Work Experience

I have worked as an academic librarian since 1990, holding positions at:

• New Mexico State University Library (1990-1996)

• University of Houston Libraries (1996-1997)

• Texas Medical Center Library (1997-2002)

• University of California, Merced Library (2002-present)

I came to UC Merced in 2002 to help create a new model for the acdemic research library of the twenty-first century. The team of librarians and staff with which I collaborated did a commendable job of mixing vision with resourceful practicality, delivering to the campus a first-class library at a bargain price. I successfully served as Interim University Librarian for four years (2011-2015) in spite of support for the Library taking a backseat during those challenging years. I sometimes describe my current role as "a racehorse pulling a plow." 

From 1985-1989, I was a full-time Adjunct Lecturer in Literature and Compositon at Boise State University.  During 2001 and 2002, I taught graduate courses for the Univeristy of North Texas Department of Information Science as part-time Adjunct Faculty.

In my wasted youth, I spent ten seasons (1976 to 1986) working for the United States Forest Service, mostly as a fire fighter on an Interregional Hotshot Crew. (Pics or it didn't happen? I got your pics right here.) The job was neither as dangerous nor as beneficial to the common good as today's first-responder mythology might have you believe. 

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, English, Boise State University, 1981

• Master of Arts, English, University of California, Berkeley, 1985

• Master of Library and Information Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 1990

Publications

I've published a lot, and you are welcome to read all about it by visiting my curriculum vitae. 

My most recent book, Fake News, Propaganda, and Plain Old Lies: How to Find Trustworthy Information in the Digital Age, was published by Roman Littlefield in June 2018 and spent two months as an Amazon #1 New Release. That sounds more impressive than it really is, but, you know, it is not unimpressive, either. Die-hard fans can learn more about this book via my personal website. 

Personal

I was a military brat (in Louisiana, Florida, and California) from birth to age eleven, at which time my family moved to Boise, Idaho, where I attended junior high, high school, and college. As a young person I played violin and trombone (neither very well), dug the outdoors, became an Eagle Scout, and watched a lot of Monty Python (Sunday nights on PBS). My sisters still live in Boise, and I manage to get up there at least once a year. I after library stints in Las Cruces, New Mexcio and Galveston/Houston, Texas, I happily live in Merced, California with my wife (Merced College Professor Caroline Dawson), three daughters, three dogs, a cat, three guinea pigs, and a number of fish. I walk our Labrador, Olive, every single morning and solve the New York Times crossword puzzle every evening. I am a member of the Merced County Library Advisory Commission and belong to the Merced Sunrise Rotary Club.