The iSchool launched a new apprenticeship program this fall with The Urbana Free Library. The program, which is modeled after an internship partnership between the Dominican University School of Information Studies and Skokie Public Library, will provide students with practical experience and additional exposure to all facets of library operations.

CAS student Stephanie Shallcross (MS '18) presented her work on teaching digital literacy to youth at the Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) annual conference, held October 24-28 in Prato, Italy. This year's conference addressed research, practice, and creative endeavors focused on shaping and influencing policy and programs.

iSchool students interested in crafting and socializing with their fellow students should check out the Stitch & Bitch student group. Despite the group's name, a knitting background is not necessary, and all students are welcome regardless of their level of crafting experience.

Professor Leslie "Les" Gasser passed away at his home on Tuesday, October 16, surrounded by family and close friends. He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Terry von Thaden; his daughter Lisette and son Liam; and extended family and many beloved friends and colleagues.

MS/IM student Suyash Singh received Honorable Mention in the Data Visualization Competition sponsored by the University of Illinois Library’s Scholarly Commons. The competition provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in visually communicating information. Winners were announced on October 9 at the Fall 2018 Scholarly Commons Open House.

Associate Professor and PhD Program Director Jana Diesner has been appointed as a 2018-19 R.C. Evans Data Analytics Fellow in the University of Illinois-Deloitte Foundation Center for Business Analytics. Launched in 2016, the Center is part of the Gies College of Business at the Urbana campus.

Doctoral candidate Jimi Jones will discuss his dissertation research at the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) Digital Preservation 2018, which will be held October 17-18 in Las Vegas. NDSA is a consortium of more than 220 organizations committed to the long-term preservation and stewardship of digital information and cultural heritage, for the benefit of present and future generations.

Three iSchool students were on the winning team at PygHack 2018, a 24-hour hackathon that brings together coders, designers, engineers, and dreamers to work together to create something that can benefit the community or an organization in Champaign-Urbana. This year's event was held on September 29-30 at the University of Illinois Research Park. PygHack projects were judged on community benefit, collaboration, design, functioning prototype, and innovation. 

The HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC) has extended non-consumptive research tools to copyrighted materials, expanding research through fair use. HTRC is a collaboration between the University of Illinois, Indiana University, and the HathiTrust to enable advanced computational access to the HathiTrust Digital Library database.

Doctoral candidate Kahyun Choi successfully defended her dissertation, "Computational Lyricology: Quantitative Approaches to Understanding Song Lyrics and Their Interpretations."