My C.V.
Laura-Edythe S. Coleman
PhD MLIS BFA
Researcher, Educator, Revolutionary
lsc64@drexel.edu
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Dr. Laura-Edythe Coleman is an American researcher and culture leader who bridges the fields of museum studies and information science to further our understanding of cultural institutions in society. She earned her Ph.D. in Information Science with a focus on Museum Informatics from Florida State University. Dr. Coleman is Assistant Professor and Director of the Arts Administration & Museum Leadership Graduate Online Program at Drexel University. She previously held posts as a lecturer for Museum Studies at Johns Hopkins University and Information Science at Florida State University. Her areas of research and teaching include museum studies, social justice and inclusion, political activism, cultural heritage informatics, research methods, knowledge management, information architecture, collections management, and digital curation. As a forward-thinking interdisciplinary researcher, she performs quantitative and qualitative studies and frequently forms research partnerships outside the museum and library fields. As a revolutionary, Dr. Coleman created a graduate program, the Responsible Cultural Leadership Certificate, for Drexel University. Dr. Coleman is a Fulbright Specialist in Library & Information Science. She is the Associate Editor of Research & Practice for Wiley’s Curator: The Museum Journal and the Editor of the Special Issue: Museums Response to War Crimes. Dr. Coleman is the author of the published book, Understanding and Implementing Inclusion in Museums and the under-contract book Curatorial Voice. As an internationally recognized expert in museums, Dr. Coleman frequently presents and speaks at conferences, symposiums, and panels.
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy, (April 2016)
School of Information, College of Communication and Information, Florida State University. Dissertation Title: The Socially Inclusive Role of Curatorial Voice: A Qualitative Comparative Study of the Use of Gatekeeping Mechanisms and the Co-Creation of Identity in Museums.
Dissertation Committee: Paul F. Marty (Chair), Melissa Gross, Michelle Kazmer, and Jennifer Koslow.
Master of Science, Library and Information Science, (August 2012)
School of Information, College of Communication and Information, Florida State University. Concentration: Museum Informatics. Certificate: Information Architecture.
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Music Performance (August 1996) College of Fine Arts, University of Florida.
PUBLICATIONS
Authored Books
Coleman, L.-E. (Under Contract). Curatorial Voice. Taylor & Francis.
Coleman, L.-E. (2018). Understanding & Implementing
Inclusion in Museums. Rowman & Littlefield
Invited Book Chapters
Coleman, L.-E. & McLaughlin, H. (Forthcoming 2024) Museum Studies for a Post-Pandemic World. The Next Evolution of Museum Studies: Museum Master Classes in Augmented and Virtual Reality.
Coleman, L.-E. & McLaughlin, H. (2021). 20th Century Museums, In Libraries, Archives, Museums: Western Cultural Heritage Institutions Through the Ages. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Invited Journal Articles
Coleman, L.-E., Fraser, J., & Doering, Z. D. (2022). Save the Ukrainian People First: They Carry their Culture in their Hearts. Curator: The Museum Journal, 65(S1), 5–14.
Coleman, L.-E. (2022). Official response to the Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Curator: The Museum Journal, 65(S1), 15–16.
Fraser, J., Coleman, L.-E., & Bennett, B. (2020). Neutrality is Not an Option, Museums Don’t Need Left‐over Statues. Curator: The Museum Journal, 63(3), 295–298.
Coleman, L.-E. (2020). The Necessity of Research Practice. Curator: The Museum Journal, 63(1), 9–13.
Invited Journal Editor – Special Issue
Coleman, L.-E. (Ed.). (2022). Museums Response to War Crimes. Curator: The Museum Journal, 65(S1), 1–4.
Refereed Book Chapters
Coleman, L.-E. & Moore, P. (2019). From the ground up: Grassroots social justice activism in American Museums, In Museums and Activism. New York, New York: Routledge.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). Social Inclusion and the Gatekeeping Mechanisms of Curatorial Voice: Are Museums Ready to be Agents of Social Justice? In Progressive Community Action: Critical Theory and Social Justice in Library and Information Science. Duluth, Minnesota: Library Juice Press.
Coleman, L.-E. (2015). Perspectives on Museum Informatics: Curatorial Voice re-imagined through Gatekeeper theory; Museum as Place re-envisioned through Nonaka’s SECI ba. In Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics 2014 (Vol. 2). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Refereed Journal Articles
Coleman, L.-E. (Under Review). Book Review: The Role of Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Achieving Civic Engagement and Social Justice in Smart Cities. Curator: The Museum Journal.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). The Socially Inclusive Museum: A Typology Re-imagined. The International Journal of the Inclusive Museum.
Refereed Conference Proceedings
Coleman, L.-E., Hoffman, L., & McLaughlin, H. (2021) Virtual Experiences: Reinventing Museum Studies for the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic World. Virtual Dialogue: Museum Academics and Professionals on Challenges in the Post-COVID World. Online: 2021 Museum Studies International Symposium.
Coleman, L.-E. & McLaughlin, H. (2021). Reinventing Museum Studies for the Pandemic and Post- Pandemic World. Prepared for Lisbon, Portugal: The 14th International Inclusive Museum Conference. Deferred to Rethinking the Museum Philadelphia: PA The 15th International Inclusive Museum Conference (2022).
Coleman, L.-E., DeGroot, S., Phalen, S., & Lewis, Z. (2020, September 5). Internships past, present and future: Dismantling systems of power from the ground up. Death To Museums. Death to Museums.
Coleman, L.-E. (2018) Bringing Inclusion to American Museums: A Blueprint for Change. Presented in Inclusion as Shared Vision: Museum and Sharing Heritage. Grenada, Spain: The Inclusive Museum Conference.
Coleman, L.-E. & Phillips, A. (2017) Understanding Empathy in the Profession. Presented in Diaspora, Integration and Museums. Manchester, UK: The Inclusive Museum Conference.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). The Socially Inclusive Museum: Perspectives From American Museum Researchers and Professionals. Presented in The Museum in the Global Contemporary: short films. Leicester, UK.: Debating the Museum of Now Conference at the University of Leicester.
Coleman, L.-E., Gorman, J., Moore, P., Paquet-Kinsley, R., & Taylor, C. (2016). Identity Construction, Community, and the Inclusive Museum. Presented in Power, Influence, and Responsibility. Washington, D.C.: AAM.
Coleman, L.-E., & Moore, P. (2016). A Crash Course in Inclusion for the Museum Practitioner. Presented in Urbanism, Inclusion, and Cultural Freedoms. Cincinnati: OH.: The Inclusive Museum Conference.
Coleman, L.-E. (2015). The Socially Inclusive Museum: Measuring Our Social Impact. Presented in The Social Value of Museums: Inspiring Change. Atlanta, Georgia: AAM.
Urban, R., Coleman, L.-E., & Marty, P. (2014). Libraries, Archives, and Museums: Connecting Educational Communities and Cultures. Presented in Connecting Collections, Cultures, and Communities. Seattle, Washington: ASIS&T.
Invited Interviews
Velie, E. (2022, November 4). Museum Org Demanded Loyalty; Scholars Resigned. Hyperallergic. http://hyperallergic.com/775411/museum-org-demanded-loyalty-scholars-resigned/
Benshoff, L. (Director). (2022, October 8). Strike by Philadelphia Museum of Art workers shows woes of “prestige” jobs. In Morning Edition. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/07/1127400793/what-a-strike-at-a-philadelphia-museum-reveals-about-unionizing-cultural-institu
AMA with Museologists. (2021, September 5.) Musing with
the Museologists Podcast. Hit Hard by the Pandemic, Museum Workers Redouble
Union Efforts. (2021, July 13). https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/hit-hard-by-the-pandemic-museum-workers-redouble-union-efforts
Invited Lectures
Coleman, L.-E., & Phillips, A. (2022). Unboxing Empathy and Equity. International School of Information Management.
Coleman, L.-E. (2021). Inclusive Museum Design. Museum Design Studio, Westphal College of Media, Art, and Design.
Coleman, L.-E. (2020). The Nature of Museums. Guest Lecture for Museums 801, Kansas University.
Coleman, L.-E. (2020). Net Neutrality. Information Ethics: Master of Library & Information Science Program. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida State University.
Coleman, L.-E. (2019). Building Inclusive Museum Communities. Van Gogh Connects Education Department. The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Coleman, L.-E. (2018). Building Inclusive Learning Communities. Faculty Professional Development Summit, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). Museum Informatics & the Socially Inclusive Museum. Museum Informatics: Master of Library & Information Science Program. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida State University.
Invited Moderator
Genocide, Memory and Peace. International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of Public Crimes (ICMEMO) Meeting (2019).
Definition of Museum, International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of Victims of Public Crimes (ICMEMO) & ICOM Ethics Meeting (2021, September 13).
Transition from historical places to museum spaces, in Memory Building: Engaging Society in Self- Reflective Museums. Cincinnati, Ohio and Washington, DC. ICMEMO & ICAMPT (2017).
Invited Judge/Reviewer
Fulbright Review, Pennoni Honors College, Drexel University (2020 – Current).
Museum Design Studio Final Critiques, Westphal College of Media, Art, and Design (2021).
Poster Presentations
Coleman, L.-E. (2017). The Museum As Place: A Qualitative Case Study of the Applications of Nonaka’s SECI-ba in an American Museum. Accepted in Community Engagement & Social Responsibility, Works in Progress. Atlanta, Georgia: ALISE.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). The Socially Inclusive Role of Curatorial Voice: A Qualitative Comparative Study of the Gatekeeping Mechanisms and the Co-Creation of Identity in Museums. Presented in Radical Change Inclusion & Innovation, ALISE Jean Tague-Sutcliffe Doctoral Student Poster Competition. Boston, Massachusetts: ALISE.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). The Socially Inclusive Role of Curatorial Voice: A Qualitative Comparative Study of the Gatekeeping Mechanisms and the Co-Creation of Identity in Museums. Presented in iConference 2016. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: iConference.
Coleman, L.-E., Moore, P., & Paquet-Kinsley, R. (2016). Museum Professionals and Inclusion: A Study in Practitioner Perception. Presented in Radical Change Inclusion & Innovation, Works in Progress. Boston, Massachusetts: ALISE.
Coleman, L.-E. (2015). Museum Informatics for the Socially Inclusive Museum. Presented In Mirrors & Windows: Reflections on Social Justice and Re-Imagining LIS Education, Works in Progress. Chicago, Illinois: ALISE.
Coleman, L.-E. (2014). The Socially Inclusive Museum: A Typology Re-imagined. Presented in the Seventh International Conference on the Inclusive Museum. Los Angeles, California.
Spears, L., Mardis, M., Coleman, L.-E., McClure, C., & Lee, J. (2014). Assessing Information Technology Educational Pathways that Promote Deployment and Use of Rural Broadband. In Works in Progress. Berlin, Germany: iConference.
Coleman, L-E, Urban, Richard J., Marty, Paul F., Braun, Kathy (2014). LAM at Universities: Convergence in Graduate Education. Presented in Connecting Collections, Cultures, and Communities. Seattle, Washington: ASIS&T.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Drexel University
Graduate Certificate Program, Responsible Cultural Leadership
PROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
Drexel University
Director, Responsible Cultural Leadership Certificate Program (2023-current)
Assistant Professor & Director, Arts Administration and Museum Leadership Graduate Program, Online & On-Campus (2021- 2023)
Assistant Teaching Professor & Director, Arts Administration and Museum Leadership Graduate Online Program, (2019-2021)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Drexel University
MUSL 500 History & Philosophy of Museums
Graduate Campus & Online Course via Blackboard
MUSL 530 Museum Management
Graduate Campus & Online Course via Blackboard
MUSL 650 Boards & Governance
Graduate Campus & Online Course via Blackboard
MUSL I599 Independent Studies: Museum Think Tank
Graduate Online Course via Blackboard
MUSL I699 Independent Studies: Writing for Publication
Graduate Online Course via Blackboard
MUSL 750/755 Practicum I/II
Graduate Online Course via Blackboard
AADM 757 Political Activism in the Arts
Graduate Online Course via Blackboard
AADM 785 Research Design
Graduate Online Course via Blackboard
AADM 798 Thesis Development
Graduate Online Course via Blackboard
AADM 799 Thesis Completion
Graduate Online Course via Blackboard
Johns Hopkins University
Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Advanced Academic Programs, Museums Studies (2017-2019)
460.609.81 Museums in the Global Perspective
Graduate Asynchronous Online Course via Blackboard
460.611.81 History & Philosophy of Museums
Graduate Asynchronous Online Course via Blackboard
Florida State University
Adjunct Faculty, Florida State University, School of Information (2014-2019)
LIS 5787 Information Architecture
Graduate Synchronous Online Course via Canvas & Collaborate
LIS 5405 Leadership in Technology
Graduate Synchronous Online Course via Canvas & Collaborate
LIS 5203 Assessing Information Needs
Graduate In-Person Course
Graduate Synchronous Online Course via Canvas & Collaborate
LIS 4208 Perspectives in Information Technology
Undergraduate In-Person Course
Oklahoma University
Adjunct Faculty, Oklahoma University, College of Liberal Studies (2018)
LSMS 5423 Controversy and the World of the Museum
Graduate Asynchronous Online Course
LSMS 5173 Museums, Cultures and Communities
Graduate Asynchronous Online Course
Teaching (other)
Teacher, Computer Science, School of Arts and Sciences, Tallahassee, Florida (2016-2017)
Teaching Assistant, Florida State University (2012-2016)
Usability Analysis and Design
Project Management for Information Technology
Excel for Business
Introduction to Information Technologies
Network Administration Linux and PHP
Instructional Design & Development
Faculty, Drexel University (2019-current)
Graduate Certificate Program Responsible Cultural Leadership
AADM 690 Equitable Cultural Practices
MUSL 620 Sustainable Cultural Practices
MUSL 690 Culturally Responsive Museums
Redevelopment of MUSL 500, MUSL 530, MUSL 650, AADM 757, AADM 785
Adjunct Faculty, Oklahoma University, College of Liberal Studies (2018-2019)
Professional Experience
Help Desk Analyst, College of Communication and Information, Florida State University (2011-2014)
Research Assistant, Information Institute, Florida State University (2013)
PROFESSIONAL, ACADEMIC, AND SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Professional Boards
Board Member, Center for Excellence in Empathy, Equity, and Diversity (2021-current)
Board Member, International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of Victims of Public Crimes (ICMEMO) (2017-2018)
Board Member, Education, Cincinnati Museum Center (2004-2006)
Professional Review Activities
Associate Editor, Curator: The Museum Journal (2019-current) Manuscript Reviewer, Curator: The Museum Journal (2018-current)
Manuscript Reviewer, International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of Victims of Public Crimes (ICMEMO) (2017-2018)
Associate Editor, The International Journal of the Image (2016)
Manuscript Reviewer, The International Journal of the Image (2016)
Manuscript Reviewer, The International Journal of the Inclusive Museum (2014-current) Contributing Editor, The International Journal of the Inclusive Museum (2014)
University and Departmental Service
Drexel University Committee for Online Quality & Compliance (2021- current).
Drexel University Faculty Senate, Representative for Westphal College (2020-2022).
Caucus Committee on Academic Affairs (CCAA) for Westphal College (2019-2021).
Graduate Programs, Graduate Certificates, and Lifelong Learning, Westphal Faculty Committee (2020- current)
Westphal Faculty Caucus (2019-2022)
Professional Affiliations
American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
Americans for the Arts (AFTA)
American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T)
Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE)
American Library Association (ALA)
Beta Phi Mu (BPM)
United States Committee of the Blue Shield
International Council of Museums – US (ICOM_US)
International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of Victims of Public Crimes (ICMEMO)
Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM)
Museum Computing Network (MCN) MuseWeb
New England Museums Association (NEMA)
HONORS AND AWARDS
Westphal Mini-Grant, (2020) for work Curatorial Voice
Fulbright Specialist, Library & Information Science (2018-2021)
11th International Inclusive Museum Conference Emerging Scholar Award (2018) Grenada, Spain.
American Alliance of Museums Volunteer Grant (2018). Phoenix, AZ.
International Council Of Museums – United States ICOM-US Travel Grant Award (2016). Milan, Italy.
American Alliance of Museums Volunteer Grant (2016). Washington, DC.
ALISE Jean Tague-Sutcliffe Doctoral Student Research Poster Competition, Awarded 3rd Place, (2016) Boston, MA
7th International Inclusive Museum Conference Graduate Scholar Award (2014) Los Angeles, CA
American Society for Information Science and Technology ASIS&T Volunteer Grant (2014) Seattle, WA
School of Information, Lewis-Marxsen Fellowship Endowment (2014)
School of Information, Departmental Scholarship Liz Cropper Award (2013)
School of Information, Professors’ Choice Scholarship Dr. Alphonse Trezza Award (2013)
Museum of Florida History, Presidential Volunteer Service Award: Translation of La Florida Bibliography, (2012) Tallahassee, FL.