Assistant Professor in University Libraries at The Ohio State University
About
Tracey Overbey is an assistant professor and social sciences librarian at The Ohio State University Libraries. She earned a master's degree in library information science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include issues related to food desert communities, educating and exposing marginalized students to information literacy using library resources. In addition, she serves on the Executive Board for the Black Caucus American Library Association. Overbey has published in Public Library Quarterly, International Journal of Environmental Health Research (manuscript accepted and forthcoming), and presented conference papers at the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conferences.
Current Work:
Professor Overbey's primary research focuses on two areas: (1) social justice issues, with two sub-focal points: (a) Black/African American student experiences with libraries before and during college; (b) school to prison pipeline and African American youth; and (2) health and wellness issues, particularly how libraries can support a better environment for communities of color who face food insecurities and food shortages. Professor Overbey's up and coming projects is currently under review, where she has partnered with an colleague on writing a scoping review that points out alternative resources for at risk youth, than mass incarceration. An project that is currently up and coming is a special report that has two-parts co-authored with a colleague Amanda Folk from Ohio State University libraries, through the American Library Association, titled Narratives of (Dis)Enfranchisement: Reckoning with the History of Libraries and the Black and African-American Experience.
Research Area(s):
- marginalized youth; food desert communities; systemic racism; equity-mindedness; social justice
