DEBORAH HOLLIS
PREVIOUS SYMPOSIUM
Deborah Hollis is a professor on the faculty of the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries. She leads the instruction and outreach section on the Rare & Distinctive (RaD) Collections Team where active learning methods engage students in the classroom. Hollis and her colleagues design instruction that emphasizes tactile learning using primary and unique sources. One resource is the David H. Tippit Photobook Collection which receives heavy use across the arts and sciences curriculum. The collection reflects twentieth century fine art photobook history with first and limited editions of numerous genres. The core collecting scope was expanded to reflect an inclusive and international array of image makers beyond titles initially offered by Western European and American publishers who brought this portable art form to the public. In addition to being a rich resource for interdisciplinary media arts majors, Hollis and her colleagues introduce photobook and artists’ book formats to classes as varied as science writing, environmental design, and political science.
Hollis is a member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the Society of Photographic Education (SPE), and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). She enjoys reviewing student and professional portfolios because it is an opportunity to discover emerging artists and trends. Her research and writings feature teaching with primary sources and the state of diversity, equity and inclusion in academic librarianship. A current project involves the analysis of photobook collections to identify collecting patterns and trends across five specific institutions. In June, 2022, Hollis served as a panel member on “Placing your Photographic Bookwork in Public, Curatorial and Academic Collections,” Swanson’s closing conversation for “The Art of the Photobook” series at the Griffin Museum of Photography.
