Jacqueline Kociubuk

Biography

Dr. Jacqueline ‘Jacquie’ Kociubuk is an Assistant Professor at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. Her areas of expertise include public libraries, critical librarianship, childhood studies and critical childhood theory, informal learning environments, qualitative methods, and placemaking theory. Previously, she worked as a children’s librarian and PreK-12th grade educator in Ohio, and in fisheries throughout the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time, Dr. Kociubuk enjoys trail running, surfing, biking long distances, and roller skating.

Research

Dr. Kociubuk focuses on understanding the public library as an informal learning space and community place for children (ages 0-18 years of age) and their families, with an emphasis on equity of access. Previously, she has worked on research projects related to public library outreach and social justice work, early literacy and embodied learning, playful learning, and inclusive play in libraries and museums. Most recently Dr. Kociubuk has been studying the co-constructed relationship between unattended, or self-care, children and the public library using placemaking and critical childhood theory.

Education

PhD, Information with minor in Curriculum Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2025

MLIS/MEd with PreK-12th grade School Library Media Specialist Certification, Kent State University, 2019

BS, Biology with minor in Chemistry, Evergreen State College, 2014

Selected Publications

Kociubuk, J, Campana, K., & Mills, J. E. (invited, 2025). Social-Emotional Learning in Baby and Toddler Storytimes: Family-Focused Approaches and Strategies. Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sel.2025.100094

Kociubuk, J. & Campana, K. (2024). Coding for play: identifying and categorizing educator-designed group playful learning experiences in libraries and other informal learning environments. Library and Information Science Research, 46(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2024.101280

Kociubuk, J., Mueller, A., Wardrip, P., & Willett, R. (2023). “Our mission doesn’t stop just because we don’t have a building’: librarians’ and museum educators’ discursive construction of their shifting roles during the pandemic. The Library Quarterly, 92(2). https://doi.org/10.1086/723849

Campana, K., Kociubuk, J., Mills, J. E., & Martin, M. (2023). Learning about what’s most important: Incorporating values into the design of library learning experiences for underserved groups. Information and Learning Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-06-2023-0073

Kociubuk, J. & Campana, K. (2020). Sharing Stories: an exploration of genres in storytimes. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(3), 905-915. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000619882751

See Dr. Kociubuk’s Google Scholar Profile for other works.