Professor Emily Knox has been appointed to serve as interim dean of the School of Information Sciences, pending approval by the Board of Trustees. Until officially approved, her title will be interim dean designate. The appointment will begin April 1, 2025.
"The School is going through a time of incredible growth and change, but our students, faculty, and staff are well positioned to meet the moment," said Knox. "I'm excited to lead the School into our next phase."
Knox is a graduate of the iSchool as well as a faculty member. She earned her master's in library and information science from the University of Illinois in 2003 and joined the iSchool faculty in 2012. She has served the School in various roles, including director of graduate studies, interim associate dean for academic affairs, director of the BS in Information Sciences degree program, and as an elected member of the Executive Committee for multiple terms.
"Professor Knox is both passionate and dedicated to the success of the iSchool community, and I am confident she will provide stability and leadership during this transition period," said Provost John Coleman.
Knox's scholarly work focuses on information access, intellectual freedom and censorship, information ethics and policy, and print culture and reading practices. She has been interviewed by media outlets such as NPR and The New York Times and has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on book banning. She has received several national grants and is a prolific scholar with more than 100 publications, invited presentations, and panels.
Her honors include the 2024 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Excellence in Teaching Award, 2024 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus Excellence in Public Engagement Emerging Award, and 2023 American Library Association/Beta Phi Mu Award. In 2023, Knox was named an Illinois Library Luminary by the Illinois Library Association. Knox's book, Foundations of Intellectual Freedom (ALA Neal-Schuman), won the 2023 Eli M. Oboler Prize for best published work in the area of intellectual freedom.
Knox serves on the National Coalition Against Censorship Board of Directors and is editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. She received her PhD from Rutgers University School of Communication & Information.