Gottlieb, Lisa 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born August 12, 1971, in Boston, MA. Education: Wellesley College, B.A., 1993; University of Chicago, M.A., 1996; University of Toronto, M.I. St., 2000, doctoral study, beginning 2000. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, graffiti art, sports (baseball in particular, the Oakland Athletics especially), New Englandtranscendentalism, the natural world, landscapes created with plants, with paint, or with words, the past.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, McFarland and Co., Inc., P.O. Box 611, Jefferson, NC 286400611. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

(With Juris Dilevko) Reading and the Reference Librarian: The Importance to Library Service of Staff Reading Habits, McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 2004.

(With Juris Dilevko) The Evolution of Library and Museum Partnerships, Libraries Unlimited (Westport, CT), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A manuscript describing a research project on graffiti art.

SIDELIGHTS:

Lisa Gottlieb told CA: "I have always been drawn to nonfiction writing. I like the idea of unearthing a really good—and true—story and sharing it with others. These stories literally have a life of their own, and I often have the sense when chronicling them that they actually write themselves, and I just get to go along for the ride. The whole process reminds me of Jo March's ‘writing fits’ in Little Women where Jo would ‘fall into a vortex’ when writing, ‘unconscious of want, care, or bad weather’ but nonetheless cognizant that working on her stories ‘made these hours worth living.’ Entering this vortex and experiencing the euphoria it brings are the best parts of writing.

"I have recently completed a research project on graffiti art. Having gathered insights from graffiti writers in the United States, I developed a classification system that can be used to deconstruct graffiti art pieces into their essential visual components. The purpose of the classification system is to identify the style in which a piece of graffiti art was created. Image specialists in museums and university art departments tested the classification system to see whether it met this goal. I am now writing about the project and its results and implications. I selected my subject because it's beautiful. The first time I saw a graffiti art piece I found it as amazing and mysterious and inspiring as anything I had studied in art historyclasses. So I wanted to learn more about it and to help others understand it as well."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Libraries, August, 2004, Cathleen Bourdon, review ofReading and the Reference Librarian:The Importance to Library Service of Staff Reading Habits, p. 86.

Library Journal, March 1, 2004, Janet Brewer, review of Reading and the Reference Librarian, p. 115.