Janet Brennan Croft
{{short description|American author, editor, and Tolkien expert}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox academic
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1961}}
| death_date =
| education = Indiana University
| main_interests = copyright, J. R. R. Tolkien
}}
Janet Brennan Croft (born 1961){{cite web|url=https://cgi.marquiswhoswho.com/OnDemand/Default.aspx?last_name=Croft&first_name=Janet |title=Marquis Who's Who on Demand|work=Marquis Who's Who |access-date=28 July 2012}} is an American librarian and Tolkien scholar, known for her authored and edited books and journals on J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy. She won a Mythopoeic Award in 2005.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mythsoc.org/awards/awards-scholarship.htm|title=The Mythopoeic Society: Mythopoeic Scholarship Award Finalists|publisher=Mythopoeic Society|access-date=1 August 2022}}
Academic career
Croft earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Classical Civilization (double major) from Indiana University in 1982 and graduated as a Master of Library Science in 1983 at the Indiana University School of Library and Information. She has worked at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and has been director and associate professor at Warden Memorial Library, Martin Methodist College. She became the Head of Access Services at Bizzell Memorial Library, University of Oklahoma, in 2001 and was given associate professorship in 2007.{{cite web|url=http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/C/Janet.B.Croft-1/curriculumvita.html |title=Janet Brennan Croft (biography) |publisher=University of Oklahoma |access-date=28 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205062056/http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/C/Janet.B.Croft-1/curriculumvita.html |archive-date= 5 February 2012 }} In September 2014, she started as Head, Access and Delivery Services at Rutgers University Libraries.{{cite web |title=Minutes of July 23, 2014 Meeting, Circulation and Public Services Group, Access Services |url=http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/groups/circ-pub-serv_group/minutes/circ_group_14-07-23.shtml |website=Rutgers University Libraries |access-date=15 September 2014}} and as of 1 July 2018, her title changed to Liaison to the School of Communication and Information and Librarian for Copyright and Disability Services. In August 2020, she became Associate University Librarian for Content Discovery at the University of Northern Iowa.{{cite web |url=https://library.uni.edu/about-us/staff-directory/janet-brennan-croft |title=Janet Brennan Croft |website=Rod Library @ UNI}} Her research interests focus on copyright laws concerning libraries and the work of J. R. R. Tolkien and other fantasy authors. This includes several academic lectures on Tolkien that she has held at University of Oklahoma.{{cite web|url=http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/C/Janet.B.Croft-1/ |title=Janet Brennan Croft, Research Interests |publisher=University of Oklahoma |access-date=28 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305201741/http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/C/Janet.B.Croft-1/ |archive-date= 5 March 2012 }}
Since 2006, she has been the editor of Mythlore, a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Mythopoeic Society.{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7LGmdAPdwDgC&q=Janet+Brennan+Croft&pg=PA68 |title=Die aktuelle Tolkienforschung im Überblick: Personen – Organisationen – Verlage – Werke |trans-title=A Survey of Research on Tolkien: People – Organisations – Publishers – Works |language=de |first1=Frank |last1=Weinreich |first2=Thomas |last2=Honegger |pages=63–89 |journal=Zeitschrift für Fantastikforschung |year=2011 |issue=2 |isbn=9783643998880 }} Among general publications on mythology and fantasy, it focuses on the three most prominent members of the Inklings: J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. She is credited as "Tolkien Scholar" in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Selected publications
= On library science =
- {{cite book |last=Croft |first=Janet Brennan |title=Legal Solutions in Electronic Reserves and the Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan |year=2004 |publisher=Haworth Information Press |isbn=0-7890-2558-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/legalsolutionsin0000crof |ref=none}} The book has been reviewed as valuable guide for academic libraries.{{cite journal|first=David |last=McCaslin |title=Legal Solutions in Electronic Reserves and the Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan (review) |journal=Library Student Journal |year=2007 |issue=February |url=http://www.librarystudentjournal.org/index.php/lsj/article/view/40/48 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214024956/http://www.librarystudentjournal.org/index.php/lsj/article/view/40/48 |archive-date=14 December 2007 |ref=none}}
- {{cite book |last=Croft |first=Janet Brennan |author-mask=1 | title=Licensing in Libraries: Practical And Ethical Aspects |editor-first=Karen |editor-last=Rupp-Serrano |chapter=Interlibrary Loan and Licensing: Tools for Proactive Contract Management |pages=41–53 |publisher=Haworth Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0789028792 |ref=none}}
= On Tolkien =
- {{cite book |last=Croft |first=Janet Brennan |title=War and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-0313325922 |ref=none}} In this book, Croft draws parallels between Tolkien's traumatic experiences as a soldier in World War I and the events and characters of his legendarium.{{cite journal |last=Garth |first=John |author-link=John Garth (author) |title=War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien (review) |journal=Tolkien Studies |year=2006 |volume=3 |pages=234–238 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/tolkien_studies/v003/3.1garth02.html |doi=10.1353/tks.2006.0020|s2cid=170304532 |url-access=subscription }}
- {{cite book |editor-last=Croft |editor-first=Janet Brennan |editor-mask=1 |title=Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings |title-link=Tolkien on Film |publisher=Mythopoeic Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-1887726092 |ref=none}} In a 2006 review, film theorist Kristin Thompson was critical of the undertaking of film studies by literary researchers and the frequent denigration of Jackson's work in the collected essays.{{cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Kristin |author-link=Kristin Thompson |title=Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings' (review) |journal=Tolkien Studies |year=2006 |volume=3 |pages=222–228 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/tolkien_studies/v003/3.1thompson.html |doi=10.1353/tks.2006.0035 |s2cid=170135592 |url-access=subscription }}
- {{cite book |editor-last=Croft |editor-first=Janet Brennan |editor-mask=1 |title=Tolkien and Shakespeare: Essays on Shared Themes and Language |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2006 |isbn=978-0786428274 |ref=none}}
- {{cite book |last=Croft |first=Janet Brennan |author-mask=1 |chapter=Three Rings for Hollywood: Scripts for The Lord of the Rings |title=Fantasy Fiction into Film |pages=21–35 |editor1-first=Leslie |editor1-last=Stratyner |editor2-first=James R. |editor2-last=Keller |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2007 |isbn=9780786430574 |ref=none}} An essay on the various pre-Peter Jackson scripts for The Lord of the Rings.{{cite book |title=Fantasy Film: A Critical Introduction |first=James |last=Walters |page=135 |publisher=Berg Publishers |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84788-308-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5G7LAyrpH4IC&q=Janet+Brennan+Croft&pg=PA135}}
- {{cite book |editor-last=Croft |editor-first=Janet Brennan |editor1-mask=1 |editor2-last=Donovan |editor2-first=Leslie A. |title=Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J. R. R. Tolkien |publisher=Mythopoeic Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-887726-01-6 |ref=none}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{J. R. R. Tolkien}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croft, Jannet Brennan}}
Category:American legal writers