Westminster’s library director presents 2023 Henderson Lecture

Jamie Kohler, director of McGill Library and associate professor at Westminster College, will present the 2023 Henderson Lecture at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 18, in the Witherspoon Rooms of the McKelvey Campus Center.

“OER (Open Educational Resources): What’s in It for Us?” explores how OER—free learning materials that can be downloaded and shared with students and eliminate the need for textbooks—are utilized and perceived by faculty members.

As OER become increasingly popular, Kohler’s research found that educators are more accepting of OER. Most reluctance stems from the extra time required to implement new material using the system. The lecture will highlight the research on faculty’s willingness to use OER and best practices for programs that support them.

Kohler received her undergraduate degree from Juniata College and her Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh.  She has been with Westminster College since 2011. In addition to open educational resources, her current scholarly interests include monographic usage assessment, diversity assessment of collections and open access support.

The Henderson Lecture was founded by the late Dr. Joseph R. Henderson and his wife, Elizabeth, to encourage and recognize original and continuing research and scholarship among Westminster College faculty, and to afford the opportunity for faculty to share their learning with the academic community. Dr. Henderson was a professor of education emeritus at Westminster, having served as chair of the Department of Education and as director of the Graduate Program.

Each year, Westminster faculty members may nominate themselves or others to receive the lectureship, which includes a stipend to support a specific research project. A faculty committee chooses the winner.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information about Kohler’s research, contact her at kohlerjp@westminster.edu or 724-946-6703.

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