Work
I've been working in libraries since 2011. I'm broadly interested in education — how people learn and share information. I've taught a variety of topics about technology, including web development, productivity, tech hygiene, and ethical issues. In my current role I help teach librarians about topics in data services (e.g., Python coding, data management).
Achievements
Research
I like thinking about how professional development works (or doesn't) for librarians, and how people find and share information. Below are some selected works. I have a full list of publications on this page.
- Taking Care of Yourself When Your Job is Taking Care of Others: Self-Care in a Service-Oriented Profession
- Navigating the Network: An Exploratory Study of LGBTQIA+ Information Practices at Two Single-Sex HBCUs
- A Tale of Three IRBs
- 'Hello, World!': Starting a Coding Group for Librarians
Instruction
I think it's important to meet learners where they are: figure out what people know and how to add concepts and skills on top of that foundation. Because learning something new is always tied to what you already know. Here are a few classes and assignments I've developed over the years with that in mind. If you see something you like, feel free to adapt and use it (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Audio
I like to record, edit, mix, and master audio. This has led to some fun projects, including a few recent collaborations with an old friend...
- Silent & Deadly - I mixed the audio for this video short.
- Lost But Found - I mixed and produced the music for this video short.
- I made music for a couple of NFTs: Cowabunga CryptoChairs and Cosine Chair.
Podcast
The Heat Index is a podcast I started with a meteorologist friend, Melody. We wanted to talk about what it's like working with the weather and working in libraries.
Music
- Solo music is stuff I've written and recorded alone.
- Prequels was a punk/rock/other band where I wrote the songs, sang, and played guitar (and sometimes bass).
- The Young and The Elder is an indie/piano band where I played guitar (and sometimes danced).
- These Gnarly Beasts are an online band I started with friends from college.
- I played guitar for The Human Ascension, which was a hip-hop / fusion band in Tallahassee, FL. Check out this video I edited of the last show I had with them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OopdQIpEoX0
Publications
Peer-Reviewed
- Justin de la Cruz and Joshua Hogan. Hello, world! Starting a computer programming group for librarians. Public Services Quarterly, Vol. 12, Iss. 3, 249-256, 2016
- Justin de la Cruz, Amy Winfrey, Stephanie Solomon. Navigating the network: An exploratory study of LGBTQIA+ information practices at two single-sex HBCUs. College & Research Libraries, Vol. 83, No. 2, 278-295, 2022
- Gabrielle W. Peters, Douglas Forbush, Justin de la Cruz, Todd F. Atwood, Derek Brown, Jay Burmeister, Eric Ford, Tiania Juang, Holly Lincoln, and Suzanne B. Evans. Results of a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional pilot creating high-yield physics educational content . Practical Radiation Oncology, Vol. 8, Iss. 6, 2023
Non Peer-Reviewed
- Justin de la Cruz. Robotics and computer programming: Digital literacy training in the idea lab. Voice of Youth Advocates Oct. 2015; Vol. 38, Iss. 4, 16-19, 2015
- Justin de la Cruz. ACRL in Orlando: ACRL programs at the ALA annual conference. College & Research Libraries News, Vol. 77, No. 8, 396-406, 2016
- Multiple authors. Big data infrastructure at the crossroads: Support needs and challenges for universities. Ithaka S+R, 2021
Book Chapters
- Justin de la Cruz. Technology volunteers in the idea lab: Fun with robotics & computer programming. Library Volunteers Welcome!: Strategies for Attracting, Retaining and Making the Most of Willing Helpers (ed. Carol Smallwood), McFarland & Company, 2016
- Justin de la Cruz. Teaching Technology with Volunteers in the Library. Library Volunteers Welcome!: Strategies for Attracting, Retaining and Making the Most of Willing Helpers (ed. Carol Smallwood), McFarland & Company, 2016
- Joshua Hogan and Justin de la Cruz. The practice of solidarity: Forming a collaborative coding interest group at AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Applying Library Values to Emerging Technology: Decision-Making in the Age of Open Access, Maker Spaces, and the Ever-Changing Library (eds. Peter Fernandez and Kelly Tilton), ACRL Publications, 2018
- Justin de la Cruz. A Tale of Three IRBs. Becoming a Practitioner-Researcher: A Practical Guide for Information Professionals (eds. Lee Ann Fullington, Brandon West, and Frans Albarillo), ACRL Publications, 2020
- Tiffany Atwater Lee and Justin de la Cruz. Improving Representation on Wikipedia: A Collaboration with Librarians and Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Critical Ethnic Studies in Academic and Research Libraries (eds. Raymond Pun, Melissa Cardenas-Down, and Kenya S. Flash), ACRL Publications, 2021
- Justin de la Cruz. Taking care of yourself when your job is taking care of others: Self-care in a service-oriented profession. Thriving as a Mid-Career Librarian: Identity, Advocacy, and Pathways (eds. Brandon K. West and Elizabeth Galoozis), ACRL Publications, 2023
Visual
I like to mess around in Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop.
Clicks & Whistles is a collaborative t-shirt shop effort with my wife Laura. She draws animal pictures and I adapt them into digital designs.
I've also made several band flyers, logos, and shirt designs. Here are a couple of them:
Contact
Elements
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i = 0;
while (!deck.isInOrder()) {
print 'Iteration ' + i;
deck.shuffle();
i++;
}
print 'It took ' + i + ' iterations to sort the deck.';
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Item One | Ante turpis integer aliquet porttitor. | 29.99 |
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Item One | Ante turpis integer aliquet porttitor. | 29.99 |
Item Two | Vis ac commodo adipiscing arcu aliquet. | 19.99 |
Item Three | Morbi faucibus arcu accumsan lorem. | 29.99 |
Item Four | Vitae integer tempus condimentum. | 19.99 |
Item Five | Ante turpis integer aliquet porttitor. | 29.99 |
100.00 |