School of Information Sciences

iSchool students receive CARLI Scholarships

Leep (MSLIS online) students Amanda Helm and Kaitlyn Weger have been selected to receive scholarships from the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI). The scholarship provides financial assistance to current employees of CARLI Governing Member Libraries who are pursuing a master's degree in library and information science (MSLIS) at the University of Illinois. CARLI provides library services and support to 128 Illinois public universities, community colleges, private colleges and universities, and special libraries.
 

Amanda Helm
Amanda Helm

Helm, who holds a bachelor's degree in management and organizational behavior from Benedictine University, is employed at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL). Most of her career has been spent in libraries, so pursuing an MSLIS was a logical choice. With her son entering college in the fall, Helm thought the time was right to further her education and "do something that I've always dreamed of doing." After completing her degree, she would like to become a youth librarian at a public institution, preferably in Savannah, Georgia, or Texas, but she would also enjoy working in a historical library like the ALPL.

"I feel like there will be so many opportunities available upon the completion of my degree," said Helm. "What I learn while in school might point me in a direction that I haven't even considered yet!"

Kaitlyn Weger
Kaitlyn Weger

Weger began her graduate studies at the iSchool in 2022 by taking a summer course and officially started the program in January 2023. She holds a bachelor's degree in history from Indiana State University and works at Olney Central College (IEO) and Illinois Eastern Community Colleges (IECC). She decided to pursue an MSLIS for professional development reasons as well as for the opportunity to help create a "safe and welcoming space" like she enjoyed in libraries while growing up. After working almost six years as an academic librarian, she felt it was the right time to go back to school to work towards a master’s degree. 

"I love what I do and the people I work with both at Olney Central College and across the IECC district and would like to continue that work. At some point in my career, I would like to move up to a library director role, hopefully within the IECC district, but I'm also willing to branch out to other avenues of librarianship," said Weger.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Olalere receives HSLI Jira Scholarship

Precious Olalere, a doctoral student in information sciences, has been awarded the 2025 Helen Knoll Jira Scholarship from the Health Science Librarians of Illinois (HSLI). This award supports individuals pursuing education in library or information science in Illinois, especially those focusing on health science librarianship.

Precious Olalere

Student Spotlight: Daria Meshcheriakova

BSIS student Daria Meshcheriakova came to the iSchool with intention. Originally from Russia, where she lived for 17 years, Meshcheriakova moved to Chicago and attended Harold Washington Community College before transferring to the University of Illinois. Among potential universities, Illinois proved to be the best fit.

Daria Meshcheriakova

iSchool researchers present at ILA 2025

School faculty, staff, and students will present their research at the 2025 Illinois Library Association (ILA) Annual Conference, which will be held on October 14–16 in Rosemont. The theme of this year's conference is "You Belong Here."

Craig named Illinois Library Luminary

Anne Craig, iSchool adjunct lecturer and senior director of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), has been inducted as an Illinois Library Luminary. The Illinois Library Luminary program, an initiative of the Illinois Library Association (ILA), recognizes those who have made a significant contribution to Illinois libraries.

Anne Craig

Get to know Jade Carthans, BSIS student

Jade Carthans is interested in how human-centered design, machine learning, and data analytics can come together to solve critical problems that impact organizations and individuals. She gained firsthand experience in these areas through internships with Microsoft and State Farm.

Jade Carthans

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