AB
Anthony Bernier
Biography
Anthony Bernier, PhD, is professor at the nation’s largest library school (California’s San Jose State University School of Information) where he teaches the introduction to YA services course each term and an annual course in youth services research methods. As a critical youth studies scholar, his primary field of research explores the administration of equitable library services with YAs. Dr. Bernier published a regular column in Voice of Youth Advocates (“YA Strike Zone” between 2013-2019) in addition to appearing in many top scholarly journals. His most recent publications include Transforming Young Adult Services, Second Edition, and “Isn’t it time for youth services instruction to grow up? Superstition or scholarship. He appeared as a featured panelist for YALSA’s Presidential Task Force at the 2022 annual ALA conference. Awarded two National Leadership Grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Dr. Bernier has also received grants from the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association for Library and Information Sciences Education (ALISE). The SJSU iSchool has awarded him Distinguished Service, Outstanding Professor, and Outstanding Researcher Awards, and he has served as chair of the iSchool’s Youth Services Program Advisory Committee since 2016. He also served a four-year presidential appointment to the ALA Committee on Accreditation and has chaired several national professional and academic associations (including two elected terms as ALA’s Library History Round Table chair). Prior to joining the SJSU faculty he served as a practicing YA Specialist Librarian and administrator for 14 years, designing the space and service plan for the first purpose-built YA library space (Los Angeles Public Library’s acclaimed TeenS’cape Department). He subsequently served as the first Director of YA Services for the Oakland Public Library and regularly consults with architecture firms on designing YA library spaces. Dr. Bernier earned his MLIS from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate from U.C. Irvine, examining changing notions of public space in twentieth-century America.