Marie L. Radford

Marie L. Radford examines the human side of information—interpersonal communication, reference services (virtual and in-person), and qualitative assessment in libraries. She studies how people seek, share, and make sense of information across academic and digital libraries, online communities, and social media, and consults on qualitative assessment. She co-authored “Research Methods in Library and Information Science” (7th ed., 2021), “Conducting the Reference Interview” (3rd ed., 2019), and “Library Conversations: Reclaiming Interpersonal Communication Theory for Understanding Professional Encounters,” and publishes in the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Journal of Documentation, Reference & User Services Quarterly, and College & Research Libraries News. Recent work includes the chapter “Stereotypes and subtle slights: Exploring microaggressive behavior as a barrier to inclusive library services” (2024).

Radford co-directs the biennial international Libraries in the Digital Age (LIDA) conference. Her funded projects include “Seeking Synchronicity” and “Cyber Synergy,” supported by the IMLS, OCLC, and Rutgers. Her current research investigates the impact of COVID-19 on academic-library virtual reference services. She presents worldwide and is active in ASIS&T, ALISE, RUSA, ACRL, and ALA. She examines equity-centered library services, including those for marginalized and underrepresented populations, and how people seek and share information in online communities and on social media.

Radford's honors include the Neil Postman Mentor’s Award (2022), Rutgers LISSA Outstanding Faculty Award (2019), the ALISE/Bohdan S. Wynar Research Paper Award (2013), the RUSA Reference Service Press Award (2011), and the Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award for distinguished contributions to reference (2010).

Ph.D., Communication, Rutgers University
M.S.L.S., Library and Information Science, Syracuse University
B.A., English Language and Literature The College of New Jersey

Digital Ethnography Working Group
Social Media and Society Cluster