Soon to head to Missouri from Hays, Kansas, Vera Elwood has been named the new instructional services librarian at Central Methodist University.
In this position, Elwood is responsible for developing strategies for integrating information literacy into the curriculum. She will do this by applying learning theories and instructional technologies effectively into the teaching and learning process.
In conjunction with the director, Elwood is also responsible for targeting instruction toward curricular needs of CMU, assessing the impact of student learning, and ensuring print and electronic resources support these efforts. This will include classroom instruction fluency and bibliographic research techniques, as well as creating online tutorials and other aid for distance learners.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Ms. Elwood to the library faculty,” said Cindy Dudenhoffer, director of information resources and assessment at CMU. “She has a diverse set of skills that will help us connect with our students, especially in the area of accessibility, which will be great assets to CMU.”
Elwood comes to CMU from Hays, Kan., where she was the outreach librarian at Hays Public Library. There, she worked to oversee outreach services, rotating book displays, and mobile services. She also developed new ways to serve traditionally underserved patrons, and developed the program from the ground up, especially in areas such as strategic planning and fundraising.
Prior to that role at Hays Public Library, Elwood was a young adult librarian there – serving as the head of the young adult department. Prior to her experience in that position, she was an account strategist and also an associate director of the non-profit organization, Route.
Elwood is originally from Warrensburg and graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in communication. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in library and information science with an anticipated graduation date of August 2019.
