Penny Ames, admissions and records coordinator, has been selected as the winner of the 2023 Graduate College Excellence Award for Graduate Contacts. The award is given annually as part of the Graduate College's Annual Workshop for Directors of Graduate Study and Graduate Contacts. It recognizes staff members whose service has exceeded expectations in enhancing graduate students' experiences and has positively impacted their graduate program or department's operations.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 10,000 full-time school librarian positions have been lost nationwide over the past two decades. This loss is especially felt by students, since research suggests that reading, writing, and graduation rates improve where schools employ certified school librarians. Thanks to a new program cosponsored by the iSchool and Chicago Public Schools (CPS), five school libraries that had been shuttered for five or more years now have a school librarian in place, with more to come.

In an article recently published in the NACADA Journal, PhD Coordinator for Student and Academic Affairs Katelyn Talbott shares her research on online career change master's degree students. The article is the offshoot of Talbott’s PhD dissertation, which explored the motivations for career change for students enrolled in an online MS degree program and what advising services, career development services, and admissions services these students used while enrolled.

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2022 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2023. The award is cosponsored by SAGE Publishing.

Amber Holmes joined the iSchool this month as assistant director of academic affairs. In her new position, she will support Academic Affairs, playing a key role in scheduling the curricula across all degree programs and collaborating with Student Affairs to balance program needs with instructor preferences.

One of the iSchool's student organizations is celebrating a special anniversary this year—the Special Libraries Association chapter at the University of Illinois (SLA@UIUC) is turning fifty. The chapter's mission is to support and empower iSchool graduate students with specialized interests in librarianship. The organization provides a community and resources that promote learning and professional development and offers students a chance to connect with peers and working professionals who share their specific interests.

Lauryn Lehman joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of undergraduate affairs on January 9. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support to students in the BS in information sciences (BSIS) and BSIS + Data Science (BSIS+DS) programs.

Kiona Kittl joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of undergraduate programs on December 19. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support to students in the BS in information sciences (BSIS) and BSIS + Data Science (BSIS+DS) programs.

Kristina Intinarelli joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of graduate affairs on December 19. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support to students in the MS in library and information science program as well as develop and facilitate programs, workshops, orientations, and other resources for graduate students.

Jacob Hagman joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of graduate affairs on December 12. In this position, he will provide academic advising and support to students in the MS in information management and MS in bioinformatics degree programs.