The History Section of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has selected two GSLIS alumni as the winners of its achievement awards honoring librarians and their contributions to the fields of genealogical and historical research and services.

"How do you want to contribute?" Alumna Liza Booker poses this question to GSLIS students. Find your answer, she says, and then use your education to help you make a difference in the world. As a UX analyst, Booker uses her skills to support research that addresses scientific and societal challenges facing the nation.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) 2016 National Committee has awarded fellowships to nearly two hundred LIS professionals and students from around the world, including two GSLIS students and several alumni.

A new book by alumnus David Hunter (PhD '89), The Lives of George Frideric Handel, is part biography and part genre case study. The famous composer’s life has been documented in numerous biographies, which Hunter scrutinized to differentiate history from interpretation. His findings led to this new work, which was published recently by Boydell Press.

The Library School Alumni Association (LSAA) is seeking nominations for three distinguished awards. The awards are given annually at the GSLIS alumni reception held at the American Library Association conference. The deadline for nomination is April 1, 2016. The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes an individual alumnus of GSLIS who has made an outstanding contribution to the field…

From downloading ebooks to applying for jobs online, the patrons of the Gail Borden Public Library have a helping hand in technology librarian Phillip Schneider. Schneider and his colleagues also share their expertise with fellow librarians at other institutions through the online toolkit they’ve created.  

Wendy Holliday (MS '02), head of teaching, learning, and research services at Northern Arizona University, is the winner of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section’s (IS) Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award.

Heather Jagman (MS '96), coordinator of reference, instruction, and academic engagement at DePaul University, is one of two winners of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section Ilene F. Rockman Publication of the Year Award, which recognizes an outstanding publication related to library instruction published in the past two years.

Chad Kahl (MS '98), interim associate dean for public services and information technology at Illinois State University, has been awarded the 2016 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Law and Political Science Section (LPSS) Marta Lange/SAGE-CQ Press Award. The award, established in 1996 by LPSS, honors an academic or law librarian who has made distinguished contributions to…

GSLIS alumna Kimberly Armstrong (MS '91) has been named director of the Center for Library Initiatives (CLI) of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). In this role she will work closely with CIC library directors to manage this distinctive collaboration of fifteen member libraries, overseeing $30 million in licensing, the development of a 250,000 volume storage facility, and a growing digital collection of seven million volumes. She will begin work in her new position on March 1, 2016.

Passionate about technology and artistic expression, GSLIS alumna Taylor Kirch finds inspiration at Pandora, where she uses her skills to bring music to the world.

A new book by Nicole Wedemeyer Miller (MS ’89), GSLIS adjunct lecturer, will be a resource for librarians looking to develop or enhance family history and genealogy services. Coauthored with Rhonda L. Clark, Fostering Family History Services: A Guide for Librarians, Archivists, and Volunteers, will be published by Libraries Unlimited in February 2016.

James LaRue (MS '81) has been named director of the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, effective January 4, 2016. In his application, LaRue noted “My passion for this core principle of librarianship is tightly bound with my own history….For me, librarianship—and life—is predicated on a respect for the…

The Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship (CIRSS) at GSLIS recently welcomed Timothy Cole (MS '89) to the Center staff as coordinator for library applications. In this newly-created role, Cole will coordinate projects focusing on academic library applications of informatics research. Cole’s projects will emphasize metadata schema design and application, linked data-based…

As a GSLIS student, Kirsten Y. Howley focused on government and business information. Now she puts those skills to work daily in a role that facilitates information sharing and more at a large technology company. Where do you work and what is your role? I am a senior business analyst with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a technology integrator in technical,…

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been awarded a new research grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to explore the benefits for users of linked open data (LOD) for digitized library special collections. Timothy Cole (MS '89), mathematics librarian in the University Library and coordinator for library applications within the Center for Informatics Research in Science and…

GSLIS alumni JoAnn Jacoby (MS '97) and Leslie Reynolds (MS '95) have been selected to participate in the 2016-2017 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Leadership Fellows Program. Jacoby, associate university librarian for user services and associate dean of libraries at Illinois, and Reynolds, senior associate dean of University Libraries at University of Colorado Boulder, will join twenty…

Lisa Abbott fields a range of research questions and information challenges at the Kellogg Company, but no matter what comes her way, she’s ready to tackle it. “I know my business, and my business is whatever the day asks of me. Fortunately, I have one heck of a toolbox helping me out,” she said. Where do you work, and what is your role? I manage the information center for the Kellogg…

Five GSLIS alumni have been selected by the American Library Association (ALA) to participate in its 2016 class of Emerging Leaders. Natalie Bazan (MS ’10), Mandi Goodsett (MS ’13), Samantha Helmick (MS ’13), Madison Sullivan (MS ’15), and Harriet Wintermute (MS ’11) are included in this year's class of fifty individuals from across the country. Now in its tenth year, this leadership…

Alea Perez is passionate about reading and librarianship, especially when it comes to teen services. On top of completing her master's studies this August, she manages her own YA lit website and recently started a new job as the head of youth services at the Westmont (IL) Public Library. Why did you decide to pursue an LIS degree? As a child, I was constantly surrounded by books thanks to…