Architecture Librarian Jennifer Parker has been honored as a member of the University of Notre Dame’s 2023 All-Faculty Team.

Parker is one of seven faculty members from across campus recognized for their excellence in research, teaching, and service to the University. Provost John T. McGreevy honors a different All-Faculty Team member at each home football game throughout the season; Parker’s recognition ceremony will take place during the Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh game on Saturday, October 28.

“The Architecture Library supports the students and faculty of the School of Architecture as they strive to build a more equitable and sustainable urban environment. It’s been a privilege to partner in these endeavors for the past 15 years and to witness our students’ success as they enter the field,” said Parker.

Parker has been head of the Architecture Library since 2008. She also serves as the co-director of the Historic Urban Environments Lab at Notre Dame (HUE/ND), which strives to create new digital tools to provide access to unique library materials and allow virtual study of the built environment. She is a subject expert in specialized architecture collections. Parker developed the Ryan Rare Book Room, which holds some of the earliest published architecture books, and created a Makerspace—a collaborative workshop where students explore model-making and 3-D printing.

“We are delighted that the University is recognizing Jennifer’s extensive and longtime contributions to the Hesburgh Libraries, the Architecture Library, and the School of Architecture,” said K. Matthew Dames, Edward H. Arnold Dean, Hesburgh Libraries and University of Notre Dame Press. “Jennifer’s commitment to student success, along with her collaborative and innovative partnerships, has helped to set a standard for discipline-specific embedded librarianship. Her appearance on this year’s All-Faculty Team is a fitting recognition of her work on behalf of the University community and the School of Architecture.”

 

“We are beyond fortunate to have Jennifer here as part of our school,” said the Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the School of Architecture, Stefanos Polyzoides. “Jennifer is a force to be reckoned with. Over the last decade and a half, she has bought any current or recent book on Architecture that our students and faculty have needed for their academic and design work. She has mentored hundreds of students, imparting to them the importance of seeking and using book sources properly. And most importantly, she has collected many rare treatises on Architecture going back five hundred years and has made them readily available to our community."

In addition to managing print collections, the Architecture Library develops and maintains several digital projects and collections. Her current work includes the Latinx Murals of Pilsen, a collaboration with Jason Ruiz Chair of American Studies Department, and Cities in Text: Rome, a joint effort with School of Architecture Assistant Professor Selena Anders. Both projects will launch later this year. Parker’s previous work includes Seaside Research Portal and Building South Bend: Past, Present & Future. In 2018, she collaborated with other faculty members and students to create a 3D map to make campus more accessible to individuals with visual challenges. She also partnered with the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County and The History Museum to create a 3D-scale replica of 1920s-era South Bend that was put on display for the city’s 150th anniversary.

More recently, she worked with the architects building the new Walsh Family Hall of Architecture in order to ensure that the new library space would be flexible and functional for student use.

“I am truly grateful to Jennifer for her focus and dedication to the constant enhancement of our library's book collection, as well as its 3D modeling and mapping technologies. All of her efforts are directed to the benefit of our students’ academic success,” Polyzoides said.

Parker’s research and practices focus on combining physical and virtual library materials to better integrate library resources into the current academic curriculum.

Parker is the second Hesburgh Libraries’ faculty member to be named to the All-Faculty Team, joining Africana Studies and Education Librarian Leslie L. Morgan, who was recognized in 2022. Information about all members of this year’s team can be found on the Office of the Provost All-Faculty Team webpage.

Congratulations to Jennifer Parker on receiving this award.