Template:Featured/Brenda Dervin
Brenda Louise Dervin was born in November 20, 1938 in Beverly, MA. She received her BS degree in journalism and home economics and with a minor in philosophy of religion at Cornell University in 1960, then MA and Ph.D. degrees in communication research from Michigan State University in 1971.
She started her career as a public relations assistant for the American Home Economics Association, 1961 to 1962, then worked as a communication specialist at the Center for customer affairs at the University of Wisconsin from 1963 to 1965. During 1966-1967 she was a teaching assistant for the Department of Business Law and Office Administration at Michigan State University. She eventually became a research associate for the Department of Communications, 1966-1970.
Her appointment at the School of Library and Information Sciences at Syracuse University in 1970 began her lifelong interest in library and information sciences before she moved on to the School of Communication at the University of Washington in 1977. Conversations with Richard Carter helped her to develop what has come to be known as Sense-Making Theory and Methodology. In 1986, she moved to Ohio State University where she chaired the Department of Communication before returning to research and teaching.