Associate Professor Colin Rhinesmith has been elected to serve on the iSchools Board of Directors for 2026–2027. The board consists of six general members; Rhinesmith will serve as one of three members representing the North American region. As a member, he will assist in developing the strategic direction of the iSchools organization, which includes over 130 universities worldwide. His experience working with the iSchools includes serving as a conference reviewer for multiple iConferences and co-chairing the iSchools Community Informatics Group.
"My vision for my term in the iSchools Board of Directors is to support the current and future goals of the iSchools organization," said Rhinesmith. "This includes not only working to develop new and innovative ways to support member universities, including doctoral students and early career researchers, but also to continue to think about novel approaches to facilitating international cooperation at a time when this work is more important than ever."
Rhinesmith's areas of research include community informatics, engaged scholarship, and information policy. Through his Digital Equity Action Research (DEAR) Lab at the iSchool, he is working with civil society organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations to advance digital equity through community-engaged and participatory research. He has received funding for this research from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, and Comcast Corporation.
Rhinesmith received his PhD in library and information science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has served as a Google Public Policy Fellow and an adjunct research fellow with New America's Open Technology Institute; senior fellow with the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society; and faculty associate with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.