Librarian
My praxis centers around interpersonal connections through public service, instruction, one-on-one research assistance, and engagement with community user groups. Oh, and I also teach Reference & Instruction in libraries.
Archivist
When I consider the use and purpose of archiving, I remark on the practitioner and the collection as entangled. My archival work includes personal narrative with collections of choice housed at the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
Queer
Queerness permeates and so this section is intentionally redundant. When is the work not queer? In addition to queer librarianship and queer archiving, learn about fun resources on queer housing, fiction, and even more things queer.
About Me
Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz is a recipient of the 2020 WGSS Award for Significant Achievement in Women’s & Gender Studies in Librarianship from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). She is also a 2020 nominee for the Pushcart Prize for “What the Trees Said.” The Pushcart Prize recognizes the best work of small presses and is one of the most honored literary anthologies in the United States. Shawn is a co-coordinating volunteer archivist at the Lesbian Herstory Archives. She has a BS in Queer Women’s Studies from the CUNY Baccalaureate Program, an MFA in Creative Writing/Fiction, and an MLS with a focus on Archiving and Records Management from Queens College. She is an Assistant Curator and Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Engagement at New York University Division of Libraries.
Her writing is featured in many journals and anthologies. She likes to plan events, speak publicly, and consider how fiction, theatre, archiving, and librarianship engage in conversation. Oh, and she is also a Zinster, disseminating her Zine, Black Lesbians in the 70’s and Before : An at Home Tour at the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
Click here for a full CV or visit the About page.
Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz 