GSLIS eUpdate: Volume 12, Number 5

Tuesday March 26 2013

GSLIS eUpdate

Volume 12, Number 5: March 2013

The GSLIS eUpdate, published every other month, summarizes current news, events, alumni and advancement highlights, and continuing professional development opportunities. Other publications that may be of interest to alumni and friends are listed on the GSLIS Publications web page.

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IN THIS ISSUE

1. GSLIS Spotlight
2. News Summary
3. Continuing Professional Development
4. Alumni and Advancement Highlights
5. Calendar of Events
6. Unsubscribe and/or contact us

Note: We enjoy receiving and sharing news about your career and life accomplishments. Please take the time to update your contact information and/or share a Class Note about your recent activities using our Alumni Update Form.

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1. GSLIS SPOTLIGHT

GSLIS ranked number one among LIS schools
U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings of graduate professional schools of library and information science. GSLIS has once again been selected as number one, a position held by the School since the publication first started ranking library and information studies programs. GSLIS also ranked highly in a number of specialty groups including first place in Services for Children and Youth; second place in Digital Librarianship; and placement in the top ten for Archives and Preservation, Health Librarianship, Information Systems, and School Library Media.

Interim Dean Allen Renear said, "We're very pleased that the GSLIS master's program remains once again at the top of the national rankings. This reflects not only the hard work of our faculty, staff, and students, but the support of our alumni, friends, and colleagues at other LIS schools as well."

The New York Times features Tilley's comic research
The New York Times recently covered Assistant Professor Carol Tilley's published research on Fredric Wertham, a psychiatrist and anti-comics critic whose 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent inspired federal hearings that undermined the comic book industry. Tilley's research is based on a review of Wertham's personal archives, which were made available to researchers in 2010. "My research is the first definitive indication that he misrepresented and altered children's own words about comics," said Tilley. She has emphasized the role of comics in improving early literacy, stating that "comics are just as sophisticated as other forms of literature, and children benefit from reading them at least as much as they do from reading other types of books."

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2. GSLIS NEWS SUMMARY

News stories recently featured on the GSLIS home page include:

GSLIS Social Media
For up-to-date news and announcements, you are invited to follow the GSLIS Twitter and “like” us on Facebook: Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Illinois.

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3. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) Courses

Elements of Technology Management
Dates: April 18 – May 23, 2013
Times: Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Asynchronous option available)
Instructor: Brenda Hough, Ph.D.
Cost: $300

Budget and Finance for the Library
Dates: September 3 – October 8, 2013
Times: Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Asynchronous option available)
Instructor: Robert Burger, Ph.D., CPA, Professor Emeritus University of Illinois Library
Cost: $300

For more information and to register, visit CPLA Program and Courses.

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4. ALUMNI AND ADVANCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Dean's Council
Are you a member of the Dean's Council at GSLIS? Would you like to know about important issues facing the School, get updates on student enrollment, faculty, new curriculum or innovative research? Participating in the Dean's Council meetings/conference call, held in the Spring and Fall annually, provides an opportunity to stay connected and contribute to the ongoing success of the School. Anyone who supports the school with a total gift of $1000 annually or who has made a bequest to GSLIS is invited to participate. We value and encourage your participation. If you are not currently a member we hope that you will consider becoming a regular member of the Dean's Council. For further details or information please contact Diana Stroud, Assistant Dean for Advancement and Alumni Affairs.

LSAA Call for Nominations
There is still time to nominate individuals for the LSAA Distinguished Alumnus Award, Leadership Award, and Distinguished Service Award. The awards will be presented in June at the LSAA Annual Meeting during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. For award criteria and more information, visit the LSAA Awards web page. Nominations will be accepted via email to GSLIS Advancement until April 1, 2013.

Do You Have Your GSLIS Tassel?
Students and alumni can make a contribution equivalent to their graduation year (2000-$20; 2013-$20.13) or more by clicking on LSAA Tassel Project. Get your yellow GSLIS tassel to wear at convocation!

GSLIS Convocation will take place on Sunday, May 12. The day not only marks the culmination of hard work and dedication, but it also prompts soon-to-be-graduates to reflect on those individuals who made a difference in their lives while a GSLIS student. Maybe it was a faculty member, administrator or advisor whom should be recognized for their professionalism and support. The LSAA Tassel Project, established in 2011 by the Library School Alumni Association (LSAA), provides a great opportunity to honor a GSLIS professional while also raising support for the School's first endowed professorship

2013 Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Summary
Thanks to the generosity of the Alpha Chapter of Beta Phi Mu, the Harold Ladd Smith Jr. and Flora Lancaster Smith Travel Fund, the Library School Alumni Association (LSAA) and many generous alumni (donors and hosts), 49 students participated in 2013 Alternative Spring Break (March 18-22). Students spent a week working on a variety of projects at such notable sites as Seattle Public Library, California Digital Library, Caterpillar Technical Information Center and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Alice Lohrer Award
Eunice Weech (MS'69) and Judith Haydel (MS'72) invite you to join them in keeping Alice Lohrer's legacy alive by contributing to the Alice Lohrer Award.

According to Weech and Haydel, "Alice was a driving force throughout our library careers. Many of you will remember her passion for school and children's librarianship which was evident in both her professional career and private life. Through lectures, field trips, stories, examples from her personal experiences and conversations, she instilled the ideals of service and dedication that carried us through many a budget crisis and other impediments to excellence."

To make your gift online visit our secure website, select "Awards" then "Alice Lohrer Award for Literature and Library Services for Youth" or mail a check payable to "University of Illinois Foundation" to GSLIS Advancement, 501 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820. Please indicate "GSLIS Alice Lohrer Award" in the Comments line to ensure your gift is recorded properly.

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5. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

All alumni are invited to attend receptions and other GSLIS events organized around a conference, regardless of their participation in conference activities. Please stop by and see us! We also encourage you to bring a potential MS or PhD student to meet our faculty and other alumni.

GSLIS Research Showcase 2013
March 29, 2013
12:00-5:00 p.m.
GSLIS East Foyer, Room 126 and Room 131
GSLIS faculty and PhD students will present short talks and posters highlighting their scholarly work at this annual event which is open to campus and the public.

Storytelling Festival
April 6, 2013
7:00-9:00 p.m.
126 LIS Building
Hosted by the Center for Children's Books (CCB)
Admission is $5 for the public and $3 for students with ID.
Open to the Public.

ACRL Conference/Reception
April 10-13, 2013
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
Visit GSLIS Booth #537
Stop by for the latest news and catch up with other alumni, students and faculty.

Reception:
April 11, 2013
6:00-8:00 p.m.
JW Marriott, Room 209, 10 South West Street
Indianapolis, IN
Alumni, faculty, students and prospective students are invited. Please RSVP to the GSLIS Advancement Office prior to April 5, 2013.

Windsor Lecture/Reception
April 17, 2013
4:00-6:00 p.m.
126 LIS Building
Reception to follow
Guest Speaker: Barbara Stripling, ALA president-elect, assistant professor of practice at Syracuse University, and former director of library services for NYC Public Schools.
Open to all.

eChicago Symposium 2013
April 26-27, 2013
Student Center
University of Illinois Chicago
Presentations include insider summaries of statewide BTOP broadband projects and exploration of local wiki websites as an action plan for putting broadband to work.
Open to the public.

Save the Dates

Medical Library Association Annual Meeting/Reception
May 3-8, 2013
John B. Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Please join GSLIS at the Alumni Reception
Details TBA

Convocation
May 12, 2013
1:30-3:00 p.m.
Smith Memorial Hall
Corinne Hall, Speaker

LAMP Summer Institute
May 30-June 2, 2013
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Co-hosted by University of Illinois Libraries and GSLIS
Visit LAMP website for more details.

GSLIS Corporate Roundtable
June 7, 2013
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Illini Center - Orange and Blue Room
200 South Wacker Drive, Chicago
Email Sharon Johnson, CRT Coordinator, for details.

Central Illinois GSLIS Grads (CIGG) Gathering in St. Louis
June 14, 2013
5:30-7:00 p.m.
Lionelle Elsesser (MS'67) will host the gathering.
Details TBA
Great opportunity to reconnect and network!

ALA Conference
June 27-July 2, 2013
Chicago, IL
Visit GSLIS at Booth #141

Reception/LSAA Awards Presentation
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Petterino’s Restaurant, 150 North Dearborn Street
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Alumni, faculty, students and prospective students are welcome to stop by.

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6. UNSUBSCRIBE AND/OR CONTACT US

This eUpdate is delivered to all GSLIS alumni with email addresses on record at the University of Illinois Alumni Association. If you do not wish to receive further issues, please contact us and ask to be removed from the email list. GSLIS will not release your email address or share any other personal identifying information.

Feel free to pass along the eUpdate to your friends and fellow GSLIS alumni and invite them to subscribe to receive the eUpdate directly! If someone has forwarded this message to you and you would like to subscribe, please email us.

We always are interested in learning about your career and life accomplishments. To submit items, please complete and email our Alumni Update Form.

The GSLIS website is an important resource for job seekers and employers alike, Visit our Careers page to post a job, explore mentorship opportunities, and learn how to host students for practica, internships, and/or Alternative Spring Break.

To support GSLIS, please visit our confidential and secure giving site.

Have a comment about one of the stories you’ve read here? Have news that you think should be included in an upcoming issue? Contact us.