BIOGRAPHY
Lisa holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.L.S. from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in Literature and Criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She began her career as a reference librarian at Juniata College and at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. In 1994, she accepted a post at the United States Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) as Supervisory Librarian, and she was promoted to Analytical Research Unit Supervisor. In 1997 she wrote the article, with her colleague David J. Bonski, Do Digital Libraries Need Librarians: An Experiential Dialog. This article became a seminal work on Digital Libraries, translated into several languages, used on graduate school reading lists across the country, and used by the Library of Congress at the Center for the Book. Returning to higher education, she became Director of the Library at Mount Aloysius College. In 2003, Lisa went to work for Libraries for the Future, a national non-profit based in Manhattan, with a 3 year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to train public librarians on current technology. Lisa served under this grant as the Pennsylvania State EqualAccess Program Coordinator. In 2010, Lisa published Re-Presentations of Dante Gabriel Rossetti: Portrayals in Fiction, Drama, Music and Film. Amherst, N.Y.: Cambria Press. Finally, Lisa was Academic Advising Coordinator and Humanities Instructor at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
From 2011-2023, Lisa was a board member of the Peer Empowerment Network (PEN). PEN provides services and community to people with mental illnesses. She is also past president of the Johnstown Art League. She loves to read and travel with her husband Robert. She is an avid gardener. She also enjoys playing the guitar. Lisa completed a Certificate in Art History through the Smithsonian Associates in 2023. In 2020, Lisa was elected by the congregation of Christ Lutheran Church to serve on the Church Council from January 2021 to December 2024. She has been a regular contributor to The Review of the Pre-Raphaelite Society beginning in 2008 ending in 2024, and started writing for the Johnstown Magazine in January 2021. Lisa lives with her husband, Robert W. Matson in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Writing has always been important to Lisa. In 7th grade, her poem “Sunset” was selected in Miss Zelnack’s English Class for honor. “Writing is a way to share your observations about the world, and reading is a way to learn about experiences you may never have directly.” Stay tuned!