Dr. Laura-Edythe Coleman is an American researcher and culture leader who bridges the fields of
library science and museum studies to further our understanding of cultural institutions in society. She
earned her Ph.D. in Information Science with a focus on Museum Informatics from Florida State
University. Dr. Coleman is Assistant Professor and Director of the Arts Administration & Museum
Leadership Graduate Online Program at Drexel University. She previously held posts as lecturer for
Museum Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and Information Science, Florida State University. Her
areas of research and teaching include information architecture, knowledge management, museum
studies, cultural heritage informatics, social justice and inclusion, research methods, collections
management, and digital curation. As a forward- thinking interdisciplinary researcher, she performs
quantitative and qualitative studies, and frequently forms research partnerships outside the museum and
library fields. Dr. Coleman is a Fulbright Specialist in Library & Information Science. She is the
Associate Editor of Research & Practice for Wiley’s Curator: The Museum Journal. Dr. Coleman is
author of the book, Understanding and Implementing Inclusion in Museums.
Ph.D, Information Science, Florida State University; MS, Library Information, Florida State University; BFA, Music Performance, University of Florida
Authored Books
Coleman, L.-E. (Forthcoming). Curatorial Voice. London, UK: Taylor & Francis.
Coleman, L.-E. (2018). Understanding & Implementing Inclusion in Museums. Lanham, MD: Rowman
& Littlefield.
Invited Book Chapters
Coleman, L.-E. & McLaughlin, H. (2021). 20th Century Museums, In Libraries, Archives,
Museums: Western Cultural Heritage Institutions Through the Ages. Lanham, MD: Rowman &
Littlefield.
Invited Journal Articles
Fraser, J., Coleman, L.-E., & Bennett, B. (2020). Neutrality is Not an Option, Museums Don’t Need Leftâover
Statues. Curator: The Museum Journal, 63(3), 295–298.
Coleman, L. S. (2020). The Necessity of Research Practice. Curator: The Museum Journal, 63(1), 9–13.
Refereed Book Chapters
Coleman, L.-E. & Moore, P. (2019). From the ground up: Grassroots social justice activism in American
Museums, In Museums and Activism. New York, New York: Routledge.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). Social Inclusion and the Gatekeeping Mechanisms of Curatorial Voice: Are
Museums Ready to be Agents of Social Justice? In Progressive community action: critical theory and social
justice in library and information science. Duluth, Minnesota: Library Juice Press.
Coleman, L.-E. (2015). Perspectives on Museum Informatics: Curatorial Voice re-imagined through
Gatekeeper theory; Museum as Place re-envisioned through Nonaka’s SECI ba. In Annual Review of
Cultural Heritage Informatics 2014 (Vol. 2). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Refereed Journal Articles
Phillips, A. & Coleman, L.-E. (Under Review) "How can we help you?": An Affective-Based Exploration
into Librarianship, Empathy, and Library Work. Library Trends.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). The Socially Inclusive Museum: A Typology Re-imagined. The International
Journal of the Inclusive Museum.
Refereed Conference Proceedings
Coleman, L.-E., & McLaughlin, H. (Under Review) AR/VR, The Next Evolution in Museum Studies.
Chicago, IL: The College Arts Association 2022.
Coleman, L.-E., Hoffman, L., & McLaughlin, H. (2021) Virtual Experiences: Reinventing Museum
Studies for the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic World. Virtual Dialogue: Museum Academics and
Professionals on Challenges in the Post-COVID World. Online: 2021 Museum Studies International
Symposium.
Coleman, L.-E. & McLaughlin, H. (2021). Reinventing Museum Studies for the Pandemic and Post-
Pandemic World. Prepared for Lisbon, Portugal: The 14th International Inclusive Museum Conference.
Deferred to Rethinking the Museum Philadelphia: PA The 15th International Inclusive Museum Conference
(2022).
Coleman, L.-E., DeGroot, S., Phalen, S., & Lewis, Z. (2020, September 5). Internships past, present and
future: Dismantling systems of power from the ground up. Death To Museums. Death to Museums.
Coleman, L.-E. (2018) Bringing Inclusion to American Museums: A Blueprint for Change. Presented in
Inclusion as Shared Vision: Museum and Sharing Heritage. Grenada, Spain: The Inclusive Museum
Conference.
Coleman, L.-E. & Phillips, A. (2017) Understanding Empathy in the Profession. Presented in Diaspora,
Integration and Museums. Manchester, UK: The Inclusive Museum Conference.
Coleman, L.-E. (2016). The Socially Inclusive Museum: Perspectives From American Museum
Researchers and Professionals. Presented in The Museum in the Global Contemporary: short films.
Leicester, UK.: Debating the Museum of Now Conference at University of Leicester.
Coleman, L.-E., Gorman, J., Moore, P., Paquet-Kinsley, R., & Taylor, C. (2016). Identity Construction,
Community, and the Inclusive Museum. Presented in Power, Influence, and Responsibility. Washington,
D.C.: AAM.
Coleman, L.-E., & Moore, P. (2016). A Crash Course in Inclusion for the Museum Practitioner. Presented
in Urbanism, Inclusion, and Cultural Freedoms. Cincinnati: OH.: The Inclusive Museum Conference.
Coleman, L.-E. (2015). The Socially Inclusive Museum: Measuring Our Social Impact. Presented in The
Social Value of Museums: Inspiring Change. Atlanta, Georgia: AAM.
Urban, R., Coleman, L.-E., & Marty, P. (2014). Libraries, Archives, and Museums: Connecting Educational
Communities and Cultures. Presented in Connecting Collections, Cultures, and Communities. Seattle,
Washington: ASIS&T.