Please join us in welcoming researcher and scholar Carolyn Clark, Baker's first Instruction Librarian. Carolyn comes to Baker from the Univ. of Virginia Law Library and formerly the Univ. of Kansas Law Library. Her education background includes an MLS from Emporia Univ., a J.D. from the Univ. of Kentucky, and a B.S. in Botany from the Univ. of Florida. Her academic pursuits focus on information access as it relates to the law, both from a historical and current perspective.
While Carolyn's professional life is anchored in scholarly research her top priority is her husband and two teenage sons. The decision to return to KS this year was one that best suited her family. Of the move she says, "We enjoy the Midwestern lifestyle and culture and think Douglas County is a great place to raise a family."
When asked why she chose to continue her work at Baker she attributes it to Baker's dedication and commitment to making Baker students "successful users of information."
She states, "We are living in the Information Age. Today, an unprecedented amount of information is available via an increasing number of access points such as the Internet, media, electronic databases, etc. Some of the information that is available is "good," meaning that it is from a reliable source, and some of it is "bad" and comes from an undependable source. Sometimes the "bad" information is hard to recognize. It is therefore imperative that people learn how to find, evaluate, and use information effectively. The fact that Baker University recognizes this need and is committed to making sure their students are successful users of information is exciting."
In addition to Carolyn's interest in strengthening access to and evaluation of information is her scholarship on the idea of information overload in response to new technologies. She has written and presented on the topic of how people have historically dealt with legal information overload and the changing role of libraries and librarians in helping people to address today's informational needs. This March Carolyn and co-author Michael Hoeflich presented their paper on "Roman Law as Ratio Decidendi in Early American Law," at the Miami Conference on Ratio Decidendi. The paper will be published sometime next year in the second volume of Ratio Decidendi: Guiding Principles for Judicial Decisions.
When not at work, Carolyn's time is filled with several hobbies, including being a DJ from time to time with her husband. She adds, "You might [also] find me gardening, at a chess tournament with my children, or participating with Special Olympics." Carolyn and her family reside in Lawrence, KS.
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