James R. AhernMA, MLIS, CAS, Ed.D. candidateLibrarian/Archivist & Cultural Heritage ExpertProfessional Librarian/Archivist, Cultural Heritage Expert, & EducatorCertified Public Librarian (Ohio Library Council, lifetime membership) · Certificated Paralegal (ABA & OSBA)
Independent Legal and Historical Research & Consultation.Cultural Heritage Preservation & Stewardship. CiviC Education
This website is under construction.
Applied History, Professional Librarianship, Archival Practice, Cultural Heritage Expertise, & Educational Leadership
Welcome to jrahern.net. I am the sole proprietor of a small consultancy business firmly rooted in the library, archives, & museums (LAMs) tradition, with a focus on cultural heritage preservation, digital stewardship, educational outreach services, and independent legal and historical research for private, corporate, and governmental agency clients.
“As guardians of so much of the physical record of the past, libraries have special obligations and opportunities to preserve and protect our cultural heritage. . . , we all share a common responsibility to preserve the breadth and depth of the human record. . . . Measures must be taken to ensure that this record is preserved and transmitted from generation to generation. To achieve anything less diminishes the record we pass on to our children.”
Billington, James H. [13th Librarian of Congress]. "Preface." In To Preserve and Protect: The Strategic Stewardship of Cultural Resources. Library of Congress, 2002.
Passion and Motivation for the LAM profession.
More about meEducational Praxis and Discipline Proficiency
A proven set of specialized skills and demonstrated experience in several academic disciplines within the humanities and information science, developed and improved over three decades of practice.
Academic & Public Librarianship
Certified as a professional librarian in three states; registered as an educator(Commonwealths of Virginia & Massachusetts, Ohio, and Maryland)U.S. Army Library Program, U.S. Army Central CommandU.S. Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command (NHHC)The University of Akron, University Libraries, Bierce Library(doctoral capstone-phase applied research report)
Two Certificates of Advanced Study (CAS)
(1) Archives & Records Administration; (2) Digital Stewardship (cultural heritage informatics)
Master's Degree in History
History of U.S.A., History of Europe since 1789, East Asia
Foreign Language Education/Training: Japanese
The University of Akron and the Japanese Language Institute of Sapporo
Executive Education
Completion of seven executive-education programs at the Harvard University and the Case Western Reserve University campuses
Legal Professional
ABA-approved Paralegal Studies program with High HonorsU.S. Department of the Treasury/IRS Supervisory ParalegalU.S. Army, Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps Legal SpecialistContinuing Legal Education (CLE) is officially documented within the jurisdictionof the Ohio Supreme Court through the ABA or OSBA.
Doctoral Degree (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership
(Anticipated conferral in December 2026)Liberty University, School of Education(Institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges [SACSCOC])
U.S. Military Service/Veteran
U.S. Regular Army (Retired) with over 36 years of honorable uniformed service
U.S. National Security and Strategic Studies Experience
U.S. Naval War College (resident), M.A. in National Security & Strategic Studies, Newport, RI, 2015; Joint Professional Military Education (JPME), Phase II certificate of completion
Owner/Administrator of an approved Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 501(c)(3) non-profit organization officially registered in Ohio
The Ohio Pioneers Cultural Heritage Institute of Connecticut's Western Reserve (OPCHI-CWR) is an approved IRC 509(a)(2) public charity
Professional Projects and Leadership
With over two decades of experience in academic & public librarianship, archival practice, digital stewardship, and cultural heritage education, preservation, & management, I bring a unique perspective to LAM projects, organizational workflows, and institutional policies focused on information services in the digital age.
Eccles Library Services Desk, U.S. Naval War College — March 2025
Henry E. Eccles Library Display, U.S. Naval War College — March 2025
Eccles Library Staff, U.S. Naval War College — March 2025
Eccles Library Staff, U.S. Naval War College — March 2025
Scholarship
Since the Library Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia certified my LIS credentials in June 2012, I have been practicing public & academic librarianship. Since then, certification boards/offices in Massachusetts and Ohio have granted permission for me to practice as a professional public librarian. An array of my completed LIS projects and scholarship is provided here.
Tested Military & Academic Leader
I served our nation for over 36 consecutive years as a soldier in the U.S. Army, which resulted in numerous recognitions and awards for distinguished, meritorious, and honorable service up to Three-Star headquarters level, staff duty in the Pentagon, and Battalion Command. Upon retirement from the Army, I applied my civilian academic and military leadership skill set to service in the U.S. Navy as a supervisory archivist with a Top Secret security clearance and within the Department of the Treasury, IRS bureau as a supervisory paralegal.
Civic-Education Activity
Practicing librarianship, working as an educator, or performing managerial duties for a school district or an educational institution as an employee does not mean your practice and expertise are restricted to the facilities of your employer. Americans fervently believed in the societal power of volunteer work, the willingness to devote one's time, energy, and wisdom toward the improvement of our regions, communities, and neighborhoods. Civic education is much more than governmental guidance about what is historically important or legally relevant. My lifetime membership in the Ohio Library Council and my memberships in the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) enable me to support non-profit organizations that engage in civic education for veterans, students, and the citizenry.
Let's work together on your next LAM or research project.
If you have a LAM project that deserves careful, meticulous attention and you aim to achieve high-quality results, I'd be glad to hear about it.
Send me a message.