Curriculum Vitae

Employment

Dean of Libraries
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado (2019-present)

Associate Dean for Technology and Digital Strategies, Associate Librarian, Penn State Libraries
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania (2015-2019)

  • Interim Associate Dean for Collections, Research and Scholarly Communication (January 2018-September 2019)
  • Interim Associate Dean for Learning and Undergraduate Services (July 2018-April 2019)
  • Institute for CyberSciences, Associate (2015-2019)

Digital Scholarship Center, Head, Associate Professor/Associate Librarian, University of Oregon Libraries
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon (2012-2015)

Digital Library Services, Head, Associate Professor/Associate Librarian, University of Oregon Libraries
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon (2011-2012)

Digital Collections Coordinator, Assistant Professor, University of Oregon Libraries
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon (2007-2011)

Digital Technologies, Interim Head, Assistant Librarian, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (2006-2007)

Adjunct Professor, Communication Department (Introduction to Web Design)
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (2006-2007)

Technology Instruction Librarian, Assistant Librarian, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (2005-2006)

Graduate Staff Assistant, The Information School
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (2003-2005)

Copyright / Reserves Assistant
Reed College, Portland, Oregon (2001-2003)

Librarian Assistant (Cataloging)
Reed College, Portland, Oregon (2001)

Education

Ph.D. Communication and Society, 2021
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

M.L.I.S. (Master of Library and Information Science), 2005
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

B.A., Classics (Ancient Greek History), 2001
Reed College, Portland, Oregon

Selected Recent Presentations

“State of the Ecosystem: National Perspectives on Research Computing and Data.” Co-presenter / Panelist.  EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, October 2025.

“Understanding and Evaluating Business Models for Digital Infrastructure Services” with Rosalyn Metz. Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) fall meeting, December 2022.

“Ada@10: the Shifting Tides of Feminist Digital Publishing” with Sarah Hamid, Bryce Peake, Roopika Risam, Carol Stabile, and moderated by Radhika Gajjala. National Communications Association (NCA), New Orleans, Louisiana, November 2022.

“Libraries, Research, and IT: Optimizing Research Support Together” with Jill Sexton and Hannah Sommers. EDUCAUSE, Chicago, Illinois, October 2019.

“Advancements in the ORCID US Community: Supporting Researchers & Adding Value for Research Institutions” with Sheila Rabun, Carmelita Pickett, and Jason Ronallo. Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) spring meeting, St. Louis, Missouri, April 2019.

Selected Recent Invited Presentations

“Exploring the Potential of AI in Academic Libraries through Powerful and Plausible Scenarios, Dynamic Experiments, and Provocative Opportunities.” Invited Keynote. 3o Workshop das Bibliotecas do Ensino Superior​ Santarém, Portugal, May 2024.

“Vision of Self, Serendipitous Collaborations, and Institutional Pride.” Invited Keynote. International Forum on Expert Finder Systems, Miami, Florida, April 2023.

“The Libraries and Security Can Be Friends? Findings of a Survey on Security of Research and Information on Campus.” Panelist with Joe Gridley and Jack Maness, moderated by Sari Frances. Invited by the Scholarly Networks Security Initiative (SNSI) for EDUCAUSE, Denver, Colorado, October 2022.

“Deans Panel — Phases of Partnership: Implementing and Sustaining  Digitization Projects.” Panelist with Janet Bishop and Kelvin Watson. Digital Initiatives Symposium, University of San Diego, Online, April 2022.

“Essentials for Transformative Agreement Publisher Negotiations.” Discussant. 15th Berlin Open Access Conference, Online, September 2021.

Selected Publications, White Papers, and Editorials

Estlund, Karen, and Cynthia Hudson Vitale. (March 2026). Strategic Implications of AI Futures for Research Libraries: Workshop Report. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries and Coalition for Networked Information. https://doi.org/10.29242/report.futurescape2026.

Estlund, K. (October 24, 2025). “When publishers’ fear of AI prohibits basic uses.” Source. Colorado State University, https://source.colostate.edu/guest-column-when-publishers-fear-of-ai-prohibits-basic-uses/

ARL/CNI AI Scenarios: AI-Influenced Futures. (June 2024). Washington, DC, and West Chester, PA: Association of Research Libraries, Coalition for Networked Information, and Stratus Inc., June 2024. https://doi.org/10.29242/report.aiscenarios2024.

Stabile, C., R. Gajjala, and K. Estlund, eds. (November 2022). The Ada Journal Reader. R. Risam, series ed. Reanimate Publishing.

Choudary, S., et al (2018). “Research data curation: a framework for an institution-wide services approach” EDUCAUSE Working Group on Data Curation.

Adler, S., et al. (December 2015). “Rightsstatements. org White Paper: Requirements for the Technical Infrastructure for Standardized International Rights Statements.” arXiv preprint arXiv:1607.07765  

Carlson, J. & K. Estlund. (2014) “Beyond the Article: Publishing Essential Content” Library Publishing Forum in Kansas City, MO.  https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/lib_fspres/47

Peake, B., and K. Estlund, Special Issue Editors, (May 2014). “Publication and Its Discontents: Peer Review, Publishing, and the Politics of the Open.” Ada: a Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology, 4.

Johnson, T., and K. Estlund. (January 2014). “Recipes for Enhancing Digital Collections with Linked Data.” The Code4Lib Journal, 23.

Selected Grants

Project Director

  • Beneath the Surface and Cast in Steel: Forging the American Industrial Union Movement Digital Project. Co-PI. Council on Libraries and Information Resources (CLIR) Hidden Collections, January 2017. $239,185.
  • Next Generation Newspaper Digitization. Institute of Museum and Library Services, Library Services & Technology Act. February 2015. $106,000.
  • National Digital Newspaper Program (Oregon). National Endowment for the Humanities.  August 2011, $325,000; 2013, $235,000.
  • Oregon Digital Newspaper Program. Institute of Museum and Library Services, Library Services & Technology Act. February 2009, $220,763, 2012, $45,000.
  • National Digital Newspaper Program (Utah). National Endowment for the Humanities. July 2007. $247,478.
  • Utah State-wide Institutional Repository. Institute of Museum and Library Services. Library Services & Technology Act. January 2006. $73,188.

Project Team Member

  • Virtual Data Collaboratory: A Regional Cyberinfrastructure for Collaborative Data Intensive Science. National Science Foundation. Division of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. September 2016. $4,000,000.
  • Petrarch’s Early Manuscripts and Incunabula in the Oregon Petrarch Open Book. ACLS Digital Innovation. September 2012. $85,000.
  • IRNC: SP Cultivating the International Research and Education Network Fabric: An Essential Underpinning of Cyberinfrastructure. National Science Foundation. April 2010. $1,637,838.
  • Digitizing Archaeological Collections from Mongolia’s High Altai Region. National Endowment for the Humanities. July 2007. $316,693.

Selected Professional Service

Mentoring and Coaching

  • Leadership and Career Development Program, Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Mentor/Coach, 2020-2022, 2022-2023, 2025-2026
  • Leadership Fellows Program, Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Mentor, 2024-2025, 2025-2026.
  • Digital Library Federation Authenticity Project, Mentor, 2022.
  • Hydra/Samvera Meeting Buddy Program, Designer and Facilitator, 2015.

National/International Service

  • Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Membership Committee,  Member, 2026- present
  • Greater Western Library Association (GWLA) Board, Member and Staff Liaison, 2026- present
  • Greater Western Library Association, Membership Committee, Member, 2026- present
  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) roundtable action collaborative for open science and open access, Invited Member, 2025- present
  • Coalition of Networked Information, Steering Committee,  Member, 2025- present
  • SPARC Steering Committee, Association of Research Libraries Elected Representative Member, 2021-2023
  • US Repository Network Initiative Expert Group, Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) and Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), Member, 2021-2022
  • International Image Interoperability (IIIF) Coordinating Committee, Member, 2016-2019
  • Europeana and Digital Public Library of American Rights Statements Technical Working Group, Member, 2014-2019
  • Hydra/Samvera Steering Committee, Member, 2015-2018

Regional Service

  • University Press of Colorado Board, Trustee, 2021 -present
    • Finance Committee, Member, 2022- present
    • Personnel Committee, Member, 2023-present
  • Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries Board, Chair (2022-present) Vice-chair (2021 – 2022), Member, 2020 – present
  • Library Fees Subscription Committee, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Member, 2020 – 2022

Selected Institutional Service

Colorado State University

  • President’s AI Strategy Task Force, Co-chair, 2026-present
  • Provost’s AI Working Group, Chair, 2026-present
  • Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Affairs, Member, 2025- present
  • First-Generation University Initiative, Member, 2023-2026
  • Artificial Intelligence Task Force for CSU-System, Co-chair, 2024.
  • Budget Remodel Steering Committee, Member;  Administration subgroup, Co-Chair, 2023 – present
  • Courageous Strategic Transformation Sustainability Work Group, Chair, 2021
  • Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, Tri-chair, 2020 – 2021
  • Student Life Continuity and Recovery Work Group, Co-chair, 2020 – 2021

The Pennsylvania State University

  • University Research Council, Member, 2018-2019
  • Open Access Policy, Co-Chair, 2018-2019; Member, 2017-2019
  • Security Policies Review Task Forces, Member, 2017-2019
    • IT Security Risk Management
    • Security Log Collection, Analysis, and Retention
  • Driving Digital Innovation Steering Committee, Member, 2016-2019
  • Research Computing & Cyber-Infrastructure Committee, Member, 2016-2019
    • Data Governance Working Group, Member
    • Access and Archiving Task Force, Co-chair
  • Institute for CyberScience Advisory Board, Member, 2017-2018
  • Unizin Engagement Advisory Board, Member, 2016-2018

Selected Professional Development

  • Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS 100, Emergency Management Institute, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 2025. 
  • Association of Research Libraries Strategies Institute, CSU cohort lead, 2025.
  • CASE: Development for Deans and Academic Leaders.San Francisco, California, February 21-23, 2024.
  • “Responsible Use of Power,” Digital Library Federation Authenticity Project, Jul. 12, 2023. 
  •  “Research Libraries Navigating Challenges to Free Expression, Academic Freedom, and Inclusion,” Association of Research Libraries Executive Institute, Washington, DC, Oct. 19, 2023. 
  • “Recruiting and Retaining Librarians from Underrepresented and Minoritized Groups.“ Library Juice Academy, spring 2022.
  • Campus STEP UP: Rise up for Racial Justice. Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement, Colorado State University, spring 2022.
  • Inclusive Manager’s Toolkit, DeEtta Jones & Associates, 2020, 2021.
  • Essentials of Cultural Competence, DeEtta Jones & Associates, 2019, 2020.
  • Leadership Program, EDUCAUSE, 2019.
  • Department Executive Officers Leadership Seminar, Big10 Academic Alliance, 2017-2018.
  • Certified ScrumMaster ®, Scrum Alliance, 2014-2016.