Jeanie Chung has joined the Communications and Marketing team as assistant director of communications and content strategy. 

The iSchool Alumni Association (ISAA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual awards.

This year, the American Library Association (ALA) celebrates its 150th anniversary in our backyard at its Chicago headquarters. As the oldest iSchool in the Midwest, our MSLIS program, established 133 years ago, has left an indelible mark on the ALA. Some of our alumni paused to reflect on their time at the iSchool and their tenure as leaders in the ALA.

Join the iSchool at the American Library Association (ALA) 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition on June 25–29 in Chicago, Illinois.

As a teenager helping her mother sort books in the public library in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Lorraine Haricombe (MSLIS '88, PhD '92) didn't realize that one day she would become a recognized leader in the field of librarianship. As director of their hometown library, Haricombe's mother influenced her daughter's career path and instilled in her a love of learning.

Students in the Business Intelligence Group (BIG)—the experiential learning consultancy program affiliated with Associate Professor Yoo-Seong Song's Applied Business Research courses (IS 494 and IS 514)—spent the spring semester working directly with organizations across industries, including health care, financial services, aviation, gaming, community services, and higher education. 

The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 74 (4) "Compelling Tensions in Library and Information Science." Guest editor Katherine M. Wisser frames current tensions in the LIS field through Thomas Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions," which posits that paradigm shifts are driven by periods of revolution, rather than incremental, progressive change.  

Nicole A. Cooke has been named the 2025 recipient of the Downs Intellectual Freedom Award for her advocacy, groundbreaking research, and dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of library and information science. Cooke is the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and professor in the College of Information and Communications at the University of South Carolina.

Michèle Cloonan (MS '84, PhD '88), dean and professor emerita in the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University, will deliver the 2026 iSchool Convocation address on Sunday, May 17, at 1:30 p.m. at the Activities and Recreation Center. For those who would like to watch the ceremony online, live video will be available as well as archived for future viewing.

The iSchool recognized faculty and staff for their contributions to teaching and outstanding service to the School at a ceremony on May 6. Interim Dean Emily Knox presented plaques to the inaugural recipients of the Faculty Teaching Award, Adjunct Teaching Award, and Staff Excellence Award.