School of Information Sciences

Weech, students to participate in BOBCATSSS 2016

Associate Professor Terry Weech and more than a dozen GSLIS students will travel to Lyon, France, next week to participate in the BOBCATSSS 2016 symposium, held January 27-29. BOBCATSSS is an international symposium under the auspices of EUCLID (European Association for Library and Information Education and Research) that brings together library and information science professionals, researchers, educators, and students.

Every year since 1993, LIS students from at least two European universities organize the symposium to address current issues in library and information science. Teams of students plan and manage the event as a part of their studies. BOBCATSSS is an acronym for the universities that initiated the symposium: Budapest, Oslo, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Tampere, Stuttgart, Szombathely, and Sheffield.

GSLIS presentations include:

Thursday, January 28

Master’s student Emily Metcalf will present her paper, “A Comparative Study of Censorship in Public Libraries: An Analysis of the Literature,” at 9:15 a.m.

Master’s student Winn Wasson will present his paper, “Information values in conflict: How libraries navigate occasions of dissonance between freedom of information and the right to privacy,” at 9:15 a.m.

Doctoral candidate Jeanie Austin will present her paper, “Youth as Citizen?: Libraries and Youth Civic Engagement,” at 11:00 a.m.

Master’s student Annabella Irvine will present her poster, “Libraries, Pornography, and the Internet: An Evolving Conversation,” at 11:00 a.m.

Associate Professor Terry Weech will lead, with several copresenters, the workshop, "Data Curator: Who is She/He?" at 1:15 p.m.

Master’s student Jessica Colbert will present her poster, “The Search that Dare Not Speak Its Name: LGBT Information and Catalog Records,” at 1:15 p.m.

Master’s students Emily Purcell, Thomas Mukonde, and Kimberly Stelter will present their poster, “Lubuto Libraries : Exemplars of The Potential of Youth Libraries in Promoting Democratic Ideals,” at 1:15 p.m.

Master’s students Rebecca Ciota and Emily Hardesty will present their poster, “Video Streaming in Academic Libraries: Enabling Participation in a Democratic Society,” at 2:30 p.m.

Master’s student Cailin Cullen will present her paper, “Promoting Democracy through Libraries: International Library Aid to Africa,” at 2:30 p.m.

Master’s student Monique Lassere will present her poster, “The Role of Public Libraries in Communities Impacted by Natural Disasters,” at 4:15 p.m.

Friday, January 29

Associate Professor Terry Weech will present his paper, “Enforcing and Reinforcing the Responsibility of Information Professionals to Defend Intellectual Freedom,”  at 10:15 a.m.

Master’s student Alyson Bell will present her paper, “Modern Times, Modern Librarians,” at 10:15 a.m.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Mariana Guerrero

Eight iSchool master's students have been named 2025–2026 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association. This "Spectrum Scholar Spotlight" series highlights the School's scholars. MSLIS student Mariana Guerrero earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish language and literature from Rockford University.

Mariana Guerrero

PhD student Fobazi Ettarh passes away

PhD student Fobazi Ettarh passed away on January 28, 2026. Ettarh entered the doctoral program at the University of Illinois in 2022. She held an MLIS from Rutgers University and bachelor's degree in English and sociology from the University of Delaware. Prior to joining the iSchool, Ettarh served as an academic librarian at Temple University Libraries; California State University, Dominguez Hills; and Rutgers University. She was also a school library media specialist at Hawthorne (NJ) Public Schools.

Fobazi Ettarh

iSchool International: Studying abroad in Japan

BSIS+DS student and undergraduate ambassador Alex Soja discusses his meaningful experience studying abroad in Japan, where he got the opportunity to live independently in Tokyo and gain a more global perspective.

Alex Soja looks into the distance atop a moutain in Japan

Raji selected for IAPP Westin Scholar Award

PhD student Mubarak Raji has been selected as an IAPP Westin Scholar Award honoree for the 2025-2026 academic year. The annual awards were created by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection. Honorees receive a $1,000 cash award; two years of membership with the IAPP; three complimentary exams for IAPP certifications (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT); and unlimited access to online training for the recipient's selected IAPP certification exams.

Mubarak Raji headshot

Get to know Sneha Vyas, MSIM student

Prior to entering the MSIM program last fall, Sneha Vyas worked as a project management associate with Siemens in India. She enjoys using the skills she is learning in her classes on personal projects and looks forward to future opportunities where she can "turn information into smart decisions and see the impact of those decisions in action."

Sneha Vyas

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