Van Houlson

About me

I am the librarian for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and provide research and instructional support to faculty and students. Contact me with any questions about news sources, media studies, product analysis, consumer demographics, advertising campaigns and public relations.

I am also a business librarian that works with students and faculty at the Carlson School of Management, with a focus on the Operations and Management Science Department and the Information and Decision Sciences Department. Contact me with questions about collections or research about the information technology industry, management of information systems, operations and supply chain management, knowledge management, product development, manufacturing, quality studies, or project management.

Please visit me during regular office hours, by email, or by appointment

OFFICE HOURS

• Tues 1-3:00 pm, Murphy Hall, Sevareid Journalism Library
• Wed  1-5 pm, Wilson Library, Room 4
• Thurs 2-5 pm, Carlson School of Management, Room 3-352

RESEARCH EXPERTISE
Newspaper collections and databases
Company and industry information
Consumer product usage and demographics
Article and report research
Career information
Advertising
Patents
Information management tools (RefWorks, Zotero, Mendeley)

Education

B.A. Philosophy, Iowa State University
M.A. Library Science, University of Iowa

Selected Presentations and Publications

"Getting Results from One-Shot Instruction: A Workshop for First-Year Students" College & Undergraduate Libraries; 2007, Vol. 14 Issue 1, p89-108

Co-authored with Kate McCready and Carla Steinberg Pfahl "Window into Our Patron's Needs: Analyzing Data from Chat Transcripts" Internet Reference Services Quarterly; 2006, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p19-39