Meet Black Iowa News contributor: Cicely Douglas

Cicely Douglas, from western Iowa/Nebraska, is a public librarian and certified philomath — a person who loves learning. She holds a master’s degree in library science and a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology. With nearly 20 years of experience in public libraries, her work centers on information literacy, access to knowledge and the retrieval of complex and often overlooked stories.

Cicely is a recognized leader in advancing STEM learning in libraries and has participated in several research cohorts examining information literacy and misinformation. Early in her career, she contributed professional book reviews for libraries, and she continues to engage in scholarship and community programming that supports lifelong learning.

Her professional interests include Caribbean and pan-African cultural history and the preservation of marginalized narratives. She is particularly fascinated by big words, hidden histories and the deep pursuit of the tedious and the banal — because within them are the stories that shape us.