Donna Gilton

Biography

Dr. Donna Gilton earned a Bachelor’s degree in history and elementary education and a Master’s degree in library science from Simmons College. Her Ph.d from the University of Pittsburgh is in library science.

As a librarian, she served mostly in children’s services at the Boston Public Library, as the Head Librarian at the Belize Teachers’ College, and as a Business Reference Librarian at Western Kentucky University and Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Gilton has taught at the University of Rhode Island since 1991 specializing in information literacy, reference and information services in the humanities, social sciences, and business, and in multicultural and comparative aspects of library science.

Dr. Gilton has published two books – Multicultural and Ethnic Children’s Literature in the United States and Lifelong Learning in Public Libraries and created a website, Teaching About Information. Her research is on information literacy, multicultural aspects of library services, and black church studies.

She is an active member of the African Methodist Episcopal church and her hobbies are reading, music, and traveling.

Research

Reference Services; Information Literacy/User Education; Information Sources in Business, the Social Sciences and the Humanities; Library Services to Diverse Populations

Education

Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 1988

M.S., Simmons College, 1975

B.A., Simmons College, 1972