision – Research Profile: Dr. Debra L. Hansen

Research Profile: Dr. Debra L. Hansen

Dr. Debra L. Hansen
Professor

Statement of Research Interests & Experience

My research interests are in the areas of archives, oral history, and the history of books and libraries. With a PhD in American history, I study the role of books and records in society and explore how libraries and archives represent the culture and values of their time and place. My publications have examined the feminization and professionalization of librarianship, documented the ideas and contributions of some of the field's pioneers, and surveyed role libraries play in community formation. My other research interest revolves around the development of oral history theory and method and its administration as an archival source. I have been professionally active in this latter area, serving as a consultant on a number of oral history grants and projects.

Possible PhD Thesis Topic Area

• History of libraries, archives, and other information environments and centers
• Library science and archival education
• Women in librarianship
• Oral history theory and method

Ten Representative Publications

• Hansen, D. (Forthcoming). Oral history in libraries and archives. In M. Bates et al. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 3rd ed. New York: Taylor and Francis.
• Hansen, D. (2006). Libraries and the immigrant in the American West. In G. M. Bakken & Alexandra Kindell, Encyclopedia of immigration and migration in the American west. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
• Hansen, D. (2004). Virginia Haviland, librarian, author, critic. In S. Ware (Ed.), Notable American women: A biographical dictionary, volume 5, 1976-2000. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Hansen, D. (2004). Professionalizing library education, the California connection: James Gillis, Everett Perry, and Joseph Daniels. Library Trends, 52(4), 963-987.
• Hansen, D. (2003). Clubs (women's) in the west. In G.M. Bakken & B. Farrington (Eds.), Encyclopedia of women in the American west. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Hansen, D. (2000, Spring). A lion in the hennery: Charles F. Lummis and the Los Angeles Public Library, 1905-1910. Vitae Scholasticae, 10, 5-33.
• Hansen, D., Gracy, K. & Irvin, S. (1999, Fall). At the pleasure of the board: Women librarians and the Los Angeles Public Library. Libraries & Culture, 34, 311-346.
• Hansen, D. & Irvin, S. (1996). Interactive video and female learning. Feminist Collections, 17(2), 13-15.
• Hansen, D. (1989/1990 ). Ethnic studies in Orange County [Resources and Research Materials Section]. Journal of Orange County Studies, 3/4, 80-64.
• ansen, D. with Hansen, A., et al., comps. (1995). Annotated bibliography for Manzanar National Historic Site. Fullerton: California State University, Fullerton, for the National Parks Service.

Professional Memberships & Related Matters

I have served as an officer in the American Library Association's Library History Roundtable, California Library Association's Library History Round Table, and the Society of California Archivists Publications Committee. I am currently directing a grant-funded oral history project with past presidents of the California Library Association.

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