School of Information Sciences

Greenwalt and Gartler selected as PLA Leadership Fellows

Two GSLIS alumni were selected this year as Public Library Association (PLA) Leadership Fellows to attend the PLA Leadership Academy: Navigating Change · Building Community.

Toby Greenwalt (MS ’04) and Marc Gartler (MS ’05) were among twenty-four public librarians selected for the PLA Leadership Academy, a pilot program that seeks to develop a leadership training model for advancing community goals and fostering active change agents. The program centers on an in-person event offering interactive education, networking, and professional coaching. Greenwalt and Gartler attended this event on March 4-8 in Chicago.

Following the in-person event, the leadership fellows will continue to participate in extended online courses through four monthly webinars. Each fellow will propose a project to later implement at his or her library, integrating library and city goals while influencing larger library initiatives such as literacy, economic development, and immigrant integration.

Supported by an IMLS planning grant, the PLA Leadership Academy was developed in collaboration with the International City and Council Management Association (ICMA). This partnership fosters a groundbreaking focus on developing necessary skills to work with municipal officials in order to enhance the position of the library within the community and improve the effectiveness of library activities and programs.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Get to know Manas Godha, growth and strategy lead

Manas Godha (BSIS '24) learned how to connect "different contexts, people, and processes with data and technology" at the iSchool. He is putting those skills into practice in his work as the growth and strategy lead at Advaiya.

Manas Godha

iSchool faculty and staff present at AISLE annual conference

Join the iSchool for the Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE) annual conference, held October 5–7 at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign, Illinois. The theme for the conference is “Libraries Build Connections.”

AISLE awards to be presented to alumni, adjunct lecturer

Carolyn Kinsella (MSLIS '03), Beverly Frett (MSLIS '04), and Adjunct Lecturer Karen Egan have been selected to receive awards from the Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE). They will be honored at an awards banquet during the AISLE Annual Conference, which will be held from October 5–7 in Champaign, Illinois.

Ravury selected to serve on Homecoming Court

BSIS student Lauren Ravury has a new item to add to her resume: member of the 2025 Homecoming Court at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ravury's resume is already impressive. She serves as president of the Student Alumni Ambassadors (SAA), an organization dedicated to fostering school spirit at the U. of I. Last year, she served as president of the Asian Pre-Law Association, a stint that led to her receiving the Outstanding Asian & Asian American Undergraduate Student Leader Award from the Asian American Cultural Center and the association being named the 2025 Outstanding Asian & Asian American Student Organization.

Lauren Ravury

School of Information Sciences

501 E. Daniel St.

MC-493

Champaign, IL

61820-6211

Voice: (217) 333-3280

Fax: (217) 244-3302

Email: ischool@illinois.edu

Back to top