Get to know Kristina Williams, MS student

Kristina Williams

Kristina Williams believes deeply in the strength of character built by service to one's community and the enrichment gained through civic and neighborly engagement. It was this commitment to community involvement, which she observed in iSchool students, that first attracted her to the MS/LIS degree program.

Why did you decide to pursue an LIS degree?

I came to librarianship by way of my first graduate degree program at the University of Illinois—I earned a master's in communication following volunteer work as a news media coordinator for AmeriCorps. I realized that I enjoyed research and working in academia, and I found the core values of librarianship to be well aligned with my own professional aspirations.
 
Why did you choose the iSchool at Illinois?

While at the University of Illinois, I was deeply impressed by the commitment to community that I observed in so many current iSchool students. Many a weeknight I would find current students volunteering for Books to Prisoners or tinkering at the local Makerspace. You can't say that about many graduate programs, library and information science (LIS) or otherwise. 
 
What particular LIS topics interest you most?

Information literacy is such an important issue right now. Whether it is understanding the relationship between data and knowledge or navigating the perils of information overload, LIS provides some of the best insights into how our information landscape is structured and what we can do to think critically and make educated choices about what we read, write, and share. I guess you could say I’m a bit of an info lit fanatic. 
 
 What do you do outside of class?

Right now I work for the Undergraduate Library as a reference and instruction librarian. I am also the managing editor for Hack Library School, a writing collective that represents the experiences of library students from over ten different library programs. My "me time" usually involves listening to NPR, cooking my way through new recipes, or breaking in a new pair of running shoes. 
 
What career plans or goals do you have?
 
It's an exciting time to enter the field. After I graduate, I'd like to work at an academic library where I can develop programming that pairs library instruction with improving digital literacies. 

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Undergraduate Research Symposium features iSchool students and mentors

Several iSchool undergraduate students will participate in the 18th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. During the event, visitors will learn about undergraduate research projects through oral and poster presentations, creative performances, and art exhibits. All are welcome to attend the symposium, which will be held on April 24 from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Illini Rooms and South Lounge of the Illini Union. Oral presentations will be held on the second floor of the Illini Union.

Wang wins grand prize at Research Live!

Informatics PhD student Olivia Wang won the Grand Prize at the 2025 Research Live! competition, which was held on April 8 in the Campus Instructional Facility Atrium. At the event, which is hosted by the Graduate College, thirteen finalists presented their graduate research in three minutes or less to a general audience. Wang received $500 as the Grand Prize winner.

Olivia Wang

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Katherine Mendoza Gonzalez

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 Katherine Mendoza Gonzalez earned her BA in history from Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois.

Katherine Mendoza Gonzalez

Zhou defends dissertation

Doctoral candidate Kyrie Zhixuan Zhou successfully defended his dissertation, "A Pragmatic and Human-centered Approach to Promoting Software Accessibility: Design, Education, Governance," on April 3.

Zhixuan Zhou