Professor Emily Knox has been selected for the 2024 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Excellence in Teaching Award. She will receive the award at an awards presentation during the ALISE 2024 Annual Conference, which will be held from October 14-17 in Portland, Oregon.
Knox has taught three required courses at the iSchool: Social Aspects of Information Technology (IS 202), Information Organization and Access (IS 505), and Libraries, Information, and Society (IS 510). In her graduate-level courses, students are encouraged to complete projects that interest them and benefit their career goals. Knox also has developed and taught three elective courses: Intellectual Freedom and Censorship (IS 584IF), Information Ethics (IS 584IE), and Information Policy (IS 594IP).
"Dr. Knox has been particularly innovative in exploiting the online format for her Intellectual Freedom and Censorship course. Through a collaboration with the Freedom to Read Foundation's Judith Krug Fund Education Project, MSLIS students from other schools join iSchool students in the weekly online synchronous sessions to hear guest speakers from throughout the country address the students and answer their questions in real time," wrote Professor Emerita Linda C. Smith, who nominated Knox for the teaching award.
Knox has contributed to the improvement of instruction across campus. She is a member of the inaugural class of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) Faculty Fellows, a program supported by the Office of the Provost. She has been part of CITL's strategic planning process and assisted in the development of new programs and initiatives to benefit faculty across campus.
Knox's research interests include information access, intellectual freedom, censorship, information ethics, information policy, and the intersection of print culture and reading practices. Knox serves as the board president of the National Coalition Against Censorship and editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. She received her PhD from Rutgers University School of Communication & Information.
"During this time when libraries and librarianship are under attack, it's a privilege to be recognized for teaching the next generation of librarians and other information professionals who will lead the field in the future," said Knox.