Profile for Mike Olson

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Mike Olson
Assistant Professor
Murphy Library
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Mike Olson
Assistant Professor
Murphy Library
Specialty area(s)
Critical Cataloging, Critical Visual Literacy, Zines & Alternative Information Networks
Brief biography
I've dedicated over 20 years to academic libraries, specializing as a cataloger with a focus on critical cataloging practices. My advocacy work focuses on dismantling harmful subject headings.
My passion extends beyond cataloging to making knowledge accessible through creative means. As an avid zine maker, I transform my scholarly research into zines, trading at festivals to build the Zine Reading Room—a space that amplifies diverse voices and challenges information privilege.
My research also explores critical visual literacies in activism, examining how visual elements in protest materials and grassroots publications empower communities and challenge dominant narratives.
At UW-La Crosse, I find purpose at the intersection of scholarship, creativity, and critical information literacy.
Education
MA Library & Information Science, Valdosta State University, 2023
BA Studio Arts, University of Northern Iowa, 1997
Career
Professional history
Cataloging & Discovery Librarian, Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2023-
Librarian II, Data Resources, Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2022-2023
Library Services Assistant III, Advanced-Lead, Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2011-2022
Metadata & Digitization Specialist, John T. Richardson Library, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, 2007-2011
Collections Assistant, Helen A. Sclair, Cemetery Historian, Chicago, IL, 2003-2009
Research and publishing
Olson, M. (2025, March 22). Classification as colonization: The hidden politics of library catalogs. The Scholarly Kitchen. https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/03/25/guest-post-classification-as-colonization-the-hidden-politics-of-library-catalogs/
Olson, M. (2024, November 4) Critical visual literacy in activism: Artist Keith Walsh’s political infographics - Illuminating social histories [Conference presentation]. 56th Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), Virtual. https://ivla.org/conference-2024/ Video: https://youtu.be/KEFNS7rjilg
Olson, M. (2024). Reading the pictures [review of the website, in Internet Resources]. Public Services Quarterly, 20(4), 306-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2024.2405704
Olson, M. (2024). Critical visual literacy in activism: Artist Violet Ray's counterimages. In J. Lee, L. Okan, F. Rodrigues, C. Huilcapi-Collantes, E. Corrigan, G. Chesner, & H. Han (Eds.), Ways of Seeing: The Book of Selected Readings 2024 (pp. 85-99). International Visual Literacy Association. https://doi.org/10.52917/ivlatbsr.2024.017 / Zine version
Olson, M. (2023, October 2-8) Critical visual literacy in activism - Counterimages: Radically repurposed visual culture in Violet Ray’s ‘Advertising the Contradictions’ [Conference presentation]. International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) Conference, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States. https://ivla.org/conference-2023/
Kudos
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published
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