Clare Withers

Clare Withers is a Lecturer in Library and Information Science affiliated with San José State University and a long-standing professional at the University of Pittsburgh. She serves as Curator of the Elizabeth Nesbitt Collection of historical children’s literature and as Liaison Librarian for Children’s Literature, Cultural Studies, and Medieval & Renaissance Studies at the University of Pittsburgh Library System. With an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. in English Literature from Duquesne University, she has been actively contributing to academic librarianship since 2001.

Her research interests include:

• Children's and Young Adult (YA) Literatures
• Children's Services in Libraries
• Primary Source Pedagogy
• Archival Collections and Curation
• Intellectual Freedom and Censorship
• Storytelling and Literacy Development

Withers has published extensively on the integration of primary sources in teaching, focusing on collaborative pedagogy and assessment frameworks. Her recent articles emphasize the educational impact of archival materials and support systems for instructors. She co-developed a Primary Source Lesson Plan with Rubric and contributed to national initiatives such as the Association of Research Libraries' Impact Framework.

Her scholarly awards include none explicitly mentioned, but her work is widely disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and institutional reports. She has advised on curriculum development and facilitated over 50 class visits annually, working with graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 students.

She has held prior roles including Coordinator for Virtual Reference, Psychology Liaison Librarian, and Children’s Librarian at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. She also served as Adjunct Professor at the iSchool, University of Pittsburgh. Her teaching at SJSU includes INFO 268 – History of Youth Literature.

She is actively engaged in professional practice and education, contributing to the advancement of library science pedagogy and children’s literature scholarship.