Karen Centeno Casillas serves as the director of library services at Concordia University, Nebraska. She holds a B.A. in Secondary Education with a concentration in general vocal music and an M.S. in Information Science, both from the University of Puerto Rico. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Centeno has professional experience across school, public and academic libraries, bringing a well-rounded and student-centered approach to her leadership. Her areas of interest include information literacy instruction, research support, user experience and equity in access to information. She has conducted research and presented at educational conferences nationally and internationally.
Centeno is married to Marcos Ramos, and they have three children: Frances Karim, Omar Antonio and Loyda Lyz. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, creating handmade cards, traveling and photography.
Publications
Article: “Reading habits for information skills and information literacy in school libraries in Puerto Rico," published in the 2015 Congreso Iberoamericano de Bibliotecas Escolares (CIBES), October 26–28, 2015. ISBN# 978-84-16829-07-1
Article: “Information and Communication Technologies as a Substitute for School Libraries to Address the Needs and Information Competencies at Schools in Puerto Rico: Limitations and Lessons Learned.” Dr. José Sánchez Lugo and Karen Centeno Casillas. Revista Bibliotecas, Escuela de Bibliotecología, Documentación e Información, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, 2014, vol. 32, n° 2, pp. 1–15.
Article: “Developing Information Competencies in the Puerto Rican School Library: A Necessary Exploration.” José Sánchez Lugo and Karen Centeno Casillas. Revista Interamericana de Bibliotecología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia, 2014, vol. 37, n° 1, pp. 35–46.
Thesis: “Information Skills Development in Adult Users in Public Libraries of Puerto Rico: The Case of Bayamon Municipality Library and Carnegie Public Library.” Required Master's Degree in Information Science Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. 2009
“Concordia's Christ-centered purpose provides a faith-based setting in which I may serve with purpose, assisting users to grow both academically and spiritually. At Concordia, I can assist students, faculty and community to access information, develop key research and critical thinking skills and become confident creators of new knowledge. This connection of faith, education and service is at the heart of why I am inspired to be part of this community. ”
Karen Centeno