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Mike Olson

Assistant Professor
University Library
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

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Mike Olson

Assistant Professor

University Library

Specialty area(s)

Critical Cataloging, Critical Visual Literacy, Zines & Alternative Information Networks

Brief biography

Mike Olson is an academic librarian specializing in cataloging and critical cataloging practices. He is a strong advocate for dismantling harmful subject headings and is dedicated to making knowledge accessible through innovative methods, including zine-making. He transforms scholarly research into zines, which he uses to build the Zine Reading Room, a resource that promotes diverse voices and challenges information privilege. His research also focuses on critical visual literacies in activism, analyzing how visual elements in protest and grassroots publications empower communities. At UW-La Crosse, he integrates scholarship, creativity, and critical information literacy.

Education

MLIS, Valdosta State University

BA Studio Arts, University of Northern Iowa

Career

Research and publishing

Olson, M. (2025, March 25). Classification as colonization: The hidden politics of library catalogs. The Scholarly Kitchen. https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/03/25/guest-post-classification-as-colonization-the-hidden-politics-of-library-catalogs/

Olson, M. (2024, November 4) Critical visual literacy in activism: Artist Keith Walsh’s political infographics - Illuminating social histories [Conference presentation]. 56th Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), Virtual. https://ivla.org/conference-2024/ Video: https://youtu.be/KEFNS7rjilg

Olson, M. (2024). Reading the pictures [review of the website, in Internet Resources]. Public Services Quarterly, 20(4), 306-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2024.2405704

Olson, M. (2024). Critical visual literacy in activism: Artist Violet Ray's counterimages. In J. Lee, L. Okan, F. Rodrigues, C. Huilcapi-Collantes, E. Corrigan, G. Chesner, & H. Han (Eds.), Ways of Seeing: The Book of Selected Readings 2024 (pp. 85-99). International Visual Literacy Association. https://doi.org/10.52917/ivlatbsr.2024.017 / Zine version

Olson, M. (2023, October 2-8) Critical visual literacy in activism - Counterimages: Radically repurposed visual culture in Violet Ray’s ‘Advertising the Contradictions’ [Conference presentation]. International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) Conference, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States. https://ivla.org/conference-2023/ / Slides

Kudos

published

Mike Olson, Murphy Library, authored the article "Classification as Colonization: The Hidden Politics of Library Catalogs" in "The Scholary Kitchen," published on Wednesday, March 26 by The Society for Scholarly Publishing. The article discusses how library classification systems can perpetuate colonial biases and power dynamics. It explores the ways in which these systems, often rooted in Western-centric perspectives, can marginalize non-Western knowledge and cultural expressions. The article argues for a critical examination and restructuring of library catalogs to promote inclusivity and equity in information organization.

Submitted on: Mar. 26

presented

Mike Olson, Murphy Library, presented "Critical Visual Literacy in Activism: Artist Keith Walsh's Political Infographics - Illuminating Social Histories" at 'Illuminating Perspectives,' the 56th Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) on Nov. 4 online. This presentation demonstrated the potential of critical visual literacy in activism through the powerful political infographics of Artist Keith Walsh, whose heavily researched, labor-intensive drawings invite the eye, making visible often obscured social and political histories while igniting critical visual engagement with socio-political issues. Drawing on the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education and the theoretical framework of Drucker's Graphesis, the presentation examined the critical choices made to create meaning in visual communications, illuminating the potential of critical visual literacy in activist art as a knowledge generator and learning machine, as well as a powerful catalyst for fostering political awareness and driving social change.

Submitted on: Nov. 11, 2024

published

Mike Olson, Murphy Library, authored the chapter "Critical Visual Literacy in Activism: Artist Violet Ray's Counterimages" in Ways of Seeing: The Book of Selected Readings 2024, published on July 7 by International Visual Literacy Association.

Submitted on: July 25, 2024

presented

Mike Olson, Murphy Library, presented "Critical Visual Literacy in Activism - Counterimages: Radically Repurposed Visual Culture in Violet Ray's 'Advertising the Contradictions'" at 'Ways of Seeing,' the 55th Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), hosted by the University of Illinois on Oct. 7 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Critical visual literacy is the ability to investigate the sociocultural contexts of visual texts to illuminate power relations (Kim & Serrano, 2017). Artist Violet Ray’s critical response to visual culture provides a potent example of how visual literacies can be activated to interpret, respond to, and act upon received cultural imagery. Taking cues from Berger's 'Ways of Seeing,' which considered powers' privileged manipulation of visual imagery as a tool of social and economic dominance, Ray’s photo collages of visual protest will be considered as counterimages uncovering latent meanings in their advertising and news photo source imagery through the messages decipherable in their juxtaposition. Viewed in relation to the The Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education, this paper presentation will examine the methods by which Violet Ray’s confrontational collages create a strong illustration of the pursuit of social justice through visual practice.

Submitted on: Oct. 11, 2023

Memberships & affiliations

[{"organization":"International Visual Literacy Association","position":"Member","url":"https://ivla.org/"},{"organization":"Progressive Librarians Guild","position":"Member","url":"http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/"},{"organization":"Zine Librarians","position":"Member","url":"https://www.zinelibraries.info/"},{"organization":"UAPUWL","position":"Executive Council Member at Large","url":"https://uapuwl.wi.aft.org/locals/welcome"}]