Leaper earned her Doctor of Higher Education from Texas Tech University in September 2024.
Her dissertation is titled “Academic Libraries and Co-Located Academic Support Services: A Collective Case Study of Students’ Perceptions.”
The study looked at the evolution of academic libraries at higher education institutions, their purposes in supporting student-centered experimental and collaborative learning and their relationships with academic support services, particularly when those services are co-located within the library. The study was conducted with focus groups of undergraduate students enrolled at three similarly sized and geographically located higher education institutions.
“This co-located model often provides seamless support to students by offering one-stop shop services for students seeking assistance from both knowledgeable librarians and academic support services staff,” Leaper said. “Knowing why students gravitate towards certain spaces and how students utilize the resources in those spaces may assist institutional administrators with strategic planning and setting goals that include a student-centered focus on facilities and space design, resource allocation and program planning.”
Leaper earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education from Wayland Baptist University in 2004. She graduated with a Master of Library and Information Science from Valdosta State University in 2012 and earned a Master of Adult Education Management and Administration from Northwestern in 2017.
Leaper started at Northwestern in 2012 as the research and instructional services librarian and became the director in 2018.
“I’ve worked with students at all stages of their educational journey and recognize that the resources made available to them, whether physical resources, online resources, services, and even physical environment, contribute greatly to their overall educational experiences,” Leaper said.
Leaper grew interested in user experience (UX), student-centered facilities and space design after researching for her dissertation, and may explore that more in the future.
“I see myself as a lifelong learner so I don’t feel the doctorate is the end of my educational journey,” Leaper said. “I plan to continue to learn and grow in my current field of librarianship, but I’m also happy to explore other areas of interest as they arise.”
She plans to travel more now that her weekends are free from writing.
“I’m leading the Northwestern Study Abroad trip to Spain and Portugal in May 2025, and I’m also planning several trips for next year with a goal of seeing more of Oklahoma and Texas,” Leaper said. “My husband is hoping we can spend a couple of weekends at home, so I may try that as well.”