Libraries and Higher Education
Joe’s work with professional organizations, institutional committees and student organizations has provided him with a deep appreciation for how institutions change and adapt to social and political influences. His experience with institutional and professional service yields a redoubled interest in ethical systems and identity as they pertain to the well-being of individuals within institutions, as well as the long-term health of institutions themselves.
Missouri Library Association- Intellectual Freedom Committee Chair 2022; Media Organizer 2022-present
Duties include organizing media campaigns to advocate for intellectual freedom in the state of Missouri and pushing back against censorship efforts more generally. This effort continues in Joe’s current capacity as an IFC committee member. Recent media appearances, talks, and organizing are below. The MLA-IFC is currently collaborating with the MO-ACLU to bring a lawsuit against the state of Missouri to combat the effects of SB 775, which criminalizes readers advisory in school libraries. The organization is also organizing against the Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft’s proposed rule 15 CSR 30-200.015.
Missouri- ACLU. (Feb 23, 2023). Professional Library Organizations Challenge Government Censorship and Book Removals in Schools. Press Release. https://www.aclu-mo.org/en/news/aclu-missouri-professional-library-organizations-challenge-government-censorship-and-book
Kohlburn, J. Presentation to Intellectual Freedom Teen Council. Brooklyn Public Library via Zoom. February 21, 2023.
Kohlburn, J. Intellectual Freedom Under Fire: Banned Books. High Noon Series, High Low, St. Louis, MO. January 19, 2023.
Brannon, B, Bossaller, J, Dickey, TJ, Hajibayova, L, Kohlburn, J, Oltmann, SM, and Smith, AJM. “Banned. Challenged, Questioned, or Lost? Information Access and the Path to an Information-Resilient Society.” Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology 59 (1), 548-550. October 31, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.623
Ritter, Sarah. (October 8, 2022) Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’: KC area schools now ban these books and more..” Kansas City Star. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/education/article266556371.html#storylink=cpy
Kohlburn, J. (2022, September 20). Librarian: Missouri book banning legislation criminalizes librarianship [interview]. Newsradio 1120 KMOX; Audacity.com. https://www.audacy.com/kmox/news/local/librarian-says-missouri-book-ban-criminalizes-librarians
Coronel, Justina. (2022, August 15). Book Bans: New Missouri law makes it a crime to share ‘explicit’ material to students. KSDK Ch 5. https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/education/missouri-book-ban-law/63-ccd45ac8-0d39-472c-b1fd-8b6f422479b9
Mackay, Mercedes. (2022, August 30). ‘I think it makes it difficult’: St. Louis community reacts as some schools removed books under new state law. KSDK Ch 5. https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/education/st-louis-community-reacts-schools-remove-books-under-new-state-law/63-b2ead1d0-6cd7-4249-9fca-87b4b542ee87
Bernhard, Blythe. (2022, August 30). Area schools remove books under new law that is unlikely to be enforced. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Stltoday.com. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/area-schools-remove-books-under-new-law-that-is-unlikely-to-be-enforced/article_72ebfce1-e25c-555a-a2d6-59de46f0054e.html
Bernhard, Blythe and Jane Henderson. (2022, August 12). School librarians in Missouri pull books as new law allows charges for ‘explicit’ material. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Stltoday.com https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/school-librarians-in-missouri-pull-books-as-new-law-allows-charges-for-explicit-material/article_eb7ed4ba-e6a3-5f83-bf10-223d27e6b081.html
Kohlburn, J. (2022, January 31). Letter from Missouri Library Association to Wentzville school board president. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Stltoday.com. https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/letter-from-missouri-library-association-to-wentzville-school-board-president/article_5583141d-3148-5ce8-a516-86d95395b9ec.html
LGBTQ+ Club Advisor, 2016-present
Joe’s work with LGBTQ+ youth includes helping to organize and provide space within institutions for young people to claim their power. At Jefferson College, Joe was instrumental in founding the first club on campus for LGBTQ+ students. He continues to serve as a club advisor and institutional ally. Accomplishments include organizing the campus’ first pride event, and TDOR in November of 2018. Joe also published a chapter in an ALA publication on his efforts to create the club and make it successful. Links below:
Club website- https://www.jeffco.edu/current-students/get-involved/student-clubsorganizations/lgbtq
Chapter- Kohlburn, J and T Gomillion. (2020). That’s just the way it is: How to challenge conventional wisdom and promote inclusion in libraries. In Christine Bombaro (Ed.) (1st ed., pp 43-57) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Action: Planning, Leadership, and Programming. ALA Editions.
Jefferson College 2014- present
As a faculty librarian, Joe serves on numerous committees within Jefferson College. These include committees concerned with the academic and bureaucratic governance of the college, as well as interactions with the local community. Currently, Joe serves on the college’s diversity committee and general education committee, but has served on a number of others. See a complete list below:
- Diversity Committee & Data/Communications Subcom. 2018-present
- Campus Art Policy Taskforce 2016- 2021
- MOTR CORE 42 General Education Taskforce 2016- present
- Budget Taskforce/Workgroup 2017-2019
- Assessment Committee 2015-2016
- TEDx Subcommittee 2015-2018
- Curriculum Committee 2014- 2021
- Cultural Events and Community Outreach Committee 2014- 2018
Visual Arts
Joe’s work in arts organizing in St. Louis over the past 10 years has provided direct experience of how communities engage with institutions. This includes alienation, embrace, and dialectic. Joe’s work interviewing artists from the St. Louis community over the past 7 years has provided invaluable insights as a qualitative researcher, as well as insights in how those addressing institutions go about their work.
Critical Mass for the Visual Arts, 2010- present; Board Member, Interviewer
Critical Mass for the Visual Arts is a non-profit self-formed visual arts collaborative dedicated to promoting, enhancing, and initiating visual art in St. louis. Joe’s work with Critical Mass includes organizing panel discussions, fundraisers, exhibitions, and grant awards for artists and art workers in the St. Louis Area. Since 2017, Joe has spearheaded an effort to document and interview artists living in St. Louis as part of a podcast called 5 Questions. This work reinforces Joe’s skillset as a qualitative researcher in a number of ways, and helps to support the community of artists and academics working in the visual arts field. Recent interviews below:
Adrian Aquilino- February 3, 2022
Gretchen Wagner- July 25, 2022
Lyndsey Scott- September 27, 2022
Joe Kohlburn's ePortfolio 