Robert Wedgeworth (MSLIS '61), former University Librarian at Illinois and the iSchool's 1991 Distinguished Alumnus, will deliver the 2026 Windsor Lecture at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, online via Zoom. Room 126 in 501 E. Daniel Street will be available for viewing.
His talk, "The Future of the iSchool," will cover precision and scale: two principles that have guided his career and that he thinks may be useful "as we navigate the challenges of higher education and the world of information."
"Putting those two variables together along with Jesse Shera's formulation of the basic knowledge of librarians led me to appreciate the strength of the information triangle: information, users, and the means to bring the two together," Wedgeworth said.
Wedgeworth is the former American Library Association executive director. In 2021, he was elected to ALA's honorary membership, which is the organization's highest honor and conferred in recognition of outstanding contributions of lasting importance to libraries and librarianship. Wedgeworth also served on the executive board of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and became only the second American to be elected president of IFLA. IFLA named him Honorary President in 1997. He has also served as dean of the School of Library Service at Columbia University.
Wedgeworth has been recognized with a range of professional honors, including the Joseph W. Lippincott Award, Melvil Dewey Medal, and John Ames Humphry/OCLC/Forest Press Award, all of the ALA; Black Caucus of the American Library Association Trailblazer Award; five honorary doctorates; Medal of Honor from the International Council of Archives; and many others.
In addition to his Illinois degree, Wedgeworth earned his PhD in library science from Rutgers University.
The Windsor Lecture honors the career of Phineas L. Windsor, who served as director of the University of Illinois Library and iSchool from 1909 to 1940. Gifts from alumni and friends provide generous support for this ongoing lecture series.