Class Notes

graduates in cap and gown

Find out what's happening in the lives of your friends from days gone by. Publications, awards, marriages, retirements, moves, promotions, birth announcements—you're sure to come across news from someone you remember.

While you're here, don't forget to submit a class note and let old friends know what you've been up to. Don't be a stranger—we'd love to hear from you!

Alumni Class Notes will remain posted online for at least six months, and will be published in the next possible issue of the iSchool magazine, Intersections.

We're proud of the accomplishments of our alumni and their contributions to the field and their communities!

2020

  • Fink, Kaitlin (Class of 2022) 1 month 1 day ago

    Kaitlin Fink (MSLIS '22) has accepted a job as LRC coordinator for JB Nelson School in Batavia, Illinois. She is excited to move from a classroom to a library setting.

  • Halka, Pim (Class of 2020) 4 months 19 days ago

    Pim Halka (MSLIS '20) has a new role as the supervising reference librarian with Jefferson-Madison Regional Library in Charlottesville, Virginia. "I look forward to building the community engagement program at JMRL with skills I learned at the iSchool," Halka said.

  • Hayes, Cordiah (Class of 2022) 21 days 11 hours ago

    Cordiah Hayes (MSLIS '22) has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Beta Phi Mu Distinguished Member Award.

  • Hutton, Dyamond (Class of 2021) 3 months 9 days ago

    Dyamond Hutton (MSLIS '21) has started a new job as a knowledge and research service coordinator at Mendelson P.C.

  • Kannenberg, Gene (Class of 2023) 1 month 9 days ago

    In March, Gene Kannenberg, Jr. (MSLIS '23) published Here Comes Charlie Brown! A Peanuts Pop-Up (Abrams ComicArts). He created the book using paper-engineering techniques he learned in Bookbinding: History, Principles, Practice (IS 590) with Adjunct Lecturer Andrew Huot.

  • Kanter, Jane (Class of 2020) 2 months 25 days ago

    Jane Kanter (MSLIS '20) is featured in the Library Journal article, "Among the Stars: The Adler Planetarium Collection | Archives Deep Dive." 

  • López, Eileen (Class of 2020) 5 months 28 days ago

    Eileen M. López (MSLIS '20) has transitioned from leading UX research to community college librarianship. In her current position as an adjunct faculty librarian for the City Colleges of Chicago, she embraces technology and ignites discovery, shaping the futures of adult and English-language learners in a dynamic learning environment.

  • Smith, Jessica (Class of 2023) 5 months 6 hours ago

    Jessica Smith (MSLIS '23) was featured in The News-Gazette article, " Meet the Champaign County Forest Preserve District's new collections coordinator."

  • Ternes, Erika (Class of 2024) 18 days 6 hours ago

    Erika Ternes (MSLIS '24) continues to serve her "tiny but mighty" rural library in youth services. She enjoys the variety of small library work, from conducting story time and editing MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) records to redesigning cash handling procedures and hula hooping on the library lawn.

2010

  • Anantachai, Tarida (Class of 2011) 2 months 23 days ago

    Tarida Anantachai (MSLIS '11) was selected as a 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker in the Change Agent category.

  • Baker, Mary (Class of 2016) 1 month 9 days ago

    Mary Baker (MSLIS '16) has been accepted to the 2024 Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellowship Program. CELI partners with experts from universities, companies, and organizations to offer energy education and leadership development opportunities.

  • Coats, Anna (Class of 2011) 3 months 23 days ago

    Anna Coats (MSLIS '11) has been elected to the ALA APALA (Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association) leadership board.

  • Collie, Aaron (Class of 2010) 2 months 11 days ago

    Aaron Collie (MSLIS '10) recently started a new position as assistant director of research data security at Princeton University.

  • Houchens, Chris (Class of 2016) 1 month 27 days ago

    Chris Houchens (MSLIS '16) has been elected as a director-at-large of the 2024 Illinois Library Association (ILA) Executive Board.

  • Lansdown, Kristin (Class of 2019) 1 month 9 days ago

    Kristin Lansdown (MSLIS '19) has received the 2024 Core Career LIFT Award, sponsored by OCLC and Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

  • McGrory, Amanda (Class of 2018) 5 months 13 days ago

    Amanda McGrory (MSLIS '18), archivist and collections curator for the U.S. Olympic and Parlympic Committee, is featured in the American Libraries podcast, "The Wide World of Librarians in Sports." 

  • Mody, Nisha (Class of 2017) 4 months 14 days ago

    Nisha Mody (MSLIS '17) has created a course called Trauma-Informed and Relational Care for Libraries.

  • Newport, Joshua (Class of 2013) 1 month 27 days ago

    Joshua Newport (MSLIS '13) has been elected as vice president/president-elect of the 2024 Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries (IACRL) Executive Board.

  • Quiballo, Ted (Class of 2017) 5 months 17 days ago

    Ted Quiballo (MSLIS '17) was featured in the Evanston RoundTable on February 2, 2024.

  • Remington, Conrad (Class of 2017) 4 months 15 days ago

    Conrad Remington (MSLIS '17) married Greg Remington (née Alvarez) on February 29, 2024.

  • Savage, Devin (Class of 2011) 5 months 17 days ago

    Devin Savage (MSLIS '11) has been nominated to stand for election for Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) vice-president/president-elect in March 2024.

  • Sheets, Laura (Class of 2012) 1 day 2 hours ago

    Laura A. Sheets (MSLIS '12) has been selected to guest-edit a special issue of Advances in Online Education: A Peer-Reviewed Journal. The special issue, which will be published in fall 2024, will focus on librarian collaboration with faculty in the development and delivery of online education.

  • Stark, Nicholas (Class of 2011) 3 months 3 days ago

    In 2023, Nicholas Stark (MSLIS '11) was promoted to branch chief of research services at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel Library in Washington, D.C.

  • Tang, Lydia (Class of 2015) 1 month 6 days ago

    Lydia Tang (MSLIS '15) delivered a keynote on the intersection of archives and accessibility for the COSA SERI STEER Unconference and Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting. She was also promoted to senior outreach and engagement coordinator, a position in which she continues to provide leadership for hosted ArchivesSpace and advance accessibility at Lyrasis.

  • Tipton, Kim (Class of 2018) 4 months 11 days ago

    Kim Tipton (MSLIS '18), reference librarian at the McHenry County College Library, was featured in the Illinois Library Association's Member Spotlight for the week of March 11, 2024. 

  • Trammell, Anna (Class of 2015) 1 day 2 hours ago

    Anna Trammell (MSLIS '15) recently started a new position as Community Archiving Program Manager at Internet Archive.

  • Ward, Steven (Class of 2015) 4 months 28 days ago

    Steven Ward (MSLIS '15) has started a new "dream job" as reference librarian for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

2000

  • Edwards, Eric (Class of 2006) 4 months 28 days ago

    Eric Edwards (MSLIS '06), interlibrary loan librarian at the Illinois State Library, was the Illinois Secretary of State Employee of the Month for March 2023. The Secretary of State’s Office has approximately 4,000 employees across 21 departments, one of which is the State Library.

  • Edwards, Wendy (Class of 2009) 1 month 19 days ago

    Wendy Edwards (MSLIS '09) placed in the top ten of an international contest sponsored by Target and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) and won a scholarship to the WiCyS 2024 Annual Conference in Nashville.

  • Eynon, Diana (Class of 2004) 5 months 20 days ago

    Diana Eynon (MSLIS '04) began her new role as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in January 2024. She is the languages cataloging coordinator in the Acquisitions & Cataloging Services unit of the University Library.

  • Finnell, Joshua (Class of 2007) 1 day 2 hours ago

    Joshua Finnell (MSLIS '07) was recently appointed as the Associate University Librarian and Director of Research & Scholarly Initiates at Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology at Colgate University.

  • Fox, Elizabeth (Class of 2008) 1 month 28 days ago

    Elizabeth Fox (MSLIS '08) earned her Doctor of Health Sciences degree in 2022. In 2024, she published a book chapter, "The Role of the Hospital Librarian in Supporting Health Literacy," in Health Literacy and Libraries, edited by E. Vardell and D. Charbonneau.

  • Gregory, Leah (Class of 2004) 2 months 11 days ago

    Leah Gregory (MSLIS '04) has been elected to the Board of Trustees for the Association of Illinois School Library Educators.

  • Mayhood, Erin (Class of 2002) 4 months 28 days ago

    Erin Mayhood (MSLIS '02) has been appointed as chief executive officer of Mentor Collective.

  • Staley, Lissa (Class of 2001) 2 months 23 days ago

    Lissa Staley (MSLIS '01) was selected as a 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker in the Community Builders category.

1990

  • Bronshteyn, Karen (Kay) (Class of 1996) 1 month 16 days ago

    Karen (Kay) Bronshteyn (MSLIS '96) recently started a new position as director of the Preus Library at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

  • Glatt, Michelle (Class of 1993) 1 month 27 days ago

    Michelle Glatt (MSLIS '93) has been elected as a director-at-large of the 2024 Illinois Library Association (ILA) Executive Board.

  • Kahl, Chad (Class of 1998) 1 day 2 hours ago

    Chad Kahl (MSLIS '98) moved into the Data and Social Sciences position at Illinois State University's Milner Library on July 1. He has worked at Milner Library since 2003.

1980

  • Leibiger, Carol (Class of 1985) 4 months 19 days ago

    Carol Leibiger (MSLIS '85) has been promoted to professor in the University Libraries at the University of South Dakota.

  • Riley, Ruth (Class of 1985) 1 month 21 days ago

    Ruth Riley (MSLIS '85) retired from her position as assistant dean for executive affairs and director of library services for the Charles S. and Donna H. Bryan School of Medicine Library at the University of South Carolina.

  • Riley, Ruth A. (Class of 1985) 1 day 2 hours ago

    Ruth A. Riley (MSLIS '85) retired on June 3, 2024 and relocated to Concordia, Kansas.

  • Zabel, Diane (Class of 1982) 3 months 23 days ago

    Diane Zabel (MSLIS '82) received the 2024 BRASS Excellence in Business Librarianship Award from the Reference and User Services Association, a division of the ALA.

1970

  • Henderson, Elise (Class of 1979) 3 months 11 days ago

    Elise Henderson (MSLIS '79) passed away on April 9, 2024.

  • Vander Meer, Patricia (Class of 1977) 1 day 2 hours ago

    Patricia Fravel Vander Meer (MSLIS '77) coauthored Artificially Yours: A Tale of Uncanny Animals, which was published earlier this year by VanKat Books. The book of fiction is based in part on her work as an academic librarian.