Maria Bonn

Maria Bonn is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's School of Information Sciences (iSchool), overseeing the MSLIS and CAS programs. She holds a PhD in American Literature from SUNY Buffalo, an MLS from the University of Michigan, and a BA from the University of Rochester. Her research focuses on scholarly communication, open access, and next-generation librarianship, with emphasis on publishing economics, digital humanities, and library roles in academic publishing.

Key professional contributions include editing Scholarly Communication Librarianship and Open Knowledge (2023) and co-authoring Getting the Word Out: Academic Libraries as Scholarly Publishers (2015). Her work bridges traditional librarianship with modern digital publishing challenges, advocating for open educational resources and collaborative scholarly practices. Bonn has held leadership roles such as Associate University Librarian for Publishing at the University of Michigan Library and served on national initiatives like the HathiTrust Research Center.

• Awards: 2005 University Library Faculty Achievement Award, 2004 Advanced Leadership Seminar Participant, 2005 Bear River Writer’s Conference Scholarship
• Teaching: Courses include practicum and independent study modules (IS549MSB/IS589MSB) focusing on academic librarianship and scholarly communication
• Research Projects: Includes the PEAK Experiment (1999–2000), OER development for LIS education, and intangible cultural heritage preservation

Bonn’s recent work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration in humanities research and the evolution of library publishing programs. She has presented globally on topics like open knowledge frameworks and digital humanities methodologies, reflecting her commitment to advancing equitable scholarly communication systems.