Jonathan Grunert is a scholarly publishing librarian at the University of Buffalo in NY. Jonathan has been a member of ACRL for 2 years and is your ACRL Member of the Week for May 11, 2026.
Describe yourself in three words: Curious, enthusiastic, adaptable.
What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)? I’m currently enthralled by Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, with a lot of other books on the every-expanding docket. Recently, I finished Stephen King’s 11/22/63 and found that it lived up to the hype, and I’m looking forward to Katabasis (Kuang), Vigil (Saunders), and Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (Tokarczuk).
Listening to Resistance Rangers and If Books Could Kill to accompany my commutes.
Describe ACRL in three words: Dedicated, supportive, community.
What do you value about ACRL? ACRL provides a community for librarians to identify trends in research, directions in librarianship, and viable solutions to common challenges. It also provides an outlet to share within that community, through books, articles, blogs, and the biannual conference.
What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? I collaborate with a small scholarly communication team to work with researchers to amplify the reach of their work. Specifically, I manage the library’s publishing program, which provides an no-fee alternative for researchers who want to develop and edit open access journals; I also co-facilitate a professional development program for new faculty, helping them navigate offices and personnel who help their research practices.
In your own words: About halfway through my PhD program, I had a candid conversation with my advisor about pursuing a career in librarianship or in a history or science & technology studies (STS) department, as though they’re mutually exclusive. I’m glad that I’ve been involved in academic libraries for the past decade, as my approach to librarianship relies a lot on methods and frameworks from STS, both for my own research as well as how I interact with other researchers.
Editor’s Note: Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch!