In August 2019, the iSchool will welcome two new lecturers: Sharon L. Comstock (PhD '12) as a senior lecturer and Inkyung Choi as a lecturer.
Comstock is currently an inquiry & impact officer at the Evansville (IN) Vanderburgh Public Library and adjunct instructor at Kent State University. She has ten years of experience in conducting human subject social science and education research of protected class populations, including youth, young adults, and African-American women working in Chicago at-risk neighborhoods as K-12 teachers in under-performing schools. She holds a PhD in library and information science from Illinois and an MA from Northwestern University.
"Illinois is truly my intellectual home. My MS/LIS and PhD gave me the opportunity to apply theory to library and informatics practice, where I've had the privilege of working in communities to help them discover core inquiries and assets that, frankly, change lives. That's the power of our profession," said Comstock. "Another aspect of my return that makes this so personally joyful is that I'm a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with a late-stage cancer during the dissertation phase of my doctoral work. My family and I did not know if I would survive, much less finish my PhD. It was through the genuine care of colleagues, my dissertation committee, and family that allowed me ultimately to be hooded. To be able to contribute to the very institution that bore witness during that time is a journey story I’m grateful to be able to tell."
Choi is currently a lecturer in the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). She earned her PhD in library and information science from UWM and her MLIS from Syracuse University. Her research interests stem from her intellectual curiosity about social and cultural pluralistic perspectives, which influence ways of organizing knowledge. At the undergraduate level, Choi has taught courses in information science and technology as well as organization of knowledge. At the graduate level, she has taught a course in organization of information.
"It is an honor to join the iSchool at Illinois, as I pursue innovative teaching and research addressing the values of information to human society beyond just technology," said Choi. "I'm looking forward to teaching iSchool courses for future information professionals who serve diverse information needs and to work with individuals in this intellectual and enthusiastic community."