Education

PhD, Communication, Information, and Media, Rutgers University
MPhil, Philosophy, Central European University (Hungary)
MA, Theories and Practices of Interpretation, University of Iasi (Romania)
BA Philosophy, University of Iasi (Romania)

Specializations

Cultural heritage, information practices, information ethics, public libraries

Biography

Dr. Iulian Vamanu, Associate Professor, joined the faculty in Fall 2014 after earning his Ph.D. from the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick. Starting Fall 2025, he will serve as the Associate Director of SLIS. His research explores information and documentation practices in various contexts, including heritage, LIS education, politics, and religion. In addition, he examines public library services and programs that enhance community resilience.

Recent Projects and Presentations

• Vamanu, I. (2026). “The actuality of the obsolete: Inscriptions, traces, and the documentary life of zines.” The 54th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS), June 22-26, 2026. [BEST PAPER AWARD]
• Vamanu, I., Logsden, K. (2025). "Reimagining LIS education: Integrating evidence-based practice with human-centered pedagogy." Paper presented at the ALISE 2025 Annual Conference, October 6-8, 2025, Kansas City, Missouri.
• Laurian, L., M. Saharkhiz, S. Karimi, I. Vamanu, & K. Logsden (2025) "Public libraries and economic development: Evidence from the Midwest." Paper presented at the ACSP 2025 (Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning) Annual Conference, Oct. 23-25, 2025, Minneapolis, MN.
• Vamanu, I. et al. (2025, June 26-30). Libraries as resilience hubs: How public libraries foster resilient communities [Conference presentation]. American Library Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
• Vamanu, I. et al. (2025, June 26-30). Trauma-informed library practices and whole person librarianship: Definitions, impact, and implementation. [Conference presentation]. American Library Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
• Vamanu, I. et al. (2025, June 26-30). Evidence for social work practicum in public libraries: Improved staff well-being and attitudes [Conference presentation]. American Library Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
• Vamanu, I., Logsden, K., and Laurian, L. (2024, September 16-18). Telling library stories: The impact of Midwestern public libraries on community resilience [Conference presentation]. Library Research Seminar 8 (LRS8), University of Kentucky at Lexington, KY, United States.
• Vamanu, I. (2024, May 9). Libraries as resilience hubs. A Study in midwestern public libraries and their impact on community resilience [Invited lecture]. University at Buffalo InformationScience Research Spring Seminar Series, Buffalo, NY, United States.
• 2023-2025: “Libraries as Resilience Hubs: Assessing Social Impacts and Learning from Best Practices” [Principal Investigator]. $494,444 funded. The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program, The Institute of Museum and Library Services. https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/lg-254845-ols-23

Recent Publications 

• Vamanu, I. (2026). Resisting erasure: Indigenous curatorship and the dynamics of remembering and forgetting. Analele Universității din București – Filosofie / The Annals of the University of Bucharest - Philosophy, 74(1), 161-181.
• Vamanu, I. & Rackham, R. (2026). From text to place and back: Exploring information dynamics and visitor engagement at literary heritage sites. In Asavei, A.-M. & K. Králová (Eds.). The Fluidity of Collective Memory: Time, Place, and Meaning-Making in Recalling the Past. Bloomsbury Academic https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph-detail?docid=b-9781978746923&tocid=b-9781978746923-chapter1
• Laurian, L., Saharkhiz, M., Karimi, S., Vamanu, I., & Logsden, K. (2026). Public libraries’ contributions to local economic development: Evidence from the Midwest. Public Library Quarterly, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2026.2668981
• Vamanu, I., Logsden, K., & Laurian, L. (2025). Navigating crises: How public libraries support community resilience in the Midwestern United States. Journal of Library Administration, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2025.2518006
• Gilster, M. E., Ronnenberg, M., Addison, S. M., Vamanu, I., Witry, S., & Logsden, K. (2025). Evidence for social work practicum in public libraries: Improved staff well-being and attitudes. Public Library Quarterly, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2025.2522622

• Laurian, L., Doyle, E., Vamanu, I., & Logsden, K. (2024). Libraries are resilience hubs: Evidence from the Midwest. Journal of the American Planning Association, 91(1), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2024.2343670