With topics like printmaking, weaving, and Minecraft 3D, it isn't surprising that summer camps offered by the Champaign-Urbana (CU) Community Fab Lab fill up so quickly. Throughout seven weeks this summer, the Fab Lab, a makerspace that supports campus and public community members, will hold 26 week-long camps for youth aged 10 to 15. This summer marks the tenth anniversary of the Fab Lab summer camps.

Wayne A. Wiegand, the F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies Emeritus at Florida State University, will deliver the 2026 Gryphon Lecture on March 4. Sponsored annually by the Center for Children's Books, the lecture features a leading scholar in the field of youth and literature, media, and culture.

The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 74 (3) "Data Literacy: Navigating the Shift from Hype to Reality." Guest editor and Library Trends editorial board member Ben B. Chiewphasa (MSLIS '19) uses this issue to examine the intersection of technological hype and practical reality in librarianship through the lens of data literacy. 

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2025 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is April 14, 2026. The award is cosponsored by Sage.

PhD student Fobazi Ettarh passed away on January 28, 2026. Ettarh entered the doctoral program at the University of Illinois in 2022. She held an MLIS from Rutgers University and bachelor's degree in English and sociology from the University of Delaware. Prior to joining the iSchool, Ettarh served as an academic librarian at Temple University Libraries; California State University, Dominguez Hills; and Rutgers University. She was also a school library media specialist at Hawthorne (NJ) Public Schools.

Gregory B. Newby passed away October 21, 2025. Newby was an assistant professor at the iSchool at Illinois from 1991 to 1997 and taught graduate-level courses in information technology; networking tools and use; information organization and system design; and user-based design and analysis. He was the founder of Prairienet and instrumental in the design of the iSchool's Leep program in 1996.

Kim Hooper has joined the iSchool as an office support specialist. In her position, she will provide administrative support to the admissions and records team. 

Iftikhar Haider has joined the academic affairs team as assistant director for experiential learning. In his position, he will collaborate directly with faculty, staff, students, and external partners to facilitate successful experiential learning in undergraduate, graduate, and online programs of the iSchool. 

The iSchool is pleased to announce that Professor Dong Wang has been appointed associate dean for research. In this role, Wang will provide leadership in the support, integration, communication, and administration of the iSchool's research and scholarship endeavors. This includes supervising the iSchool's Research Services unit, supporting the research centers, and assisting faculty in the acquisition of research funding.

The School of Information Sciences is proud to recognize the 2025 academic milestones of our PhD students.