Paris Whalon

Paris Whalon is the Student Success Librarian for Media Literacy and the subject librarian for the College of Architecture and Design (CoAD) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). In her role as subject librarian, she manages the CoAD collection and ensures library resources align with the research and creative needs of architecture, landscape, and interior design students and faculty. She also provides tailored instruction and research support to CoAD, helping students engage critically with visual and media sources in their disciplines.

Her media literacy work intersects with this role, as she teaches students how to create and evaluate media responsibly, using the university’s tools and software to support equitable access to content creation resources. Through consultations, workshops, and classroom instruction, Paris empowers students across UTK to think critically about the media they consume and produce, particularly in creative and design-focused contexts. She also contributes to the university’s VR and outreach initiatives, using immersive technologies to support educational engagement and foster responsible digital practices in academic work. Her research explores the integration of media literacy into subject-specific instruction and the role of libraries in supporting accessible and  ethical content creation in design education.