Wednesday February 11, 2026

Book Challenges and School Libraries

Leah Gregory (Illinois Heartland Library System) and Emily Pickell (Champaign School District 4) join the Center for Children's Books in a discussion about the ways Illinois school libraries have been impacted by the rise of book challenges and bans nationally. The panel will be introduced by Interim Dean and Professor Emily Knox. 

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• 

  Wang appointed associate dean for research

  Read the full story
• 

  Get to know Sneha Vyas, MSIM student

  Read the full story
• 

  Uba invited to share research at Net Inclusion 2026

  Read the full story
• 

  Bertrand finds community in the Marching Illini and the iSchool

  Read the full story
• Wednesday

  February 4

  Making an Artist’s Book Workshop with Ben Blount

  3:00 - 5:00 PM

  See the event details
• 

  iSchool recognizes 2025 PhD milestones

  Read the full story

Other recent news

ISAA seeks nominations for annual awards

January 28 2026

The iSchool Alumni Association (ISAA) is seeking nominations for three distinguished awards. The awards are given annually at the iSchool alumni reception held at the American Library Association conference. The deadline for nomination is April 1, 2026.

Haider joins academic affairs

January 27 2026

Iftikhar Haider has joined the academic affairs team as assistant director for experiential learning. In his position, he will collaborate directly with faculty, staff, students, and external partners to facilitate successful experiential learning in undergraduate, graduate, and online programs of the iSchool. 

Raji selected for IAPP Westin Scholar Award

January 26 2026

PhD student Mubarak Raji has been selected as an IAPP Westin Scholar Award honoree for the 2025-2026 academic year. The annual awards were created by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection. Honorees receive a $1,000 cash award; two years of membership with the IAPP; three complimentary exams for IAPP certifications (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT); and unlimited access to online training for the recipient's selected IAPP certification exams.

Knox authors new edition of Book Banning

January 15 2026

The second edition of Interim Dean and Professor Emily Knox's book, Book Banning in 21st Century America, was recently released by Bloomsbury. The first edition, published by Rowman & Littlefield (now Bloomsbury) in 2015, was the first monograph in the Beta Phi Mu Scholars' Series. The new edition examines 25 contemporary cases of book challenges in schools and public libraries across the United States and breaks down how and why reading practices can lead to censorship.