Meet Karla

Dr. Karla J. Strand is a feminist librarian, historian, writer, and educator supporting individual and collective liberation.

For everything you need to know about me in photos and memes, click here.

Short bio:

With a background in US women’s history, Karla received her Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and her doctorate in information science from the University of Pretoria (South Africa). In addition to being an academic librarian specializing in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, Karla is a freelance writer and contributes two regular columns to Ms. magazine. She provides somatic trauma-informed education, research assistance, and guidance in her areas of specialty to fight misinformation, anti-intellectualism, and injustice in service to building curiosity, empathy, knowledge, and empowerment.

Long bio:

As an academic librarian for 20 years, Karla has mastered the art and science of locating, evaluating, interpreting, distilling, and providing accessible, accurate, and robust information to people from all walks of life. Karla is skilled in database and archives use, information literacy instruction, collection development, bibliography and resource guide creation, research consultations, interviewing, storytelling, editing, proofreading, publishing, citations, and working with faculty, students, volunteers, activists, and community members alike. She has also had the opportunity to grow invaluable leadership, management, supervisory, budgeting, communication, strategic planning, assessment, conference planning, project management, and team-building skills. Karla is an experienced educator, trainer, and mentor in her areas of expertise and in what is referred to as “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Also a freelance writer, Karla has two regular columns with Ms. magazine: “Ms. Feminist Know-It-All” online and “Bookmarks” in the print publication. She has articles, book reviews, and interviews published and forthcoming in Ms.; The Progressive; Sierra: The Magazine of the Sierra Club; Knovvmads; Gay & Lesbian Review; Foreword Reviews; Pulp Magazine; Farewell Alarms; The Startup; Fearless, She Wrote; Invisible Illness; Library Management; Canadian Journal of History; Resources for Gender and Women’s Studies: A Feminist Review; and Journal of American History.

Karla’s book reviewing is centered on books by women, femme, trans, and gender-expansive writers, and writers of the global majority. If you are interested in having Karla examine your book for review or list inclusion, please see the Resource Consideration Policy.

While she applies critical, queer, feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial values and analyses to any/every topic and in all the labor she performs, Karla’s research is focused on:

– White women’s roles in (deconstructing) white supremacy, (anti)colonialism, and attempted Indigenous genocide;
– Intersections between Native American, Black, and white women’s histories and feminisms;
– Missing and murdered Indigenous women and people;
– Intergenerational trauma and healing; and
– Critical genealogy and bibliotherapy in healing and empowerment.

In all her free time, Karla attained a certificate in somatic trauma-informed coaching to supplement the education she provides in her areas of specialty. She is also developing her critical anti-racist and anti-colonial bibliotherapy and genealogy (for both families of origin and chosen families) skills, with a focus on connecting these to her educational and coaching services.

Karla is of mostly Norwegian and German descent. Her ancestors settled on lands that belonged to many Native peoples in the areas now known as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. A resident of Wisconsin for her entire life, she honors the Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk peoples on whose lands she resides and works, while attempting to live in harmony and reciprocity with the people, the land, and the animals that have been here long before her. She lives on five wooded acres with her two rescue dogs.

Download Karla’s full CV here. You can also read more about Karla’s Values, useful Resources, and favorite People.

Degrees

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Pretoria, South Africa (completed 2016)
  • Master’s in Library and Information Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (completed 2006)
  • Bachelor of Arts in history and women’s studies, Carroll College, Wisconsin (completed 2003)
    • History Thesis: “‘I ain’t a Communist necessarily, but I’ve been in the red all my life’: The Communism of Woody Guthrie”
    • Women’s Studies Thesis: “The Equal Rights Amendment”
    • George F. Kennan History Fellow
    • Kim E. Simarski Memorial Award
    • Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society inductee

Other credentials and training (Selected)

  • Genealogy training with the National Genealogical Society (ongoing)
  • National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) conferences (since 2013)
  • Accredited somatic trauma-informed coaching certification, The School of Trauma-Informed Positive Psychology (completed May 2024)
  • Tarot training with Gregory Scott (completed Dec. 2023) – Rest easy, Gregory.
  • Upstander Academy (2022)
  • Wisconsin First Nations Studies Webinar Lecture Series, WI Dept. of Public Instruction (2021-2022)
  • Wisconsin American Indian Studies Summer Institute, WI Dept. of Public Instruction (2021)
  • Women are Sacred, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC), virtual conference (2021)
  • African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS), virtual conference (2021)
  • Archiving the Black Web, virtual (2021)
  • Here it Began: 2020 Hindsight or Foresight: Indigenous History Conference, virtual (2020)
  • Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), virtual conference (2020-2021)
  • Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA), virtual conference (2020)
  • National Women’s History Alliance inaugural conference, San Diego, CA (2019)
  • Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners Delegation to Tour Learning Centers and Libraries, Managua, Nicaragua (2017)
  • White Privilege Conference, Madison, WI (2014)
  • Library Leadership in the Digital Age, Harvard Graduate School of Education (2013)
  • National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), New York City (2012)
  • People to People Library Professionals Delegation to South Africa (2009)
  • Supplemental Instruction (SI) International conferences (2008-2010)
  • Diversity in Librarianship Conference, UW-Milwaukee, WI (2008)
  • Advanced Civil War Studies Certificate, Carroll College (2003)

Presentations (Selected)

  • “Meeting People Where They Are: Taking History to the Public in a Time of Educational Regression,” American Historial Association, Chicago, IL (2026)
  • Ms. Magazine Writing for the Public workshop, National Women’s Studies Association, Minneapolis, MN (2022)
  • “Dismantling White Supremacy Culture in Libraries,” Library Journal/School Library Journal’s virtual “Equity in Action: Solidarity in Social Justice” [Invited] (April 26, 2022)
  • “White Women’s Participation in the Attempted Genocide of Native American Peoples,” National Women’s Studies Association, Minneapolis, MN (Nov. 2022)
  • “Disrupting Whiteness in LIS: Two Initiatives,” American Library Association Annual Conference, virtual (2021)
  • “Confronting Whiteness in Librarianship,” UW-La Crosse, WI (2019)
  • “Women’s Suffrage in Wisconsin: A Brief History,” Drinking Liberally Waukesha, Waukesha, WI [Invited] (2019)
  • “Women’s Knowledge Digital Library,” Women’s Seminar, Madrid, Spain [Invited] (2017)
  • Women’s Rights and the Role of Women in Poverty Eradication Conference, Windhoek, Namibia (2016)
  • “Challenging Distortions: Making Our Histories Visible Through Public Media Initiatives,” National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI (2015)
  • Cross-Cultural Seminar course and trip – “The Rainbow Nation: Understanding the Diverse Culture and History of South Africa,” Carroll University (2014)
  • “Collection Development for Diverse Populations,” Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference, Green Bay, WI (2013)
  • “Academic Integrity,” Faculty in-service, Gateway Technical College, Kenosha, WI (2012)
  • “Diversifying the Role of Librarian,” Library and Information Science Seminar, Stellenbosch, South Africa [Invited] (2009)
  • “Civil Rights Pilgrimage” co-leader, Carroll University (2009)
  • “Education in a Multicultural Context,” adjunct faculty, Carroll University (2009)
  • Cultural sensitivity/diversity training for student leaders, first year students, faculty, staff, and public safety (many, many throughout 2006-2013)

Publications (Selected)