SLA honors alum with Engineering Librarian of the Year award

James Blank (MS '97) is the recipient the of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Engineering Librarian of the Year Award. The Engineering Librarian of the Year, sponsored by IHS, highlights the accomplishments and contributions of SLA Engineering Division members to the engineering librarian profession.

Blank is a technical knowledge specialist in the engineering library at Caterpillar Inc. Since joining Caterpillar in 2000, his responsibilities have included many library functions, such as cataloging, acquisitions, collection development, and website administration. He currently has responsibility for performing in-depth research, administering access to industry standards, and serving as a knowledge management steward, among other duties.

IHS will present Blank with the award and a $1500 check during the Engineering Division Luncheon & Business Meeting, held Monday July 16, 2012 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

SLA was founded in 1909 and is an international association of nearly 9,000 information professionals working in corporate, academic, government or non-profit organizations and institutions.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Library Trends “Cultural Heritage and Digital Scholarship in China: Part I” now available

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 71 (3), edited by Lian J. Ruan and Shengping Xia. "Cultural Heritage and Digital Scholarship in China: Part I," explores the rich, diverse, and long history of China's cultural heritage and the innovative digital scholarship that is currently being utilized to study it. 

Dombrowski to deliver the 2024 Windsor Lecture

Quinn Dombrowski, academic technology specialist in the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, and in the Library, at Stanford University, will deliver the 2024 Windsor Lecture on Wednesday, May 1, at 5:00 p.m. in Room 126, 501 E. Daniel Street, and online via Zoom. 

Quinn Dombrowski

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Ted Farias

Seventeen iSchool master’s students have been named 2023-2024 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. This "Spectrum Scholar Spotlight" series highlights the School's scholars. MSLIS student Ted Farias earned his BA in psychology from California State University of Long Beach.

Ted Farias

Get to know Shubham Kumar, Senior Product Designer

In his role as a senior product designer for the Healthy Regions & Policies Lab, Shubham Kumar (MSIM '23) uses design to break down complex concepts, visualize information in meaningful ways, and ultimately encourage broader engagement in discussions about health and society. 

Shubham Kumar

Elsessers donate $1M to the iSchool in support of faculty and school librarianship

Thanks to a new $1-million gift from Lionelle (BA English '66, MSLIS '67) and James (BS Business '66, MS Business '67) Elsesser, the iSchool will be better able to attract and retain outstanding faculty and educate future school librarians. Their latest donation will be directed to the iSchool Alumni Association Endowed Professorship Fund, Leigh Estabrook Faculty Development Fund, and Public School Licensure Program Fund.

James and Lionelle Elsesser