Education

B.A., Sociology, Boston University
B.S., Advertising, Boston University
M.L.I.S., Rutgers University
Ph.D., Library & Information Science, Rutgers University

Research

Dr. Vanessa Kitzie studies the information practices of marginalized groups, with a focus on LGBTQ+ people and communities. Her research findings inform how information centers, such as libraries, and systems can better serve these individuals. Kitzie's  work is interdisciplinary, spanning library and information science, communication, sociology, and critical studies.

Funded Research

• Principal Investigator. Leveraging National Library Partnerships to Develop a Community-Driven Online LGBTQIA+ Consumer Health Guide. Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grants – Libraries. $249,980. 2024-2027.
• Project Lead. Leveraging LIS Research Insights to Support LGBTQIA+ Communities. American Library Association Carnegie Whitney Grant. $5,000. 2024- 2026.

Teaching

Kitzie teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. BSIS courses: Data, Information, and Society; News Literacy: Battling Misinformation, Deepfakes, and Conspiracy Theories; Social Issues in Information and Communications Technologies; Information and Communication Needs and Assessment; and a Special Topics course, “Gender and Technology.” MLIS courses: Ethics, Values, and Foundational Principles of Library and Information Science Professions; Research Design and Evaluation. Ph.D. courses: Research Issues in Library and Information Science; Theory and Research Methods in Library and Information Science.

Recent Publications

Kitzie, V. (2024). Comparing the health information practices of sapphic people by age group and generation. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 1–34. 

Kitzie, V., Vera, A.N., Lookingbill, V., & Wagner, T.L. (2023). "What Is a Wave But 1000 Drops Working Together?": The Role of Public Libraries in Addressing LGBTQIA+ Health Information Disparities. Journal of Documentation.

Wagner, T.L. & Kitzie, V. (2023). Centering queer knowledge paradigms in designing and implementing health information and communication technologies [Special issue, “Feminist and Queer Approaches to ICT4D”]. Information Technology for Development, Eds. S. Vannini, S. Masiero, A. Tandon, C. Wellington, K. Weyers, & K. Braa.

Vera, A.N., Kitzie, V., Wagner, T.L. (2023). Queer Mediated Practices as a Method to Center and Sustain Critical Health and Media Literacies [Special issue, “Queer(ing) Critical Literacies in Response to Anti-queer Legislation and Policies”]. International Journal of Critical Media Literacy, Eds. S.A. Shelton & R. Schey.

Kitzie, V., Smithwick, J., Blanco, C., Green, M. G., & Covington-Kolb, S. (2023). Co-creation of a training for community health workers to enhance skills in serving LGBTQIA+ communities. Frontiers in Public Health, 11: 1046563

Kitzie, V., Floegel, D., Barriage, S., & Oltmann, S.M. (2022). How visibility, hypervisibility, and invisibility shape library staff and drag performer perceptions of and experiences with drag storytimes in public libraries. The Library Quarterly: Information, Communication, Policy, 92(3), 215–240.