Class Notes

Tristan Draper (MSLIS '21) received the 2026 ACRL College Libraries Section (CLS) Innovation in College Libraries Award. 

Olivia Palid (MSLIS '21), a senior program coordinator at the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, was recently honored with a Computer Science Outstanding Staff Award for her work with the MCS in Chicago program and with the school's awards.

Mary Schiavone (MSLIS '23) received the 2026 ACRL College Libraries Section (CLS) Innovation in College Libraries Award. 

Emily Zerrenner (MSLIS '22) received the Shirley Olofson Memorial Award from the New Members Round Table of ALA.

After spending seven years at the University of Delaware, Kayla Abner (MSLIS ’19) has started a new role as a digital scholarship specialist at the University of Michigan. 

Leah T. Dudak (MSLIS '17) is part of the 2026 LJ Mover and Shaker class as an advocate, acknowledging her work with Urban Librarians Unite and her work as a Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University studying library worker trauma, work, and mental health.

Holly Eberle (MSLIS '15) was featured in the Illinois Library Association Member Spotlight on June 15, 2026. 

Samantha LeGrand (MSLIS '15) received the 2026 ACRL Instruction Section (IS) Innovation Award. 

Samantha Loster (MSLIS '19) was named a 2026-2027 Medical Library Association (MLA) Rising Star.

Matt Matkowski (MSLIS '18) began his position as the deputy director of the Villa Park Public Library in June 2026.

Thomas Padilla (MSLIS '13), an internationally sought-after voice on responsible uses of technology that advance research and learning, has been appointed as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries Associate Dean for Research and Learning, effective January 5.

Ryan A. Ross (MSLIS '10) took over as editor-in-chief of Illinois Alumni magazine in April 2025, after serving on its editorial staff since 2020. He continues to oversee the university's heritage museum, the Richmond Family Welcome Gallery at Alice Campbell Alumni Center.

Emily Schaub (MSLIS '16) began her new position as executive director of the Freeport (IL) Public Library in February. 

Yasmeen Shorish (MSLIS '11), associate dean for research & scholarly communications at James Madison University, has been elected ACRL vice-president/president-elect. She will become president-elect in July 2026 and assume the presidency in July 2027 for a one-year term.

Miriam Sweeney (PhD '13) has been promoted to full professor (effective August) and appointed director of the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama.

Heather Moulaison-Sandy (MSLIS '02) became the Editor-in-Chief of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly on January 1, 2026.

After 13 years of part-time library work plus staying home with her children, Katrina Bromann (MSLIS '07, CAS '08) returned to full-time school librarianship last fall. Bromann started in August 2025 as the school librarian at Marseilles Elementary School in Marseilles, IL, and was surprised and honored to be voted Rookie of the Year for the 2025-2026 school year by her coworkers.

Tamela Chambers (MSLIS '05) has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. 

Eric Edwards (MSLIS '06), interlibrary loan librarian at Illinois State Library, has been elected to the ACRL Board of Directors as director-at-large.

Eric Edwards (MSLIS '06) received the Health Science Librarians of Illinois President’s Award, in recognition of significant service to the organization.

Katharine Freding (MSLIS '04) is now the director of information governance at Crowell & Moring LLP.

Alison Greenlee (MSLIS '09) began their new position as senior digital asset specialist at Haworth in June 2026.

James R. Jacobs (MSLIS '02) has received the Margaret T. Lane/Virginia F. Saunders Memorial Research Award. He was recognized for Preserving Government Information: Past, Present, and Future, which he co-authored with James A. Jacobs.

Morris Levy (MSLIS '00) has joined the Center for Research Libraries as a metadata initiatives program officer. 

Liz Muller (MSLIS '08) began a new position as curator of prints, photographs, and architectural collections at The New York Historical in January 2026.

Matthew Murrey (MSLIS '03) had his second book of poetry published on January 20, 2026. The book is Little Joy, and is published by Cornerstone Press (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point).

Dennis Clark Gonzales Prieto (MSLIS '05) was profiled by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Latinx Caucus for its Latinx Voices Project.

Hallie Pritchett (MSLIS '06) began her new position as director of Ferris State University Libraries and Archives in April 2026.

Alec Sonsteby (MSLIS '05) was elected president of the Inter Faculty Organization (IFO), the union representing the 3,400 teaching faculty, librarians, coaches, and counselors at the seven Minnesota State universities, effective July 1, 2026.

In January 2026, the University of Illinois Press published Christopher Sweet's (MSLIS '03) first book, A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts.

Brandi Tuttle (MSLIS '04) celebrated 20 years at Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives in 2026. She was promoted to Librarian and now serves as both Research & Education Librarian and Web Services Librarian, leading website initiatives while continuing to support research, instruction, and scholarly projects across Duke Health.

After 34 years of service, Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe (MSLIS '94) will be retiring from the University of Illinois at the end of May and beginning a new chapter—launching her own consultancy focused on working with publishers and libraries.
 

Steve Oberg (MSLIS '91) will join the faculty at Grinnell College in Iowa as an associate professor and head of technical services in the Burling Library, effective July 1. 

Jian Qin (PhD '96) has been awarded emerita status upon her retirement from Syracuse University.

Myron Schirer-Suter (MSLIS '94) of Beverly, Massachusetts, is retiring as director of library services at Gordon College at the end of the spring semester.

Curt McKay (MSLIS '88) was selected as an Honorary Grand Marshal for the 2025 Rockford (IL) Area Pride Parade. 

Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah (PhD '88) retired from Boston College at the end of September 2025.

Judith Siess (MSLIS '82) passed away on January 20, 2026.

Michele Finerty (MSLIS '72) passed away on March 17, 2026.

Victoria Cogswell Hahn (MSLIS '78) retired from Beloit Public Library, Wisconsin, in 2019 after 26 years as a librarian and department head. She continues her genealogy blog (2015) and her Stateline Genealogy Club (2012) as a business, researching and giving genealogy presentations in Illinois and Wisconsin on several topics.

Gerald (Jerry) Specht (MSLIS '79) passed away on February 6, 2025.