The effective use of data storytelling could positively impact public library managers' approaches to data collection and their advocacy for libraries, according to Associate Professor Kate McDowell. However, cultural roadblocks to data storytelling must be addressed for the process to be successful, McDowell discovered in a recently completed study.

The PhD degree program at the iSchool celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2023. This profile is part of a special series featuring PhD alumni. Peter Organisciak (PhD '15) is an associate professor at the University of Denver.

Fifty iSchool instructors were named in the University's List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent for Spring 2023. 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.

iSchool Assistant Professor JooYoung Seo is developing a data visualization tool that will help make visual representations of statistical data accessible to researchers and students who are blind or visually impaired.

On September 15, 1963, four little girls had their lives cut short in a bomb blast at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This tragic event, which drew international attention to the civil rights movement in the U.S., is a pivotal moment in The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963, the Newbery Honor-winning book by children's author Christopher Paul Curtis. Next week, several organizations, including the iSchool's Center for Children's Books (CCB), are partnering on events for young people in Birmingham to mark the 60th anniversary of the bombing.

Former students, colleagues, and friends will gather to celebrate Professor Emerita Linda C. Smith's contributions to the field of LIS at a virtual symposium on Thursday, September 28, at 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

Several iSchool researchers will be playing an active role in projects that recently received funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

MSLIS student Andrea Serna has been selected to participate in the 2023-2025 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Kaleidoscope Diversity Scholars Program. The Kaleidoscope Program offers financial support to scholars as well as leadership development through the ARL Annual Leadership Symposium, a formal mentoring program, career placement assistance, and a site visit to an ARL member library.

Chetna Beri (MSIM '23) is a software engineer at W. W. Grainger, a leading distributor of industrial and safety supplies. Grainger was one of several companies that contacted Beri after she attended the iSchool's career fair last fall. Her advice to students is to network, get involved, ask questions, and attend the iSchool Networking and Career Fair on September 8.

Assistant Professor JooYoung Seo has been awarded a $649,921 Early Career Development grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, which supports "developing a diverse workforce of librarians to better meet the changing learning and information needs of the American public by enhancing the training and professional development of librarians, developing faculty and library leaders, and recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians."