The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 72 (4). This issue, "Community Librarianship," discusses the evolution of the roles and responsibilities of libraries to support and serve the communities in which they exist. Anna Maria Tammaro and Crystal Fulton served as guest editors. All articles are open for public access.

Last semester, students in the Business Intelligence Group (BIG), the student consultancy group affiliated with Associate Professor Yoo-Seong Song's Applied Business Research class (IS 514), worked with Wismettac, a Japanese food distribution company. As a large global company with 47 offices in North America, Wismettac sought to study how data science and AI-based technologies could help the company's operations. 

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2024 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2025. The award is cosponsored by Sage Publishing.

The Center for Children's Books (CCB) collaborated with the National Park Service (NPS) to launch a new Books to Parks website on Lyddie, a 1991 novel by Katherine Paterson that highlights the experiences of young women working in textile mills in nineteenth-century Lowell, Massachusetts. 

Glen Layne-Worthey, associate director for research support services for the HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC), and Isabel Galina Russell, researcher at the Institute for Bibliographic Studies at the National University of Mexico, have edited a new book, The Routledge Companion to Libraries, Archives, and the Digital Humanities, which was recently released by Routledge.

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 72 (3). This issue, "Feminist and Global Perspectives on an Evolving Profession: Papers Honoring Mary Niles Maack," celebrates Maack’s life and career as well as her scholarship’s influence around the globe. Maack’s colleagues, Michèle V. Cloonan and Suzanne M. Stauffer, served as guest editors.

iSchool adjunct and affiliate faculty will participate in virtual and in-person sessions of the 2024 Charleston Conference. The conference is an annual gathering that draws librarians, publishers, vendors, and others to discuss issues relating to the acquisition and publication of books and serials. 

The iSchool is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 72 (2). This issue, "International Perspectives on Knowledge Management Education," surveys the global landscape of knowledge management education. Kendra Albright, Frank Cervone, and Albina Krymskaya served as guest editors. 

The Center for Children's Books will host a fall book sale and open house for all ages on Saturday, November 9. The sale will include hundreds of brand-new, hot-off-the-press children’s and young adult titles at a steep discount. Staff book reviewers will be on hand to discuss their favorite books of 2024 and assist educators and community members in selecting titles for their classroom, school, or public library collections or for use as holiday gifts.

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 72 (1). This issue, "Indigenous Librarianship," examines the current state of Indigenous librarianship. Ulia Gosart and Rachel Fu served as guest editors. Library Trends, in partnership with the guest editors and select authors, will host a virtual webinar featuring lightning talks based on articles from the upcoming issue.

Ky Merkley joined the iSchool this month as senior IT specialist. Their responsibilities will include supervising the graduate assistants at the Help Desk, assisting with instructional technology, and providing support to faculty on the digital accessibility of their courses.

Carolyn Thomas joined the iSchool on September 16 as human resources manager. She will be working with the HR team to mentor and train, create efficiencies and streamline tasks, and provide an overall successful delivery of HR services to the iSchool community.

Desiree McMillion has joined the iSchool as director of undergraduate affairs. In her new position, she will provide leadership and strategic direction for the School's undergraduate degrees, the BS in Information Sciences (BSIS) and BS in Information Sciences + Data Science (BSIS+DS).

Professor Emerita Pauline Anna Blazina Atherton Cochrane passed away on July 29, 2024, at The Arthur Home, in Arthur, Illinois. 

Jiangping Chen assumed the position of interim executive associate dean and visiting professor on August 16. In this role, she will work closely with Dean Eunice E. Santos to realize the iSchool's strategic goals and objectives. She also will provide leadership for the internal administration of the School, including oversight for the work of associate deans and assigned staff as well as the coordination of faculty affairs. Chen's position will become permanent following approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Amira Al-Mutairi joined the iSchool last month as an academic advisor and coordinator of graduate affairs. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support for students in the MS in Information Management and MS in Bioinformatics programs. She will also be responsible for teaching Internship (IS 569).

Stacy Clemmons joined the iSchool this month as academic advisor and coordinator of graduate affairs. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support for students in the MS in Information Management and MS in Bioinformatics programs.

A new master's degree program offered through Game Studies and Design, an Informatics program hosted by the iSchool, will provide professional training for students who are interested in working in video game studios, game-adjacent industries, or other businesses where game-related skills are increasingly in demand. 

Gillian Gabriel joined the iSchool on June 3 as an office administrator - course scheduler. In this position, she will work with the Academic Affairs team to design the schedule and input it into Banner, work with Catalog Management and Section Scheduling (CMSS) to arrange classroom space, manage the final exam schedule, and coordinate with the bookstore on textbook orders.

Alexis Miller joined the iSchool on June 4 as an office manager. In this position, she will provide support to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and assist with various student affairs activities.