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.

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has formally joined the special interest group (SIG) that leads the development of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM), an ISO standard (21127:2023) for the exchange and integration of wide-ranging scientific and scholarly documentation about the past. 

J.B. Bailey joined the iSchool on April 13 as coordinator of events. In this new role, he will be responsible for the development, management, and implementation of iSchool events with a cohesive brand identity. He will also provide support to the communications and marketing team.

The iSchool welcomed five staff members to its undergraduate advising team this academic year. Academic Advisors and Coordinators Cory Castaneda, Dara (DL) Lawyer, and Keri Marion joined the School in August, and Katie Murphy joined in February. Stacy Clemmons was promoted to senior advisor and coordinator and transitioned from graduate to undergraduate student advising. 

This summer, iSchool students will have the opportunity to enroll in select courses through the new Summer Intensive pilot program, which will take place on campus over the course of two weeks. Each course will run for one week, with lessons lasting all day. Students may enroll in courses for one or both weeks, for a maximum of four credit hours. In addition to the all-day classes, students will enjoy a range of academic, professional, and social events in the evenings and on the adjoining weekends.

With topics like printmaking, weaving, and Minecraft 3D, it isn't surprising that summer camps offered by the Champaign-Urbana (CU) Community Fab Lab fill up so quickly. Throughout seven weeks this summer, the Fab Lab, a makerspace that supports campus and public community members, will hold 26 week-long camps for youth aged 10 to 15. This summer marks the tenth anniversary of the Fab Lab summer camps.

Wayne A. Wiegand, the F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies Emeritus at Florida State University, will deliver the 2026 Gryphon Lecture on March 4. Sponsored annually by the Center for Children's Books, the lecture features a leading scholar in the field of youth and literature, media, and culture.

The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 74 (3) "Data Literacy: Navigating the Shift from Hype to Reality." Guest editor and Library Trends editorial board member Ben B. Chiewphasa (MSLIS '19) uses this issue to examine the intersection of technological hype and practical reality in librarianship through the lens of data literacy. 

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2025 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is April 20, 2026. The award is cosponsored by Sage.