Faculty and Staff Profiles

Carl Hess is the Undergraduate Success Librarian at the University of Memphis. He is responsible for the University Libraries’ outreach to programs for undergraduate students. He teaches how to find, evaluate, cite, and keep track of research sources. He helps students with their research at the Research Assistant Desk and by appointment through research consultations.

Research Interests

Information literacy pedagogy and programming, collaboration and engagement between academic libraries and other campus units, student engagement with academic libraries

• MA Library Science - University of Missouri Columbia - 2013
• BA History & Political Science - Loyola University Chicago - 2010

• Head of Research and Instructional Services (Clinical Associate Professor), University Libraries - University of Memphis - 2026 - present
• Undergraduate Success Librarian (Clinical Assistant Professor) , University Libraries - University of Memphis - 2023 - 2026
• First Year Experience Librarian (Clinical Assistant Professor), University Libraries - University of Memphis - 2020 - 2023
• Information Literacy Librarian (Assistant Professor), Kent Library - Southeast Missouri State University - 2017 - 2020
• Reference & Instruction Librarian, Beeghly Library - Heidelberg University - 2014 - 2017

• James E. Ward Library Instruction Award - Tennessee Library Association (TNLA) - 2025

• UI 100: First Year Seminar - Southeast Missouri State University
• HEI 101: Aim HEI - Heidelberg University
• CSP 100: Intro to Computers - Heidelberg University
• ISLT 1111: Information Use and Student Success - University of Missouri-Columbia

• University of Memphis Unified Transit App - University of Memphis Green Fee - $21,000 - July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027
• Improving Campus Transit: Eliminating a Barrier to Student Success - University of Memphis Community of Research Scholars - $2,500 - March 6, 2026-December 31, 2027

• University of Memphis - Campus Transit Alliance - 2025 - present
• University of Memphis - University Libraries Outreach Committee - 2025 - present
• University of Memphis - Writing and Communication Services Advisory Board - 2024 - present
• University of Memphis - Faculty Senate Library Policies Committee (chair) - 2024 - present
• University of Memphis - Faculty Senate (Senator for University Libraries) - 2024 - present
• University of Memphis - University of Memphis Book Club (Faculty Advisor) - 2023 - present
• University of Memphis - University Libraries Faculty Handbook Committee (chair 2024 - 2025) - 2022 - present
• University of Memphis - University Libraries Accessibility Committee (co-chair: 2021 - 2024) - 2021 - 2025
• University of Memphis - University Libraries Research Guides Redesign Workgroup (interim chair, 2026 - present) - 2020 - present
• Tennessee Library Association (TNLA) - 2027 Annual Conference Committee, Local Arrangements Co-Chair - 2026 - present
• Tennessee Library Association (TNLA) - Academic Libraries Roundtable, West Tennessee Representative - 2026 - present
• Library Instruction Together (LIT) - Steering Committee - 2026 - present
• Memphis Area Library Council (MALC) - Communications and Programming Committee - 2024 - present
• Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) - Accessibility Interest Group - 2023 - present

• Hess, C. (2021) On Barbecue. Tennessee Libraries, 71 (4), https://www.tnla.org/page/71_4_Hess
  

• Roach-Freiman, A., & Hess, C. (2024, forthcoming). “Wait, we’re drawing?”: Treating first-year students to making art in the library orientation. LOEX Conference Proceedings 2023. https://commons.emich.edu/loexconf/

• McClure, J., Hess, C., & Marsicano, D. (2023). Redesigning research guides: Lessons learned from usability testing at the University of Memphis. Information Technology and Libraries, 42(3). https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v42i3.15535

• Hess, C. & Roach-Freiman, A. (2023). Together in the same (Zoom) room: Building campus community around first year writing and information literacy through a collaborative online forum. The Journal of Creative Library Practice. https://creativelibrarypractice.org/2023/01/12/together-in-the-same-zoom-room/.
• Hess, C. (2022, September 2) Planning inclusive events. TLA Newsletter, 28(3). tnla.org/resource/collection/67D9B2E1-B81F-47CE-8475-FD9071EEBE16/Summer_2022.pdf

• varner, b., & Hess, C. (2026, April 22). The greatest show on campus: Building belonging with the University Libraries Welcome Carnival [Conference Session]. 2026 Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference, Knoxville, TN.

• Hess, C., Parente, S., Kirk, R., Geckle, B., Day, E., & Chester-Fangman, C. (2025, November 18). Advocating the library in faculty senate: A panel discussion [Conference presentation]. Library Advocacy in Action: TNLA Academic Libraries Roundtable Symposium.

• varner, b., Hess, C., & McClure, J. (2025, October 10). The greatest show on campus: Building belonging with the University Libraries Welcome Carnival [Conference Session]. West Tennessee Academic Library Consortium [WeTALC] Fall 2025 Conference Meeting, McKenzie, TN.

• Hess, C. (2025, June 18). Academic library work in Third Space: A conversation [Conference session]. Library Instruction Together (LIT) 2025 Virtual Conference.

• Hess, C. (2025, June 13). Academic library work in Third Space: A conversation [Conference session]. Library Instruction Together (LIT) 2025 Retreat, Nashville, TN, United States.

• Hess, C., McClure, J., Roach-Freiman, A., Boulden, M., & Lange, T. (2024, October 8-9). Pooling our expertise: Creating information literacy and writing tutorials with a cross-campus team. Tenn-Share Showcase 2024. 

• McClure, J., Roach-Freiman, A., & Hess, C. (2024, September 30). Moving back online: Developing a collaborative suite of LMS information literacy modules. West Tennessee Academic Library Consortium (WeTALC) Fall Meeting, Jackson, TN, United States. 

• Hess, C., McClure, J., Boulden, M., & Lange, T. (2024, May 10). Pooling our expertise: Creating information literacy and writing tutorials with a cross-campus team. Library Instruction Together (LIT) Retreat 2024, Nashville, TN, United States.

• Dahman, S., Hess, C., & Peeples, M. (2024, April 2-4). One click to connect: Expanding access to the collection with a previously underused product. Tennessee Library Association (TNLA) Annual Conference 2024, Franklin, TN, United States.

• Lange, T., & Hess, C. (2024, March 19). Open Educational Resources: Increasing access with alternatives to the traditional textbook [Workshop]. University of Memphis College of Education. Memphis, TN, United States.

• Roach-Freiman, A., & Hess, C. (2023, Oct. 13-15). “Wait, we’re drawing?”: Engaging visual strategies for first-year library orientation [Conference session]. 2023 Arkansas Library Association/Southeastern Library Association Joint Conference, Hot Springs, AR.

• Roach-Freiman, A., Hess, C., & McClure, J. (2023, September 7). “Wait, we’re drawing?”: Engaging visual strategies for first-year library orientation [Webinar]. Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. aserl.org/event/wait-were-drawing-engaging-visual-strategies-for-first-year-library-orientation/ 

• Hobbs, A., & Hess, C. (2023, May 15). Keeping the lights on: Maintaining a dissertation retreat through COVID and staffing changes [Conference session]. West Tennessee Academic Library Consortium Spring 2023 Conference, Memphis, TN, United States.

• Roach-Freiman, A., & Hess, C. (2023, May 11-13). “Wait, we’re drawing?”: Treating first-year students to making art in the library orientation [Interactive workshop]. LOEX 2023, Harrisburg, PA, United States. commons.emich.edu/loexconf2023/25/

• McClure, J., & Hess, C. (2023, Apr. 11-13). Redesigning workflows and research guides [Conference session]. Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference 2023, Memphis, TN, United States.
• Roach-Freiman, A., Hess, C., & McClure, J. (2023, Apr. 11-13). “Wait, we’re drawing?”: Engaging visual strategies for first-year library orientation [Conference session]. Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference 2023, Memphis, TN, United States.
• McClure, J., & Hess, C. (2022, October 19 & 21) Utilizing usability testing for designing instructional research guides. [Conference session]. Nashville Area Library Alliance Support Staff as Leaders Conference. sites.google.com/view/nashvillearealibraryalliance22/conference-schedule
• McClure, J., & Hess, C. (2022, September 23). Redesigning research guides: Lessons learned from usability testing at the UofM [Colloquium session]. University Libraries Colloquium. Memphis, TN.
• Hess, C., & Boulden, M. H. (2022, September 21-23) If you build it, they might not come: Developing OER training resources for faculty through an OER grant [Show & fail presentation]. Open Texas 2022. opentexas.org/open-texas-2022

• Hess, C., McClure, J., & Schwarz, B. (2022, March 15). Equitable educational materials: Increasing access with alternatives to traditional textbooks [Workshop]. UM3D Ignite. 

• Roach-Freiman, A., Harris, M. W., Hess, C., & Singarella, I. (2021, November 12). Changing roles and the role of change: Research and instructional services and the health sciences librarians change roles during COVID-19 [Conference session]. West Tennessee Association of Libraries Consortium 2021 Fall Conference, Martin, TN, United States.
• Hess, C., Roach-Freiman, A., Hayes, P., & Kenny, H. (2021, October 11-13). Together in the same Zoom room: First-year writing success collaboration [Conference session]. 28th National Conference on Students in Transition.