Janet Brennan Croft (born 1961)[1] is an American librarian and Tolkien scholar, known for her authored and edited books and journals on J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy. She won a Mythopoeic Award in 2005.[2]

Janet Brennan Croft
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Academic background
EducationIndiana University
Academic work
Main interestscopyright, J. R. R. Tolkien

Academic career

edit

Croft earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Classical Civilization (double major) from Indiana University in 1982 and graduated as a Master of Library Science in 1983 at the Indiana University School of Library and Information. She has worked at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and has been director and associate professor at Warden Memorial Library, Martin Methodist College. She became the Head of Access Services at Bizzell Memorial Library, University of Oklahoma, in 2001 and was given associate professorship in 2007.[3] In September 2014, she started as Head, Access and Delivery Services at Rutgers University Libraries.[4] and as of July 1, 2018, her title changed to Liaison to the School of Communication and Information and Librarian for Copyright and Disability Services. In August 2020, she became Associate University Librarian for Content Discovery at the University of Northern Iowa.[5] Her research interests focus on copyright laws concerning libraries and the work of J. R. R. Tolkien and other fantasy authors. This includes several academic lectures on Tolkien that she has held at University of Oklahoma.[6]

Since 2006, she has been the editor of Mythlore, a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Mythopoeic Society.[7] Among general publications on mythology and fantasy, it focuses on the three most prominent members of the Inklings: J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. She is credited as "Tolkien Scholar" in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Selected publications

edit

On library science

edit
  • Croft, Janet Brennan (2004). Legal Solutions in Electronic Reserves and the Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan. Haworth Information Press. ISBN 0-7890-2558-2. The book has been reviewed as valuable guide for academic libraries.[8]
  • — (2005). "Interlibrary Loan and Licensing: Tools for Proactive Contract Management". In Rupp-Serrano, Karen (ed.). Licensing In Libraries: Practical And Ethical Aspects. Haworth Press. pp. 41–53. ISBN 978-0789028792.

On Tolkien

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Marquis Who's Who On Demand". Marquis Who's Who. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  2. ^ "The Mythopoeic Society: Mythopoeic Scholarship Award Finalists". Mythopoeic Society. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Janet Brennan Croft (biography)". University of Oklahoma. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Minutes of July 23, 2014 Meeting, Circulation and Public Services Group, Access Services". Rutgers University Libraries. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  5. ^ "Janet Brennan Croft". Rod Library @ UNI.
  6. ^ "Janet Brennan Croft, Research Interests". University of Oklahoma. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  7. ^ Weinreich, Frank; Honegger, Thomas (2011). "Die aktuelle Tolkienforschung im Überblick: Personen – Organisationen – Verlage – Werke" [A Survey of Research on Tolkien: People – Organisations – Publishers – Works]. Zeitschrift für Fantastikforschung (in German) (2): 63–89. ISBN 9783643998880.
  8. ^ McCaslin, David (2007). "Legal Solutions in Electronic Reserves and the Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan (review)". Library Student Journal (February). Archived from the original on 14 December 2007.
  9. ^ Garth, John (2006). "War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien (review)". Tolkien Studies. 3: 234–238. doi:10.1353/tks.2006.0020. S2CID 170304532.
  10. ^ Thompson, Kristin (2006). "Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings' (review)". Tolkien Studies. 3: 222–228. doi:10.1353/tks.2006.0035. S2CID 170135592.
  11. ^ Walters, James (2011). Fantasy Film: A Critical Introduction. Berg Publishers. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-84788-308-7.