Projects
Current Projects: Alcohol Studies
Digital Alcohol Studies Archives
Developing the online version of the Special Collections and Archives that used to be housed at the Alcohol Library maintained by the Information Services Division at the Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies, closed in December 2016. I dedicated my sabbatical leave to this project in Spring 2023, resulting in a new Alcohol Studies page.
The Mysteries of Elvin Morton Jellinek
A key figure in the emergence of alcohol studies as an academic discipline, Jellinek, or as he preferred to be called, Bunky, played a significant role in shaping the Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies. My research intends to keep his ideas and legacy alive while trying to understand the genius behind it. See my contributions listed in Jellinek’s Wikipedia entry.
Publishing Addiction Science: The Librarian’s Perspective
As the Director of Information Services at the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers, Field Editor for the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs for history and infrastructure, and chair of SALIS, I had the privilege to work on this classic, open-access handbook, downloaded over 50,000 times from various platforms. I contributed to three chapters on researching addiction topics with library resources, writing articles, and choosing journals to publish them. I am also regularly invited to teach courses and run workshops related to the topic.
Predatory Publishing
Related to publishing is my research and practicum to assist scholars to avoid publishing in less-than-reputable journals. Other than its significance in my publishing addiction science workshops and updating the research guide, this project is considered semi-retired. I am still keeping an eye on old and new predators of science and guide entry-level researchers in their decision-making process of where to publish. I’ll continue to alert select addiction researchers of any misuse.
Scholarly Selfies: Researcher Profiles in Academia
Research and teaching on managing online reputation and discoverability of individual faculty members as well as their affiliated institutions.
Current Projects: Bibliotherapy
Books We Read
An umbrella project based in the Chang Science Library at Rutgers aims to promote reading and library research through library resources, services, and book suggestions from students to other students. Includes a weekly blog, helping new bloggers find their voice, book selection and recommendation, incorporating reading for fun into library research instruction, preserving valuable ephemeral exhibits and events, and several other initiatives, such as
Shelf Help for the Accidental Bibliotherapist (a.k.a, the Librarian – working title)
A project that assists librarians with their initiatives related to guided reading for mental health and therapeutic purposes, a.k.a. bibliotherapy., a great way to create communities and promote reading for wellness and fun. Based on the Reading for Recovery project, funded by an ALA Carnegie-Whitney grant in 2015-2016.
Now available: Ward, J. H. & Allred, N. (2023). The Librarian’s Guide to Bibliotherapy, ALA Editions.
Crossroads: A Bibliotherapy Reader
A volume of my new short stories with introductory articles and discussion help in Hungarian published by L’Harmattan in 2023. Two were published in journals in 2021: Keresztúton (Crossroads) and Kórház a város szélén (Hospital on the outskirts).
Ink well: A Bibliotherapy Reader
A volume of my short stories with introductory articles on bibliotherapy in general and in addiction and discussion prompts in Hungarian, published by L’Harmattan in 2019.
Translation
A technical translator and editor for hundreds of scholarly articles and a few books, I love assisting literary translators as they connect the readers in English and Hungarian (occasionally, other languages too).
Writing in Hungarian about libraries
A good portion of my writing about libraries and librarians has been published in Hungarian in various scholarly journals (see publications) and books. I also contribute regularly to the KIT Hírlevél (Library – Information – Society Newsletter), a free, weekly electronic publication geared towards information and library professionals.
Reopen Libraries: A Collection of New Essays
Forthcoming in 2024 is a collection of the latest essays (2015-2022) in Hungarian, previously published in professional journals. By Kalligram Press.
Open Libraries: A Collection of Essays
A collection of my works geared toward Hungarian librarians (2007-2015) in Hungarian, all previously published in scholarly and professional journals, cited and used for LIS college courses. By Kalligram Press.