معرفی
Rebekah Willett is a Professor and Director of the iSchool PhD Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (iSchool). She holds a PhD in Education from the Institute of Education, University of London (2002) and a Master of Arts in Primary Education from the same institution (1996).
Her research focuses on childhood studies, media and cultural studies, and education, with particular emphasis on children's media cultures, new literacies, digital cultures, play, and public library makerspaces. She employs discourse analysis, ethnography, and qualitative methods informed by sociocultural theories, domestication theory, boundary theory, and feminist post-structuralism.
Dr. Willett teaches several courses including LIS 301 Information Literacy in Online Spaces, LIS 603 Research & Evaluation Methods for Information Professionals, LIS 629 Multicultural Literature, LIS 631 Young Adult Literature, and LIS 639 Pedagogical Theory and Practice for Information Professionals.
Her recent research has examined family media practices during the pandemic, children's digital cultures, library services adaptation during crises, and parental mediation of children's screen media use. Her work demonstrates how families navigate digital technologies within domestic contexts and how institutions like libraries have adapted services during challenging times.
Among her notable contributions are studies on:
- Librarians' and museum educators' discursive construction of their service roles during the pandemic
- Caregivers' perceptions of public library services during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Pandemic screen time and parenting practices across different cultural contexts
- Parents' discursive constructions of decision-making connected with family media practices
- Maintaining family stability in the age of digital technologies
Dr. Willett has published extensively in journals such as Library Quarterly, Library and Information Science Research, The Journal of Education, Journal of Family Studies, and Children & Society. Her work bridges the gap between academic research and practical applications in library and information science, particularly in how institutions can better serve children and families in digital contexts.
