Rate My Professor Kristie Saumure

Kristie Saumure is the RMIP Administrator at the Centre for Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Otago. Originally from Canada, she previously resided in Wellington and has recently relocated to Ashburton to fulfill this role. Her career encompasses substantial experience in academic institutions and health research libraries. Before joining the University of Otago, she served as Senior Reference Librarian at the New Zealand Ministry of Health, providing critical library support for diverse health research initiatives. These contributions included assisting with literature reviews for studies on global seroprevalence of legionellosis, child protection training among clinicians, food and nutrition evidence reviews, and palliative care needs assessments. Her expertise facilitated access to key resources, enhancing the quality of public health scholarship.

Saumure earned her Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from the University of Alberta, where she engaged in doctoral studies at the School of Library and Information Studies and contributed to the Intercultural Communication Lab. Her research focuses on library and information studies, particularly qualitative research rigor, knowledge organization, and specialized information behaviors. Key publications include 'Knowledge organization trends in library and information studies: a preliminary comparison of the pre- and post-web eras' (2008, Journal of Information Science, with Ali Shiri), 'Digitally enhanced? An examination of the information behaviours of visually impaired postsecondary students' (with Lisa M. Given), and encyclopedia entries such as 'Rigor in Qualitative Research' and 'Data Saturation' in The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods (2008, with Lisa M. Given). She has also co-authored on topics like motivation in language learning across contexts. Through her work in health libraries, Saumure cultivated a keen interest in rural health, aligning seamlessly with her administrative role in the Rural Medical Immersion Programme, which immerses fifth-year medical students in rural clinical practice under mentorship.