Amy Riegelman is a social sciences and evidence synthesis librarian at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Amy has been a member of ACRL for 14 years and is your ACRL Member of the Week for July 13, 2026.
Describe yourself in three words: Evidence synthesis librarian.
What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)? I recently finished a book about the history of women’s basketball, Court Queens by Emma Baccellieri & Jordan Robinson. Highly recommend if you’re interested in women’s basketball and Title IX broadly.
Describe ACRL in three words: Community, convictions, progress.
What do you value about ACRL? Community and professional development.
What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? I am a liaison librarian to 3 social science departments and several centers, and I co-chair our systematic review service.
In your own words: It’s important that we stay current with library user needs. At the University of Minnesota we observed an uptick in users pursuing evidence synthesis methods. This developed into a formalized service model and efforts to train librarians on how to support patrons pursuing these methods. Recently together with colleagues from Cornell and Carnegie Mellon, we were awarded the University Libraries Section’s Outstanding Professional Development Award for the measurable impact of the Evidence Synthesis Institute training program. ACRL Conference has been a venue for some evidence synthesis skill building, and I anticipate more to come. The Evidence Synthesis Methods Interest Group (I currently serve as past convenor) and new EBSS Evidence Synthesis Committee have also provided opportunities for learning and dialogue.
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