Carolyn Gamtso has been instrumental in bringing information literacy into the classroom since joining the UNH Manchester faculty in 2000. As head of reference and instruction at the college’s library, she works closely with fellow faculty members to design interactive, experiential student workshops.
Gamtso is interested in creative information literacy initiatives, and she enjoys connecting students to the wealth of resources available to them. She collaborates with UNH Manchester’s Center for Academic Enrichment (CAE) to train writing tutors in information literacy skills and helps to oversee the college’s Research Mentor Program.
Gamtso’s research interests include faculty/librarian classroom collaborations, peer tutoring in the library, critical pedagogy, and information literacy instruction in online environments. She has shared her scholarship in the area of library instruction at local, regional, national, and international conferences, and she has co-authored several articles and book chapters that discuss information literacy projects and practices.
Gamtso is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Education at Plymouth State University. She earned an M.A. in English from Indiana University, a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Rhode Island, and a B.A. in English from the College of the Holy Cross.
What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy helping students with their research projects. I always learn something new: our students are amazing teachers!
What is your favorite UNH Manchester memory?
Working with UNH Manchester’s wonderful Research Mentors, CAE tutors who help students with library research and writing. These mentors bring incredible talent and insight to their work with their peers.
Tell us your favorite:
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Manchester restaurant: Café Momo (Nepalese cuisine)
- New Hampshire destinations: Willard Pond in Antrim, the Wapack Trail, and the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains
- Book: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Movie: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- Childhood book: The Prydain Chronicles series by Lloyd Alexander
- Childhood TV show: Underdog
What are your hobbies?
Hiking, reading, watching movies, going to the theater, watching my son’s soccer games, walking my dog Zuma, and spending time with my family.
Best vacation ever?
The post-wedding trip I took with my husband Darjee in the Ladakh region of northern India, including a jeep ride across the Leh-Manali Highway in the Himalayas. I also loved visiting Ireland a few years later with Darjee and our son Tenzin.
We’d be surprised to know that...
I met my husband Darjee while I was teaching English to Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, India, the home of the Dalai Lama and the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. We named our son, Tenzin, after the Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso).
Which 3 famous people, living or dead, would you want at your fantasy dinner party?
Eddie Izzard, Joe Strummer, and Oscar Wilde.
As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?
A children’s book writer.
