Rate My Professor Susan Burke

Susan K. Burke is an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma, where she has been a faculty member since 2004. She began as Assistant Professor from 2004 to 2010, advanced to Associate Professor in 2010, and held leadership positions including Acting Director, Interim Director, and Director of the School from 2016 to 2023. Since 2023, she has served as Program Director for the Master of Arts in Museum Studies. Prior to joining OU, Burke was Assistant Visiting Professor at Texas Woman’s University from 2001 to 2004 and held professional librarian positions such as Media Cataloger at Fort Worth Public Library in 1999, Assistant Slavic Librarian at the University of Washington from 1989 to 1993, and Slavic Reference Service at the University of Illinois from 1985 to 1989. Her primary teaching area is research methods, offered at undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels, with courses including LIS 5033 Information and Society, LIS 5043 Organization of Information, LIS 5173 Diversity Fundamentals in LIS, LIS 5713 Research and Evaluation Methods, and LIS 5970 Academic Librarianship.

Burke earned a Ph.D. in Sociology with a doctoral minor in Library and Information Studies from Texas Woman’s University in 2001, a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois in 1988, and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Area Studies and History from the University of Illinois in 1984. Her research interests include libraries and society, classic sociological issues such as race/ethnicity, gender, and social assumptions within library and information science, social factors in the organization of information, the library as a social agency, and interactions between libraries and their communities. Notable publications comprise “Academic Librarians’ Knowledge of Bibliometrics and Altmetrics” with Tara Malone (2016, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice), “Public Library Administration: Transparency on the Website” (2016), “Adult Readers’ Advisory Services Through Public Library Websites” with Molly Strothman (2015, Reference & User Services Quarterly), “Use of Public Libraries by Native Americans” (2007, The Library Quarterly), and “Removal of Gay-Themed Materials From Public Libraries: Public Opinion Trends, 1973–2006” (2008, Public Library Quarterly). She has received Faculty Enrichment Grants (2006–2010), Junior Faculty Research Grants (2005–2007), and advised on Public Broadcasting Preservation Fellowships funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (2017, 2018, 2021). Burke has contributed extensively through university service, including Faculty Senate (2014–2018), Institutional Review Board Member (2023–present), Graduate Council (2017–2020), and Academic Program Council (2023–present).