School of Information Sciences

GSLIS alumni selected for ISL leadership program

Six GSLIS alumni are among thirty Illinois librarians selected to participate in the tenth year of "Synergy: the Illinois Library Leadership Initiative.” The unique yearlong program sponsored by the Illinois State Library (ISL) is designed to develop future leaders in the library profession and Illinois community.

The group of librarians will attend three sessions over a six-month period and work in a leadership environment with other emerging leaders, experienced Illinois library leaders, and nationally recognized speakers. The goal of the program is for each individual to develop leadership skills that can be applied in local, state and global arenas.

GSLIS alumni who will participate include:

Barbara Alvarez, MS ’12
David Ehrenhart, MS ’10
Taran Ley, MS ’93
Sarah McHone-Chase, MS ’05
Bobbi Perryman, MS ’07
Dana Russell, MS ’03

Synergy objectives include self-assessment; discovering and developing personal values; identifying the local, state, and global environment; fostering and expanding skills and tools for personal, professional, and positional leadership; creating a cohort group; establishing mentoring relationships; and developing a vision of and beyond the field of librarianship.

Research Areas:
Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Wang group receives ICWSM Best Dataset Paper Award

A paper from Professor Dong Wang's Social Sensing & Intelligence Lab received the Best Dataset Paper Award at the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM) held in May 2026 in Los Angeles, California. According to Wang, the paper was accepted in the first review round, which had an acceptance rate of 4.7 percent (14 of 298 submissions). 

2025 Downs Intellectual Freedom Award given to Nicole A. Cooke

Nicole A. Cooke has been named the 2025 recipient of the Downs Intellectual Freedom Award for her advocacy, groundbreaking research, and dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of library and information science. Cooke is the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and professor in the College of Information and Communications at the University of South Carolina.

Nicole Cooke

iSchool researchers to present at ChLA 2026

iSchool faculty and staff will present their research at the Children's Literature Association (ChLA) annual conference, which will be held from May 28-30 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The theme of this year's conference is "Neighbors and Neighborhoods in Children's Literature, Media, and Culture."

iSchool alumni named 2026 Movers & Shakers

Two iSchool alumni are included in Library Journal's 2026 class of Movers & Shakers, an annual list that recognizes 50 professionals who are moving the library field as a profession. Leah T. Dudak (MSLIS '17) was honored in the Advocates category and Mariella Colon (MSLIS '07) was honored in the Community Builders category. 

2026 student award recipients announced

The School of Information Sciences recognized student award recipients at the iSchool Convocation on May 17. Awards are based on academic achievements, as well as attributes that contribute to professional success. For more information about each award, including past recipients, visit the Student Awards page. Congratulations to this year's honorees! 

2026 Student award recipients smile outside.

School of Information Sciences

501 E. Daniel St.

MC-493

Champaign, IL

61820-6211

Voice: (217) 333-3280

Email: ischool@illinois.edu

Back to top