U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings of graduate professional schools of library and information science. GSLIS has once again been selected as number one, a position held by the School since the publication first started ranking library and information studies programs. Interim Dean Allen Renear said, “We’re very pleased that the GSLIS master’s program remains once…

GSLIS will host 14 prospective students on March 15 as part of the campus-wide Community of Scholars (COS) Campus Visit Program. The program brings admitted graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds to campus to meet with their academic programs and give them the opportunity to network with current and prospective students. GSLIS will welcome four doctoral students and ten master’s…

Walter Dean Myers, critically acclaimed author of children’s and young adult literature, will visit the Champaign area this month as part of his work as this year’s National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His visit, organized by the Children’s Book Council, is sponsored by the Center for Children’s Books (CCB) at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of…

On March 8-10, a national multidisciplinary graduate symposium, “The Collecting Impulse,” will feature presentations by GSLIS PhD student Noah Lenstra and alumni Penelope Yocum (MS '12) and Julia Pollack (MS '12). Assistant Professor Bonnie Mak will serve as the respondent. The symposium, hosted by students from the School of Art and Design at Illinois, will include paneled presentations of…

At the recent iConference, a group of GSLIS students and faculty earned an Honorable Mention award for their poster, "Identifying Claims in Social Science Literature." The group included doctoral student Shameem Ahmed, Associate Professor Catherine Blake, Assistant Professor Kate Williams, doctoral student Noah Lenstra, and master’s student Qiyuan Liu.The poster presented initial findings from…

Join GSLIS alumnus André Brock (PhD ’07) on Tuesday, February 19, from 3:00-4:30pm in GSLIS 126 as he presents, “Critical Cultural Informatics: Twitter and Black Discourse.” This presentation, sponsored by the GSLIS Inclusions and Exclusions Group and part of Black Geek Week, will be recorded and archived.Black Geek Week is a campus event highlighting the achievements of African Americans who…

Please join the Graduate School of Library and Information Science for the following activities during the 2013 iConference, including our reception on February 13 at Vidalias Restaurant in the Worthington Renaissance.WORKSHOPS “Filling the Workforce Gap in Data Science and Data Analytics” February 12, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Co-chairs include: GSLIS Associate Professor Catherine Blake “…

News From GSLIS at Illinois Faculty News Learn more about the HathiTrust Research Center The HathiTrust Research Center, a collaboration between the University of Illinois and Indiana University, is developing tools and cyberinfrastructure to help scholars with research using the HathiTrust Digital Library. Watch this video produced by the Center to learn more about its aims and to hear…

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, 2013. The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes an individual alumnus of GSLIS who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of…

GSLIS eUpdate Volume 12, Number 4: January 2013 The GSLIS eUpdate, published every other month, summarizes current news, events, alumni and advancement highlights, and continuing professional development opportunities. Other publications that may be of interest to alumni and friends are listed on the GSLIS Publications web page. ________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE 1. GSLIS…

Nicole Cooke, GSLIS assistant professor, will receive the 2013 Norman Horrocks Leadership Award given by the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). Cooke is being honored for her leadership in a variety of professional ALISE activities including her service on multiple committees including the Doctoral Student special interests group, the Diversity Task Force, and…

Twenty-nine GSLIS master’s students traveled to Champaign this month for the School’s first spring LEEP (online) cohort since 2001. The new spring admissions cycle allowed them to begin their studies in January, rather than waiting until the summer.Students visited campus from January 3-9, 2013, traveling from as far away as Minnesota, New York, and Louisiana as well as from various…

Safiya Noble (MS ’09, PhD ’12), GSLIS alumna and assistant professor of African-American Studies at Illinois, has been named an affiliated faculty member of GSLIS. Noble’s research interests include the socio-cultural, economic, and ethical implications of information with a specific focus on the intersection of race, gender, and technology. Noble found her way to academia after a twelve…

Join GSLIS faculty, staff, and students for a number of presentations and activities during the 2013 ALISE Conference. Awards and RecognitionsGSLIS faculty, staff, and students will be recognized during the ALISE Awards Reception to be held Thursday, January 24, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Seattle Public Library:Nicole Cooke, GSLIS assistant professor, will receive the 2013 Norman Horrocks…

Librotraficante is the 2012 recipient of the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award given by the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Librotraficante, a movement led by Tony Diaz, is being recognized for its efforts to oppose the censorship of ethnic and cultural studies materials in Arizona. In…

The University of Illinois Library has appointed Daniel Tracy (MS ’12) to the position of interim library and information science (LIS) and research support services librarian, effective January 1. Tracy’s position will involve functions both within the University Library and at GSLIS in order to support the needs of faculty and students. “I'm most looking forward to working with the…

In December, Associate Professor Terry Weech visited Enssib, France’s national school for information and librarianship, to talk to students, staff, and faculty about an exchange program with GSLIS. The program, which was recently authorized by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, is the formalization of a nearly 20-year informal collaborative relationship with Enssib (École…

Seven GSLIS doctoral students received support this fall to participate in the iSchool Doctoral Student Exchange Program, an initiative led by the iSchools Consortium and funded by the Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The program was developed as a way to facilitate relationships within the iSchools community, provide opportunities to present research, and…

The GSLIS eUpdate, published every other month, summarizes current news, events, alumni and advancement highlights, and continuing professional development opportunities. Other publications that may be of interest to alumni and friends are listed on the GSLIS Publications web page. _____________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE 1. GSLIS Spotlight – The Center for Digital…

News from GSLIS at IllinoisFaculty NewsEfron is principal investigator on NSF grant to improve search engine technologyGSLIS has received a grant from the National Science Foundation in the amount of $408,909 to investigate the role time plays in information retrieval, specifically in the use and functionality of search engines. Miles Efron, assistant professor, is the principal investigator on…