Literacy, belonging, and the spaces that shape young readers
My research explores how literacy practices, library spaces, and community partnerships shape young people’s experiences of reading, knowledge, and belonging. I am particularly interested in youth-centered approaches that challenge deficit narratives and instead foreground student agency, community expertise, and participatory knowledge production.
My work sits at the intersection of youth literacy, school libraries, and community-engaged research, asking how literacy infrastructures can support more equitable and meaningful learning environments.
Research Areas
SingYouth Literacy & Reading Identityle
I study how young people develop relationships with reading through everyday practices, peer networks, and shared literacy spaces. This work explores how reading identity forms both inside and beyond formal educational environments.
School Libraries & Educational Equity
My research examines school libraries as critical infrastructures that shape access to knowledge, belonging, and intellectual agency. I am interested in how libraries can function as spaces that expand opportunity and support youth voice.
Community-Engaged & Participatory Research
I work with approaches that position students and communities as collaborators in research and knowledge-making. These methods prioritize ethical partnerships, shared decision-making, and locally grounded expertise.
Current Research
Youth Literacy, Agency, and School Library Spaces
My current research examines how youth-led literacy initiatives and school library environments influence reading identity, student agency, and experiences of belonging.
Practice-Based Research
Alongside my academic work, I study and develop literacy initiatives through Project XXI, a nonprofit focused on youth-led book clubs and collaborative school library partnerships in South Africa. This work allows me to explore how participatory literacy models operate in practice and how student leadership can sustain reading cultures across school communities.
Publications & Writing
- Jamieson, V. — Chapter in Radical School Librarianship
- Additional publications and research outputs forthcoming.