US Ignite announced this week the creation of a national network of Smart Gigabit Communities. Each of the fifteen communities in the network—including Urbana-Champaign—has made a significant commitment toward levering next-generation smart city and internet technologies to keep pace with the world’s rapidly changing technology and economy.

Several students and faculty members will share their research at the 2016 Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL), held on June 19-23 in Newark, New Jersey. The event brings together international scholars focusing on digital libraries and associated technical, practical, organizational, and social issues.

Doctoral student Andrea Thomer has been selected as a 2016 Fellow of the Research Data Alliance/US (RDA/US) Data Share early career engagement program. As an RDA Fellow, she will undertake a project to survey the completeness and coverage of existing natural history physical sample databases.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $5M to the "Whole Tale" project, led by Professor Bertram Ludäscher (PI) along with CIRSS affiliate Matthew Turk (co-PI, NCSA) and Associate Professor Victoria Stodden (co-PI).

Master’s student Gretsi Isac chose to earn her degree at the iSchool at Illinois because she knew the School would present rewarding challenges and open doors for professional opportunities. Now she’s preparing to graduate in August and pursue a career in data analytics.

Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hoiem and Associate Professor Carol Tilley will speak at the 2016 Children’s Literature Association Conference, to be held June 9-11 at The Ohio State University. The theme of the conference is “Animation,” which reflects developments in aesthetic creation and critical analysis of children’s and young adult literature.

Nine of the School’s master’s students have been named 2016-2017 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA). Established in 1997, the Spectrum Scholarship Program was created to promote diversity among graduate-level library school students.

Assistant Professor Jana Diesner will deliver a keynote address at the 2016 Collaborative Innovation Networks (COINs) conference, which will be held on June 8-11 in Rome. The theme of the conference is, “Designing Networks for Innovation and Improvisation.”

Adjunct Lecturer Bobby Bothmann has been elected by the Americas Regional Council of OCLC to serve on that council and as a delegate to the Global Council, which guides and advises the OCLC cooperative. His three-year term in this role will begin on July 1.

Alumnus Allen Lanham (MS '91) has been named an Illinois Library Luminary by the Illinois Library Association (ILA). This distinction honors individuals whose efforts have made a significant contribution to Illinois libraries.