Maoria Kirker

Maoria Kirker is the Lead for the University Libraries’ Teaching and Learning Team and an adjunct faculty member in the Honors College. She holds an M.S. in Educational Psychology from George Mason University and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She regularly teaches HNRS 110: Principles of Research and Inquiry and HNRS 260: Society and Community Engagement. 

Strong research and analysis are the foundation of Kirker’s methods. As an educator, Kirker makes her courses both accessible and engaging, rooted in her extensive understanding of equitable access to education. From written assignments, online posts, short videos, and in-class discussions, Kirker’s measurement of students’ progress varies in format and assessed skills, making her courses well-rounded and accessible for students with differing entry points to the subject matter. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kirker has been relentless in offering a great deal of flexibility to her students in difficult circumstances. Students in her courses speak readily to her encouraging, thoughtful, and helpful presence in the classroom.  

Outside of the classroom, Kirker is committed to the tenants of inclusive, multidisciplinary pedagogy, ensuring that each classroom on campus is a space in which students can succeed. Her colleague in the University Libraries, Ashley Blinstrub, the Student Success and Inclusion Librarian, says, “Maoria was also instrumental to me as a first-time HNRS 110 instructor in Fall 2020. Maoria met with a group of librarians each week that were teaching for the first time and offered advice and her prior lessons.” Blinstrub also spoke to Kirker’s leadership skills, which are on display with both her students and her colleagues, “she leads in a way that allows people to incorporate their own styles of teaching and personalities into their lessons.” 

In addition to her work with students, Kirker also continuously engages with her mission to excel as an active, inclusive member of her community. One of the keystones of Kirker’s practice in this discipline has been her role as a co-creator of the Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM). The conference, a clear example of Kirker’s dedication to the work she does to make Mason an equitable place, took place in mid-March and focused on person-centered management practices that aim to create more just and inclusive libraries.  

Through her commitment to her students, both in and out of the classroom, as well as her dedication to research, Kirker is an exemplary recipient of the Adjunct Teacher of Distinction Award. 

Research Interests

• Teacher-librarian identity
• Teacher-librarian self-efficacy
• Communities of practice for teaching and learning
• Information literacy

Selected Publications

Forthcoming. Kirker, M.J. (April 2022). “Am I a teacher because I teach?”: A qualitative study on librarians’ perceptions of their role as teachers. portal: Libraries and the Academy.

Oberlies, M.K., Kirker, M.J., Mattson, J., & Byrd, J. (2021). Epistemology of Teaching Librarians: Examining the Translation of Beliefs to Practice. College & Research Libraries, 82, 513-529. doi: 10.5860/crl.82.4.513

Kirker, M.J. & Stonebraker, I. (2019). Architects, Renovators, Builders, and Fragmenters: A model for first year students’ self-perceptions and perceptions of information literacy. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45, 1-8. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2018.10.009

Kirker, M.J. (2019). “Cultivating teacher-librarians through a community of practice.” In M. Mallon, R. Huisman, L. Hays, C. Bradley, & J. Belanger (Eds.), The Grounded instruction librarian: Participating in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (pp. 311-319). Chicago, IL: ACRL Press.

Mattson, J., Kirker, M.J., Oberlies, M., & Byrd, J. (2017). “Carving out a space: Ambiguity and librarian teacher identity in the academy.” In The self as subject: Autoethnographic research into identity,

Education

MS - Educational Psychology, George Mason University

MS - Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

BA - History, University of Wisconsin - Madison