Justin de la Cruz

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, the false promise of 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).

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.

Audio

I play guitar, bass guitar, and drums. I like to write songs and perform with bands. This page has some of those things. But first, a pic from April 2006 at the Sweet Shop in Tallahassee, FL:

I've had band sites on PureVolume, MySpace, Facebook, Bandcamp. I guess now everyone is just using Instagram. Here are my current bands:

• Separate Incidents — write, sing, guitar; indie rock, Americana
• Lower Peaks — guitar; indie rock, ambient, etc.
• Space Grandma – drums; art rock, indie rock

And here are some blasts from the past:

• Solo music is stuff I've written and recorded alone.
• Prequels was a punk/rock/other band where I wrote, sang, and guitared (and sometimes bassed).
• The Young and The Elder was an indie/piano band where I guitared (and sometimes danced).
• These Gnarly Beasts was an online collaborative recording project with friends.
• The Human Ascension was a hip-hop / fusion band where I played guitar. Check out this video I edited of the last show I had with them. Three cameras! One marching band uniform!

I also like to record, edit, mix, and master audio. This has led to some fun projects with Billy, who now does awesome short videos on Instragram.

• Silent & Deadly - I mixed the audio for this.
• Lost But Found - I mixed and produced the music for this.
• Cowabunga CryptoChairs and Cosine Chair are NFTs I made the music for.

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. We only made it a few episodes in before we both got busy, but I had a lot of fun with it and got to design that weird book logo.

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. I've done some comics, band flyers, logos, and shirt designs. Here are a couple:

Contact

Elements

i = 0;

while (!deck.isInOrder()) {
    print 'Iteration ' + i;
    deck.shuffle();
    i++;
}

print 'It took ' + i + ' iterations to sort the deck.';