- Assistant Professor
- Graduate School of Library and Information Studies
- Email: cynthia.johnson@uri.edu
Biography
Dr. Cynthia R. Johnson earned her PhD in Information Science from the University of South Carolina. Her dissertation, Stories between the Stacks: Current Black Women School Librarians’ Lived Experiences, highlights narratives of resilience and representation in librarianship. Dr. Johnson brings more than two decades of experience as a middle teacher, reading specialist, and school librarian to her work in higher education.
Research
Dr. Cynthia R. Johnson’s research explores racial and social inequities in school librarianship, with a particular focus on the lived experiences of Black women school librarians. Her work centers on issues of equity, culturally responsive librarianship, and advocacy in both school and public library contexts.
Education
Ph.D., Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 2025
M.L.I.S., University of South Carolina, 2013
M.A., Reading, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2003
B.A., Child Development, Spelman College, 2001
Selected Publications
Johnson, C., & Harris, C. (2025). The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship: When They Dared to Be Powerful (N. A. Cooke, Ed.; 1st ed). American Library Association.