Christine D'Arpa
Assistant Professor
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Office Hours
Office hours are by appointment and will be held via Zoom or MSTeams. Please contact me via email so we can find a time to meet.
Christine D'Arpa
Christine D'Arpa joined the School of Information Sciences faculty in August 2017. Her research focuses on public libraries and community engagement; the history of libraries; and the role of the federal government in information provision. She has presented her research at regional, national, and international conferences including SHARP, Library History Seminar, i-Schools Conference, Digital Library Federation, Society of American Archivists, Midwest Archives Conference, ALISE, AERI, ARSL, and ASIS&T. D'Arpa has designed and taught a range of courses in LIS including Community Archives, Digital Public History, Administration and Use of Archival Materials, Community Engagement, Administration of Cultural Heritage Organizations, Organization of Information, and Race, Gender, and Information Technology.
- Google Scholar profile
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIAOSJ3H6w
- Research-related Facebook group engaging the question about how public libraries are addressing food literacy in their communities: https://www.facebook.com/groups/399101418755423; hashtag: #librariesandfood
Degrees and Certifications
Ph.D., Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Certificate in Special Collections, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.S., Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Grant-Funded Research
Co-Investigator. Lenstra, N., D'Arpa C. Public libraries and food justice. Research planning grant from the Mellon Foundation. University of North Carolina, Greensboro is the lead institution. Grant awarded: $107,000. https://www.mellon.org/grant-details/food-justice-and-public-libraries-20451390
Co-Investigator. Rubenstein, E., Burke, S, Lenstra, N., D’Arpa, C. Community health and wellness: Small and rural library practices, perspectives, and programs. National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), LG-18-19-0015-19. University of Oklahoma is the lead institution. Grant awarded: $475,785.00 for FY2019-2022.
Selected Publications
Charbonneau, D.H., D’Arpa, C., & Belz, S. (2024). Community health programs and partnerships: Perspectives from public library directors. Journal of Library Administration, 64(4), 481-494. DOI:10.1080/01930826.2024.2330864
Charbonneau, D.H., D'Arpa, C., & Belz, S. (2024). Partnerships for health literacy: Information access, training, and programs. In E. Vardell & D. H. Charbonneau (Eds.), Health Literacy and Libraries. Rowman & Littlefield (pp. 307-321). ISBN: 978-1-5381-8078-5. eBook: 978-1-5381-8080-8.
Lenstra, N., Peritore, N. and D’Arpa, C. (2024), "Partnerships and the COVID-19 Pandemic: From Threat to Opportunity", Irvin, V. and Mehra, B. (Ed.) Reading Workplace Dynamics: A Post-Pandemic Professional Ethos in Public Libraries (Advances in Librarianship, Vol. 55), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 129-145. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-283020240000055010
Peritore, N., Lenstra, N., & D'Arpa, C. (2024) Public Librarianship and the US Food System: Results from a 2022 National Survey. Public Library Quarterly. DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2023.2200365
Lenstra, N. and D’Arpa, C. (2023), "Sustaining Ourselves, Sustaining Relationships, Sustaining Communities", Williams-Cockfield, K.C. and Mehra, B. (Ed.) How Public Libraries Build Sustainable Communities in the 21st Century (Advances in Librarianship, Vol. 53), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-283020230000053003
Lenstra, N., Oguz, F., D'Arpa, C., Wilson, L.S. (2022). Exercising at the Library: Small and Rural Public Libraries in the Lives of Older Adults, Library Quarterly, 92:1. DOI: 10.1086/717232
D’Arpa, C. (2021 online; 2022 print). Sharing the Science of Agricultural Practice: Information Transfer via the Annual Reports of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1862–1868, Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, 23:1-2, 9-27, DOI: 10.1080/10496505.2021.2010563
Lenstra, N., & D’Arpa, C. (2021). Reimagining public library programming during a pandemic. IFLA Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352211023076
D’Arpa, C. (2021). ¡Si, Se Puede! The United Farm Workers (https://ufw.org), Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, 22:1-2, 2-7, DOI: 10.1080/10496505.2021.1901182
D’Arpa, C., Lenstra, N., & Rubenstein, E. (2020) Growing food at and through the local library: An exploratory study of an emerging role.In B. St. Jean, G. Jindal, Y. Liao, & P. T. Jaeger (Eds.), Roles and Responsibilities of Libraries in Increasing Consumer Health Literacy and Reducing Health Disparities (Advances in Librarianship, Volume 47). London: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Lenstra, N. & D’Arpa, C. (2019). “Food Justice in the Public Library: Information, Resources, and Meals.” The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI), 3(4), 45-67. https://doi.org/10.33137/ijidi.v3i4.33010
D'Arpa, C., Lenstra, N., Rubenstein, E. & Burke, S. (2019). Small and rural public libraries: Supporting community health and wellness. ALISE 2019 Proceedings, Knoxville (TN), September 24-26, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/105362
D'Arpa, C., Lenstra, N., Rubenstein, E. & Burke, S. (2019). Community health and wellness: Rural library practices, perspectives, and programs. iConference, College Park (MD), March 31-April 3, 2019. https://doi.org/10.21900/iconf.2019.103302
Smith, D.M. & D’Arpa, C. (2017). What’s history got to do with it? Seventy Years of Historical Dissertation Research at the School of Information Sciences of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Library Trends, 65(4). https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2017.0019
Willliams, S.C. & D’Arpa, C. (Eds.). (2017). Collaboration in Agricultural Librarianship and Information Work. Library Trends, 65(3). https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2017.0000
Courses taught by Christine D'Arpa
Winter Term 2025 (future)
Fall Term 2024 (current)
Winter Term 2024
Fall Term 2023
- INF7885 - Cultural Heritage Institutions: Management and Leadership
- HIS7880 - Cultural Heritage Institutions: Management and Leadership
- INF6210 - Organization of Information
Winter Term 2023
Fall Term 2022
- INF6210 - Organization of Information
- INF7885 - Cultural Heritage Institutions: Management and Leadership