
About Michelle
Michelle Reed is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Head of the University Library’s Scholarly Commons and Media Commons. She manages technology-enhanced spaces and services that facilitate connection, encourage exploration, and enable creation. Previously Michelle served as Associate Librarian and Director of Open Educational Resources at the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, where she led efforts to support the adoption, modification, and creation of open educational resources (OER). She directed the Libraries’ OER Department, managed the UTA CARES Grant Program, oversaw OER publishing services for Mavs Open Press, and assisted educators in developing learning opportunities that foster collaboration, increase engagement, and empower students as content creators.
At the University of Kansas Libraries, Michelle supported both information literacy and scholarly communication as an Undergraduate Learning Specialist in the Libraries’ Research and Learning Division. She also worked as a technical writer and editor in records management for a Department of Energy waste management center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and for a small research and manufacturing business specializing in neurophysiological research tools in Lawrence, Kansas.
Michelle is a presenter and curriculum designer for the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) OER and Affordability Roadshow and a member of ACRL’s New Roles and Changing Landscapes Committee. Prior appointments include the University of Texas System Affordable Learning Accelerator Task Force, the Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3) Collaborative, Pressbooks Customer Advisory Board, and ACRL’s Research and Scholarly Environment Committee. She is a former fellow and mentor in the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program, OER Research Fellow, and presenter with the Open Education Network.
Highlights
Publishing Practice Award
Mavs Open Press receives inaugural Publishing Practice Award in Accessibility from the Library Publishing Coalition for developing exemplary workflows and processes to support accessibility in OER publishing. Press Release
Transforming the Student Experience
UTA invests $500,000 to fund OER led by UTA Libraries in 2019-20 academic year, the largest award by a public academic institution in the state of Texas specifically supporting OER initiatives. Press Release
$500,000+ Education Grant
UTA and partners receive US Department of Education Open Textbooks Pilot Program grant to develop OER for graduate transportation planning courses offered by the College of Architecture, Planning & Public Affairs. Press Release
Publishing Reimagined: OER Services
A YouTube playlist about the OER publishing program at UTA Libraries features interviews with stakeholders in the OER creation pipeline, including OER creators, librarians, and other partners. Video Playlist
Mentions
Michelle Reed Receives 2021 Publishing Practice Award in Accessibility
UTA Team Creating New Textbooks for Transportation Certificate
UTA Faculty Lead $500,000+ Department of Education Transportation Planning OER Project
6 Problems with OER Access in Campus Bookstores
As Campuses Move to Embrace OER, College Libraries Become Key Players
EDUCATION
MS, Information Sciences
University of Tennessee, 2010
Research: academic libraries, leadership, and scholarly publishing
MA, English
McNeese State University, 2006
Research: trauma and humor in contemporary fiction and memoir
MFA, Creative Writing
McNeese State University, 2006
Thesis: What You Look Like Naked (short stories); Doré Writing Award
BA, Journalism & English
Louisiana Tech University, 2002
Summa cum laude; editor and reporter at The Tech Talk; News Bureau writer