Jan Irvine
Professor
Library Studies
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
New Zealand
Biography
I have a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from Victoria University of Wellington, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland, a Certificate in Designing and Facilitating E-Learning, and a Certificate in Adult Education and Training. I am a member of the Editorial Board of the New Zealand Library and Information Journal and a peer reviewer for Library Review. I have 19 years of experience working in a wide variety of libraries, ranging from a large academic library to small special libraries, including the Department of Education, the Horticulture Export Authority, and the librarian for a law firm. I worked in a variety of roles including Reference/Cataloguer Librarian, Information Specialist, and Law Librarian, which enabled me to get a broad understanding of librarianship in different
Research Interest
My current research interests include issues impacting on library and information services, and consumer health information. I am also interested in the education and professional development of librarians. I co-authored a research study evaluating the impact of Information and Library studies degrees and diplomas on graduates’ job. My early research for my Masters was on factors influencing children’s fiction selection decisions. The perspective of developmental psychology was used to inform understanding of children’s fiction choices.
Publications
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Irvine, J. (2002) Ask them! Children’s fiction book choices and the implications for libraries. Lower Hutt: The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. (Working Paper 3-02).
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Smith, S., Wellington, S., Cossham, A., Fields, A., Irvine, J., Welland, S., & Innes, M. (2011). Obtaining high retention and completion rates in a New Zealand ODL environment: a case study of strategies employed by Information and Library Studies faculty at the Open Polytechnic. Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning 15 (1)31-45.
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Irvine, J. & Cossham, A. (2011). Flexible learning: reflecting on a decade of library and information studies programmes at the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Library Review 60 (8).
