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.

A collaborative project of the iSchool's Center for Children's Books (CCB) and the National Park Service (NPS) has been honored by the Organization of American Historians. The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, which features the Books to Parks website, received the Stanton-Horton Award, which recognizes "excellence in National Park Service historical efforts that make the NPS a leader in promoting public understanding of and engagement with American history."

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 71 (4), edited by Lian J. Ruan and Shengping Xia. "Cultural Heritage and Digital Scholarship in China: Part II," explores the rich, diverse, and long history of China's cultural heritage and the innovative digital scholarship that is currently being utilized to study it. 

As part of Teaching Associate Professor Judith Pintar's Introduction to Information Sciences (IS 101) course, students are tasked with creating board games that teach various aspects of information science targeted to particular audiences. The students presented their creations on April 19 at the Game Studies and Design Spring 2024 Showcase. In addition to the game demonstrations, the event featured posters and presentations by students and faculty.

Teaching Assistant Professor and Workforce Development/Continuing Education Director David Hopping passed away on April 10. He is survived by his wife, Teaching Associate Professor Judith Pintar, two children, extended family, colleagues, and many beloved friends around the globe. 

For its educational programming and advocacy work in support of the right to read, the Missouri Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) has been named the 2023 recipient of the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The award is given annually by the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is co-sponsored by Sage, a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources.

The Champaign-Urbana (CU) Community Fab Lab Engagement Team has been selected as the recipient of the Campus Excellence in Public Engagement Team Award. The team will be honored on May 28 at a special event hosted by the Office of Public Engagement.