From Cataloger to Library & Information Science Professor: Brenton Stewart, Associate Professor

I encourage students to get hands-on practical experience, ideally in two different environments. Not only does it allow you the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned but, perhaps most importantly, it can clarify what you do not want to do.

 
Associate Professor Dr. Brenton Stewart, who joined the College of Information Science (InfoSci) in 2025, studies information behaviors and practices, particularly information avoidance, needs, use and trust across disparate social-cultural contexts, institutions and artifacts. As a former academic librarian, he is especially interested in information behaviors of college students and the information ecology of academic libraries.

What brought you to the University of Arizona and the College of Information Science?

I’ve always wanted to live in the Southwest, so when I saw the College of Information Science was recruiting new faculty, it got my attention. I applied for the position in “cultural heritage informatics”; it was the first job description that I had encountered in some time that actually sounded new, different and exciting! It really spoke to me because I had done work in this area in both historical and social science contexts. My dissertation intersected with print culture studies and focused on 19th-century medical school, agricultural and medical journals, which were the new technologies of the era, as well as academic and agricultural libraries. My research has since pivoted to more contemporary work in information behavior, but I continue to focus on users and academic libraries, information creation of universities and information behaviors related to new technologies.

Before coming to Arizona, I was an associate professor in the School of Information Studies at Louisiana State University. I earned my doctorate from the iSchool at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I was a Spectrum Doctoral Scholar. While writing my dissertation, I was a Stephen Botein Fellow at the American Antiquarian Society. Before graduate study I was an academic librarian—a cataloguer of special collections, serials and electronic resources.

What is your current research, and what most excites you about this work?

I’m completing a project that examines information avoidance. Information science researchers don't typically focus on acts of avoidance but it is a very real phenomena and should really be studied more, especially in a health context. I will admit that it’s rather new on my radar, as I too did not think about this very distinctive information behavior. What I have learned from this work is that information avoidance is not necessarily a bad thing and it is critical that we understand the users’ perspectives in acts of avoidance. This project spurred my thinking around acts of non-use; so my next research stream will focus on library anxiety and college students.

Tell us about the course you’re teaching this semester.

Right now I’m teaching LIS 515: Organization of  Information. I love this course because it intersects with the work that I did as an academic librarian. I provide many real-world examples of how organizing manifests in cultural heritage institutions and that helps make it relatable and understandable to students. I think it’s a fun class and I try to transmit that to students, or at least lessen their fear of it!

Beyond teaching and research, what are your passions?

I like watching professional tennis (in person and on television), cycling, traveling and exploring Tucson’s vibrant restaurant scene.

What advice do you have for InfoSci students?

I encourage students to get hands-on practical experience, ideally in two different environments. Not only does it allow you the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned but, perhaps most importantly, it can clarify what you do not want to do.
   

Learn more about Brenton Stewart on his faculty page, or explore ways you can support the dynamic, student-invested faculty of the College of Information Science.