Kathleen (Kathy) Abromeit

(she/her)

  • Head, Conservatory Library

Offices

Education

  • MLIS, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

  • MM, musicology, University of Colorado-Boulder

  • BM magna cum laude, music history and theory, Lawrence University

Biography

As the Head of the Conservatory Library, she oversees all aspects of the library’s programs and services, including music reference and instruction, circulation and reserve, technical services and processing, music special collections, and collection development. She works to create positive, engaging, and user-centered experiences for students. She enjoys collaborating with faculty to develop meaningful library experiences for students to learn about the tremendous riches in the Conservatory Library.

Her areas of scholarly interest include music information literacy, faculty/librarian collaboration, African American spirituals, library inclusion and advocacy, and outreach. Her publications include the monographs An Index to African-American Spirituals for the Solo Voice (Greenwood Press, 1999), Spirituals: A Multidisciplinary Bibliography for Research and Performance (Music Library Association and A-R Editions, Inc., 2015), Ideas, Strategies, and Scenarios in Music Information Literacy (Music Library Association and A-R Editions, Inc., 2018), An Index to Negro Spirituals (SUNY Press, forthcoming) and Music Information Literacy: Inclusion and Advocacy (Library Juice Press, forthcoming), a co-authored volume.

She is active in the Music Library Association. She oversees the Music Received column in Notes: The Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association and is looking forward to serving as MLA’s Publication Committee chair starting in 2023.

Notes

Larissa Fekete and Kathleen Abromeit Present at New Explorations in Teaching Conference

November 13, 2024

“Empowering ESOL Learners with AI and Information Literacy Skills” was presented by Oberlin’s ESOL Program Director Larissa Fekete and Head of the Conservatory Library Kathleen Abromeit at the NEXT (New Explorations in Teaching) conference, “Bridging Pedagogy and Innovation: AI and Beyond” on November 1. 

Kathleen Abromeit, Eboni Johnson, and Dyani Sabin ’14 Present at Midwest Music Library Association Meeting

October 29, 2024

In a panel presentation at the annual meeting of the Midwest Music Library Association, Head of the Conservatory Library Kathleen Abromeit and Dyani Sabin ’14 offered an overview of the book they edited, Music Information Literacy: Inclusion and Advocacy, which presents concepts, theories, and cases to embrace greater inclusion in music library instruction. The book is forthcoming from Library Juice Press, expected out November 2024. Also at the meeting, STEM Librarian Eboni A. Johnson ’97 presented “Show Them Who You Are: Code-Switching and Code-Meshing in the Academy.”

Kathleen Abromeit Presents at Music Library Association Annual Meeting

March 20, 2024

Head of the Conservatory Library Kathleen Abromeit presented on the panel, "It Takes Time: Perspectives on Leadership, Career Development, and Job Transitions" at the annual meeting of the Music Library Association.

Kathleen Abromeit and Grace Elliott Present at Midwest Music Library Association Annual Meeting

March 20, 2024

Head of the Conservatory Library Kathleen Abromeit and Public Services Librarian Grace Elliott presented, "Stop Being a Fatphobe: Bringing a Larger Conversation to Critical Information Literacy" at the annual meeting of the Midwest Music Library Association.

 

Kathleen Abromeit Completes Leadership Certificate

July 11, 2023

Kathleen Abromeit completed the Mindfulness for Effective Leadership certificate through Case Western Reserve's Weatherhead Executive Education with Founding Director of the Executive Mind Leadership Institute Jeremy Hunter.

Kathleen A. Abromeit Compiled Bibliography of Recently PublishedMusic Scores for "Notes"

March 22, 2023

“Music Received Column," a bibliography of recently published music scores in Notes: The Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association. Compiled by Kathleen A. Abromeit.

Recent columns have included:

  • Vol. 77, No. 3, Works by BIPOC composers and women with Jake Balmuth ’23.
  • Vol. 77, No. 4 and 78, No.1, Works by LGBTQIA composers with Jake Balmuth ’23.
  • Vol. 78, No. 2, Works by Latin American women with Jake Balmuth ’23.
  • Vol. 78, No. 3, Works for solo guitar by women composers with Eliza Balmuth ’23.
  • Vol. 79, No. 1, String quartets by Black composers with Jake Balmuth ’23.
  • Vol. 79, No. 3, Musical settings of Black poetry with Gwen Gemmel ’23.

Presentation by Kathleen Abromeit Receives Honors at Music Library Association Annual Conference

April 29, 2022

Conservatory Librarian Kathleen Abromeit presented “Researching the Negro Spiritual” with Randye Jones. Originally presented at the Music Library Association Midwest Chapter Annual Meeting, October 2020. It was selected as best of chapter paper and presented at the Music Library Association Annual Conference in March 2022.

Abromeit also presented "Using Mindfulness to Beat Mid-Career Burnout" at the Music Library Association Annual Conference, March 2022.