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Patricia Montiel Overall recently was elected chair of the Research, Education, Information, and School Libraries group, a special interest group of the American Educational Research Association.

By La Monica Everett-Haynes, University Communications
June 25, 2008

Patricia Montiel Overall, a University of Arizona assistant professor in the School of Information Resources and Library Science, is heading up a new group supporting librarians and information science professionals.

Overall recently was elected chairwoman of a new American Educational Research Association special interest group called the Research, Education, Information, and School Libraries group. She was elected during the association's annual convention in New York.

The group will provide more opportunities for library and information science professionals to present their research in areas related to education and school libraries.

"There really hasn't been a forum in AERA for library information science professionals to present their research and we now have a perfect niche," Overall said.

The group will "encourage and recognize scholarly inquiry that provides diverse theoretical, methodological, and disciplinary insights. We also promote research in school libraries that addresses the multidimensional aspects of literacy including its personal, cognitive, social, and cultural dimensions," according to the American Educational Research Association's Web site.

It's a natural extension of what Overall does locally.

At the UA, she teaches graduate students about issues related to equity and conducts research focused on the effects of collaborations between teachers and librarians.

During the fall, she was awarded a $300,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for a multiyear project that will involve UA faculty who specialize in science, education and Hispanic language and culture, as well as educators from two school districts in southern Arizona schools. The schools will work with with the UA to enhance instruction and improve science information literacy instruction for Latino students.

Ultimately, Overall wants to improve the ability of Hispanic youth to earn higher points on standardized exams and, at the national level, intends to encourage collaboration and participation among library professionals through the new interest group.

"This opens a new door for library and information science professionals, especially those interested in school libraries," said Overall, whose research focuses on teacher and librarian collaboration.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for school librarians because we believe we are the heart of schools and education," she said. "We're the hub of information where students find, use and evaluate information, which is essential to every aspect of education."

A group of library information science professionals who held those same concerns had approached the association with a proposal to establish the interest group. While Overall wasn't involved in the creation of the special interest group, she said she is grateful to serve as its first elected chair.

"I was very interested when my colleagues started working to establish the special interest group, and I'm very pleased to be the new chair," she said.

"Our field has expanded well beyond traditional ideas of librarianship. We are involved in education, information technology, developing digital libraries, and a wide range of other areas involving information," Overall added, saying the interest group would be small at first, "but it will grow."