Rate My Professor Katia Karadjova

Katia Karadjova serves as Associate Dean for Research and Assessment and Professor in the University Libraries at Georgia Southern University. She earned her Ph.D. from the Institute for Foreign Languages, Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1997, and her M.S. from San Jose State University in 2011. In her role, Karadjova oversees research initiatives, scholarly communications, and assessment efforts within the libraries. She has been instrumental in expanding library-led educational programs, including the launch of an Information Studies concentration within the Bachelor’s Degree of Interdisciplinary Studies. This concentration features courses such as INFO 2530: Introduction to Metaliteracy Skills, INFO 3130: AI & Society, INFO 3530: Data Literacy, INFO 4530: Intellectual Property & Information Rights, and INFO 2300: Introduction to Digital Humanities, positioning the libraries as key contributors to interdisciplinary education.

Karadjova's academic interests center on mindfulness practices, contemplative pedagogy, and their integration into higher education to enhance student attention, emotional balance, creativity, and academic performance. She introduced the Brain Booth Initiative to Georgia Southern University Libraries in fall 2021, adapting it from its origins at Humboldt State University. Located in Henderson Library (2nd floor) and Lane Library (1st floor), the Brain Booth offers hands-on activities including biofeedback stations, virtual reality immersion, full-body massage chairs, light therapy, sound machines, pedal study desks, puzzles, games, coloring, and gratitude logs to foster mind-body connections and stress reduction, attracting over 5,000 visits per year. Her key presentations include the Robert I. Strozier Faculty Lecture Series talk, “Mindfulness & Contemplative Pedagogy in the Higher Education Classroom,” on February 10, 2023; co-presentation of “Mindfulness Practices in University and High School Settings: A Systematic Literature Review” at EDULEARN23 in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, in July 2023; and the panel “Beyond Traditional Services: University Libraries Launch an Information Studies Concentration” at the Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy on February 6, 2026. Karadjova has also explored mindfulness and technology synergies and facilitated the GS Authors Lounge.