Most academic librarians stepping into a position can model their work on that of their predecessors. But not Thomas Padilla (MS '14). On his appointment in April as the first humanities data curator at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Library (and the first in the entire University of California system), Padilla has had to draw on a number of different disciplines to shape his role of working with data throughout its life cycle.

It is at this intersection of people and institutions that doctoral candidate Cheryl Thompson is conducting her research. Specifically, she explores how organizations develop data expertise and services to support science.

In the new book, Reference and Information Services, An Introduction (5th Edition), Professor Linda C. Smith (MS '72) and coeditor Melissa A. Wong (MS '94) have assembled chapters from experts in library and information science that focus on new ideas and methods for providing reference service; discuss the effective use of print, online, and fee-based sources; and explore the future of reference services in light of today's fast-changing technology.

The iSchool is pleased to announce the appointment of Martin Wolske as interim director of the Center for Digital Inclusion (CDI). Wolske assumes the position following the departure of Jon Gant, founding director, who recently accepted the deanship of the School of Library and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central University in Durham.

The iSchool is pleased to announce that Matthew Turk has joined the faculty, effective September 9. Assistant Professor Turk holds a joint appointment with the Department of Astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His work focuses on how individuals interact with data, and how that data is processed and understood. 

Fifteen iSchool instructors were named in the University's List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent for Spring 2016. The rankings are released every semester, and results are based on the Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) questionnaire forms maintained by Measurement and Evaluation in the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

Reproducibility is a hot topic in the scientific community and is considered by many researchers to be an important challenge. But the term reproducibility holds different meanings for different researchers, causing confusion and a lack of shared understanding. Associate Professor Victoria Stodden, whose research focuses on enabling reproducibility in the computational sciences, spoke to Nature about this issue.

Master's student Alison C. Rollins is one of five recipients of a 2016 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship. Awarded by the Poetry Foundation, the fellowship is one of the largest awards offered to young poets between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-one in the United States. The $25,800 prize is intended to encourage the further study and writing of poetry.

Jesus Espinoza has been quite busy so far during his time at the iSchool. In addition to his classes and graduate assistant position with the University Libraries, he is a member of the Student Advisory Board to the School’s Student Affairs office, vice president of the American Library Association (ALA) Student Chapter and co-chair of the group’s Lecture and Professional Development Committee, an ALA Spectrum Scholar, and an Association of Research Libraries Diversity Scholar.

The latest episode of American Libraries’ Dewey Decibel podcast highlights architecture and design of libraries. Host Phil Morehart, editor of the magazine’s annual “Library Design Showcase,” spoke with three guests, including adjunct professor Fred Schlipf.