Two GSLIS alumni named ‘Movers and Shakers’

Library Journal has released their annual list of Movers and Shakers for 2012 and included among those honored are two GSLIS alumni, Michelle Chronister (MS ’09) and Joshua Finnell (MS ’07).

Chronister is a program analyst with the U.S. General Services Administration responsible for the social media program on USA.gov. She is being recognized for her work to increase the interaction between the government and citizens who post on Facebook and Twitter.

An excerpt from the Library Journal article:

When Michelle Chronister began working for the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2009, USA.gov didn’t respond to questions that citizens posted on its Facebook and Twitter pages.

Chronister, a program analyst, thought that the public deserved those answers, especially since the agency responded to email and phone queries. She proposed a change.

Now Chronister helps manage content for USA.gov, the federal government’s web portal, updating, organizing, and testing content to ensure it’s accessible and useful.

The new approach began in January 2010 with Chronister answering questions on Twitter and Facebook. As a result, the USA.gov social media program has grown exponentially, says Sarah Crane, director of USA.gov, GobiernoUSA.gov, and Kids.gov. “We’ve been thrilled with the results,” Crane says.

Finnell is the humanities librarian at Denison University in Ohio and is a visiting lecturer in the School and Media Library Certification Program at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In 2010, Finnell also earned the Special Collections Certificate from the Midwest Book and Manuscript Studies program administered by GSLIS, the University of Illinois Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Soybean Press.

An excerpt from the Library Journal article:

Humanities librarian Joshua Finnell has been described by faculty members at Denison University as the serious scholar’s best friend because he helps students and instructors take their research to a higher level. His skills with people, technology, and research garnered him 17 nominations for Movers & Shakers. “I meet the students where they are,” Finnell says.

Finnell works patiently with the most challenged students to overcome obstacles and pushes the most talented to make “crucial connections” through research, says Susan Kanter, assistant director of Denison’s Writing Center.

Finnell’s approach is summed up by his website title—Thoughtful Generalist. He’s knowledgeable and skilled in many fields. Besides contributing to academic literature in his own disciplines of library science and philosophy, he has published on topics including the ethics of medical research.

Finnell also played a major role in reviving McNeese State University’s School of Library Science Certification in Louisiana following Hurricane Rita. He worked to transform the formerly face-to-face program to be delivered online, resulting in 100 students and 30 graduates, says Debbie Johnson-Houston, library director at McNeese State, where Finnell is a visiting lecturer.

Mark Moller, chair of Denison’s philosophy department, describes Finnell as a natural teacher. “Many of us reach out to Josh because we trust what he does,” says Moller.

 

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Thousands of children’s books available at annual fall book sale

The Center for Children's Books will host a fall book sale and open house for all ages on Saturday, November 9. The sale will include hundreds of brand-new, hot-off-the-press children’s and young adult titles at a steep discount. Staff book reviewers will be on hand to discuss their favorite books of 2024 and assist educators and community members in selecting titles for their classroom, school, or public library collections or for use as holiday gifts.

stack of books for sale

MSIM students win Chicago round of NASA hackathon

A team including MSIM students Kritika Singh and Jainam Rajput won the Chicago hackathon of the NASA Space Apps Challenge, which was held in over 450 locations worldwide on October 5-6. The students partnered with computer science master's students Shraddhaa Mohan, Jinang Gandhi, and Sai Krishna Rohith and engineering in autonomy and robotics master's student Jugal Upadhyay to form Team Cuberts.

Members of Team Cuberts:  Jugal Bipinkumar Upadhyay, Jainam Rajput, Sai Krishna Rohith Kattamuri, Shraddhaa Mohan, Kritika Singh, and Jinang Gandhi.

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Armaan Singh Kalkat

Twelve iSchool master's students were named 2024-2025 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 Armaan Singh Kalkat graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in linguistics and BS in psychology (with an emphasis on neuroscience).

Armaan Singh Kalkat

Kilicoglu group wins first place at BioLaySumm competition

The highly technical language used in biomedical publications makes it difficult for nonexpert audiences to fully understand their content and draw insights. The BioLaySumm competition focuses on making biomedical research publications more accessible to lay audiences. This year, the winning team was a group from Associate Professor Halil Kilicoglu's research lab: PhD students Zhiwen (Jerome) You and Shufan Ming and Computer Science master's student Shruthan Radhakrishna. 

Halil Kilicoglu

Get to know Kirti Tyagi, digital consultant

As a digital consultant for Caterpillar, Kirti Tyagi (MSIM '23) helps people make informed, data-driven decisions that have a tangible impact on the business. Prior to joining Caterpillar full time, she served as a digital intelligence intern for the company. 

Kirti Tyagi