About
John T. F. Burgess’s work bridges library and information science, applied ethics, and sustainability studies with focuses on moral reasoning and building more just and resilient communities. Holding the degrees PhD, STM, MTS, and MLIS, Dr. Burgess researches information and sustainability ethics and how these frameworks can guide LIS professionals in shaping equitable, sustainable futures.
His scholarship explores the importance prioritizing interstitial human dignity and the right to flourish as ethical first principles in information practice and how these can better prepare LIS professionals support the public good, ensuring that communities are not only informed and educated, but also materially and socially resilient to economic and environmental hardships.
Dr. Burgess is also an affiliate researcher with the University of Alabama Water Institute’s CONSERVE Research Group, reflecting his interdisciplinary engagement with sustainability and resource-focused initiatives.
Impact Beyond the University
Through his affiliation with the CONSERVE Research Group, Dr. Burgess contributes to broader conversations about sustainability, water resources, and ethics-driven community engagement. His work extends the reach of LIS ethics into interdisciplinary spaces. Dr. Burgess co-edited the book Foundations of Information Ethics, widely used in LIS information ethics classrooms, which serves as a primer to moral reasoning for information professionals, helping them develop mature relationships with professional ethics, improving effective decision making in ethical crises and dilemmas, while working to mitigate occupational burnout.
A Commitment to Ethics, Information Literacy, and LIS Education
At the School of Library and Information Studies, Dr. Burgess teaches courses in information literacy, information ethics and policy, and academic libraries, as well as all courses in the MLIS Core curriculum. Dr. Burgess enjoys working with doctoral students in areas of information theory, ethics, policy, and information literacy, particularly those interested in using humanistic, constructivist, and philosophical research methodologies.
In addition to his teaching, he serves administratively as the SLIS Teaching Excellence Coordinator, supporting the pedagogical development of graduate students and the classroom support needs adjunct instructors. Through research, instruction, and leadership, Dr. Burgess prepares future information professionals to engage thoughtfully with ethics, sustainability, and community-centered practice.