Biographical Text
Professor Emerita of the Library Virginia Craig Branch earned her B.A. degree in sociology and anthropology in 1970 from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and an M.S. degree in library and information services in 1971 from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1983 she was hired at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina as a catalog librarian. Between 1983 and 2008, Branch served in a variety of capacities with the ASU library including interim associate university librarian, coordinator of access services (social science subject specialists), government documents/reference librarian, reference and instruction librarian, interim coordinator and learning and research services librarian. Additionally, in 1986 she began taking classes at ASU and by 1991 had earned both a master's degree and an Ed.S. in human development and psychological counseling. In the 1990s, Branch added teaching to her wide range of interests. In recent years, she has taught classes and workshops in introductory and advanced library instruction, Elderhostel Dream Interpretation, Dreamwork, and Dreamwork Clinical Methods. During the course of her career at Appalachian, Branch also has presented a number of presentations and papers around the United States on a variety of topics including the following: • From Micro-inequities to Murder: Confronting Hurtful Workplace Behaviors. Workshop conducted at the Association of American Colleges and Universities' conference, Faculty Work, Chicago, Illinois (2006). • Best Library TLT Practices: Usability Studies at Appalachian State University Libraries. Presented at the UNC Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference, Greensboro, North Carolina (2003). • How Usable is Your Site? Usability Testing as a Tool to Improve Your Site. Presented at the North Carolina Library Association 54th Biennial Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina (2001). • Faculty Quality of Life: Research as Faculty Development. Presented at the conference, Faculty Vitality Through Professional Development, sponsored by the UNC Faculty Assembly and the UNC General Administration, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (1992). • Transforming the Academy: Do We Really Make any Difference? Presented at the annual meeting of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education in Morgan town, West Virginia (1991). • Starting out; New Faculty Interviews. Presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Regional Faculty and Instructional Development Consortium in Atlanta, Georgia (1991). • Personal Interviews with Female Faculty. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Boston, Massachusetts (1990). Branch has also published a number of articles: • McBride, K., Branch, V., et al. (2008). Site of the month: Appalachian State University Library Research Tutorial, Primo: Peer Reviewed Instructional Materials Online. • Mitchell, W. B., Davidson, L., Branch, V., Lysiak, L. (2002). Testing the Design of a Library Information Gateway. Southern Librarian. 49(3-4): 4-10. • Branch, V. (1995). Teaching is Job Number One: New Faculty at a Comprehensive University. Journal of Staff. Program & Organizational Development. 12 (4): 209-218. • van de Bogert (now Branch), V. (1991). Starting Out: Experiences of New Faculty at a Teaching University. In K.J. Zahorski (ed.), To Improve the Academy. 10:63-81. • van der Bogert (now Branch), V. (1989). Women Faculty in Higher Education. The Journal of Staff. Program & Organizational Development. 7 (4), 201-205. Branch is a member of the following professional organizations: • Beta Phi Mu • Library Association & Administrative Management Association where she has served in the following capacities: • Library Organization & Management Section, Executive Board Chair. • Library Organization & Management Section, Nominating Committee, Chair. • Library Organization & Management Section, Website Advisory Board, Chair. Sources: Appalachian State University files -Patti Levine-Brown
Comments