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Noble named MacArthur Fellow
INTERSECTIONS FALL 2021 Noble named MacArthur Fellow
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Internet studies and digital media scholar Safiya Noble (MS/LIS ’09, PhD ’12) has been named a 2021 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Noble, an associate professor in the Department of Gender Studies and African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is among 25 fellows who will each receive $625,000 in unrestricted support over the next five years.
MacArthur Fellows are selected for their creativity, originality, and potential. By providing resources without stipulations, the foundation offers the opportunity for fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions.
Noble’s research focuses on transforming our understanding of the ways digital technologies and internet architectures replicate and magnify discriminatory racial, gender, and power dynamics. Utilizing her expertise in the information sciences and in-depth knowledge of the intersections among culture, race, and gender, she explores how the artificial intelligence and algorithms underpinning technologies have real and negative impacts on the lives of vulnerable people, particularly women and girls of color.
Noble’s recent work includes Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (2018), in which she demonstrates how search engines exacerbate racist and sexist stereotypes about Black women as well as other racialized categories of women, including Asian and Latina girls. She details how bias embedded within search algorithms promotes disinformation, reduces the political and social agency of marginalized people, and can lead to realworld violence. Her contributions deepen an understanding of the technologies that shape the modern world and facilitate critical conversations regarding their potential harms. “It’s been wonderful to see the evergrowing impact of Professor Noble’s research, which began at the iSchool with her dissertation, ‘Searching for Black Girls: Old Traditions in New Media,’” said J. Stephen Downie, professor and associate dean for research. “Her work underscores the need to expose and then eliminate the prejudices and disinformation that are embedded within the digital technologies our society uses on a daily basis.”
In addition to her research, Noble works with engineers, executives, artists, and policymakers to think through the broader ramifications of how technology is built, deployed, and used in unfair ways. Her nonprofit community work to foster civil and human rights, the expansion of democracy, and intersectional racial justice is developing at The Equity Engine.
Noble also is co-founder of the newly established UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry, an interdisciplinary research center focused on the intersection of human rights, social justice, democracy, and technology. “We are so proud of Safiya and her contributions in this crucial area of research,” said Dean and Professor Eunice E. Santos. “She is a trailblazer in the field in every sense of the word, and her efforts represent a call to action for scholars and researchers in the field of information sciences as well as internet ethics and social computing.”
In addition to her appointment in the Department of Gender Studies and African American Studies, Noble holds an affiliate appointment in UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies. She is the coeditor of two additional books, The Intersectional Internet: Race, Sex, Class and Culture Online, and Emotions, Technology, and Design, and the “Commentary and Criticism” section of Feminist Media Studies. Her research has been published in The Scholar and Feminist Online, the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science (JELIS), and InVisible Culture.
In 2020, Noble was awarded the Distinguished Alumna Award from the iSchool Alumni Association (ISAA.)
2020 Diversity and Inclusion Award
Safiya Noble is the inaugural recipient of the Diversity and Inclusion Award, bestowed upon alumni by the University of Illinois Alumni Association (UIAA) on behalf of the University. This award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion through their professional and/ or voluntary achievements and whose accomplishments support the UIAA’s goal of promoting diversity, cross-culturalism, open-mindedness, and respect within the University of Illinois community and beyond.
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is very pleased to announce that Colin Rhinesmith, associate professor at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, is the 2021 recipient of the ASIS&T Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award. The award’s purposeis to recognize the unique teaching contribution of an individual as a teacher of information science.
Rhinesmith was selected as the winner from among a pool of outstanding candidates who were judged based on these criteria: evidence of sustained and unique contributions to teaching information science; impact on students, colleagues, and institutions; innovative and imaginative teaching materials and methods; professional association activities related to teaching excellence; research activities related to teaching excellence; and previous teaching awards.
Rhinesmith serves as director of the Community Informatics Lab in the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University. He is also the editorIn-chief of the Journal of Community Informatics. Rhinesmith’s research and teaching interests are focused on the social, community, and policy aspects of information and communication technology, particularly in areas related to digital equity and community technology. He is the principal investigator on a research project funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to investigate how advanced broadband measurement capabilities can support the infrastructure and services needed to respond to the digital demands of public library users across the U.S. Furthermore, he is affiliated with the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry as a member of its Scholars Council. Previously, Rhinesmith was a Google Policy Fellow and an Adjunct Research Fellow with New America’s Open Technology Institute. He was also a Faculty Research Fellow with the Benton Foundation and a Faculty Associate with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
In nominating Rhinesmith for this award, Sanda Erdelez, professor and director at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, wrote, “Professor Rhinesmith establishes a classroom environment that is intellectually stimulating, a direct result of the passion he holds for his research, and the respect he shows his students. Incorporating his own research and personal experiences into lectures and discussions, he offers his expertise in the subject area along with an openness to classroom dialogue, making even the most challenging of topics approachable. In this way, he exposes students to the nuanced ways that information technology can cause extraordinarily isolating conditions for marginalized communities. His rigorous focus on the tensions among digital equity, technology, and society transforms his courses from finite lecture experiences into an innovative, intersectional thought framework that students can continue to call upon in their professional lives.”
Upon learning of his selection as the 2021 ASIS&T Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award winner, Rhinesmith said, “I am incredibly honored to receive this year’s award, particularly during such an enormously challenging year. I am grateful to my students and colleagues at Simmons University for nominating me for this award and to the awards Committee for selecting me. Thank you also to ASIS&T for this wonderful recognition.”
Rhinesmith received his award at the 2021 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, October 29-November 2, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Adapted from an ASIS&T press release
Colin Rhinesmith (PhD ’14) joins seven iSchool individuals in receiving this prestigious award:
Michael Twidale, 2017 (faculty)
Michelle Kazmer, 2014 (PhD ’02)
Carole Palmer, 2013 (former faculty, PhD ’96)
Carol Tenopir, 1993 (PhD ’84)
Linda Smith, 1987 (faculty, MS/LIS ’72)
Pauline Atherton Cochrane, 1981 (former faculty)
F. Wilfrid Lancaster, 1980 (former faculty)
Wightman fights spread of misinformation by educating church congregations
Librarian Rachel Wightman (MS/LIS ’09) has spent her career teaching students to find information. Outside of her work as associate director for instruction and outreach at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, she is teaching church congregations how to spot and stop the spread of misinformation. For the past year, Wightman has been holding online training sessions for congregations across the country.
“We have access to so much information, and it’s so easy to share, like, and post that I think we’ve created an online space that thrives on misinformation,” said Wightman. “I’ve found that many church communities are experiencing the same divisions we’re seeing in other areas of our lives. I wanted to provide a space for people of faith to think about how their faith impacts their online behavior (or not) and a chance to possibly engage in kinder, more productive ways.”
Wightman’s workshops offer a mix of hands-on tools and examples along with plenty of time for discussion. She teaches participants how to understand the information landscape, evaluate information, and decide how to engage with information. “We need to acknowledge deeper motivations behind people’s informationseeking habits,” said Wightman. “Sometimes we teach information literacy skills as if people are in a vacuum. For example, lateral reading is a helpful tool, and teaching people to look up information about an author or creator before engaging with the content is beneficial. However, we need to acknowledge this is not part of our human nature. We don’t naturally slow down or fact-check. I think librarians can help normalize how difficult it is for people to do those things. Those skills come naturally to us because we use them every day, but for many people, it’s counterintuitive.”
Wightman has found that workshop participants are interested in not only having the tools to help them evaluate information but also being able to discuss strategies for talking with their loved ones who believe misinformation. “It’s been a really cool opportunity to connect my professional and personal lives. It has also been such a rewarding experience to hear people say, ‘I don’t fact-check everything the way you showed me, but I pause more before I share things online.’ None of us can fact-check everything or read every single article, but if I can give people tools to notice their behavior and be mindful, that seems like such a rewarding opportunity,” she said.
Find out more at racheliwightman.com.
Kathryn Harris named Illinois Library Luminary
Kathryn Harris (MS/LIS ’71), former director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, has been inducted as an Illinois Library Luminary. The Illinois Library Luminary program, an initiative of the Illinois Library Association (ILA), recognizes those who have made a significant contribution to Illinois libraries.
Harris joins a roster of more than 70 individuals in Illinois’ “library hall of fame.” She served as the director of library services at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield from 1990-2015. Prior to that, her experience includes stints at the Illinois State Library, Southern Illinois University, and the Lincoln Library. Since her retirement in 2015, Harris spends her time volunteering in the community, including portraying Harriet Tubman in vibrant reenactments. In February 2021, she received the Illinois Treasurer’s Office Black History Month Award for Outstanding Service in Arts and Humanity. She was recognized in 2020 by The State Journal-Register as the
First Citizen Award winner, an award that recognizes Springfield-area residents who give selflessly of their time and resources in service to others.
Harris has served on the Illinois Humanities Council, the Springfield mayor’s study circles on race, and the city’s zoning commission. She was the first African American and woman to be president of the Abraham Lincoln Association. She holds “distinguished alumnae” honors from the universities she attended and received the Webster plaque from the Springfield Branch NAACP. Anne Craig, executive director of the College and Research Libraries of Illinois consortium, who wrote the successful nomination, says, “Kathryn Harris is a tremendous force for good in Springfield, Illinois, her hometown for five decades. Her commitment to scholarship, especially the sharing of her remarkable research of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, is a continuation of her life’s work around history and exploration.”
Courtesy of the Illinois Library Association
Meet Rahul Chandran (MS/IM ’20), Product Manager at Yahoo!
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Visvesvaraya Technological University in India, Rahul Chandran joined Deloitte Consulting as a business technology analyst. It was there that he realized how much he enjoyed solving customers’ problems. This experience motivated Chandran to further his education in a master’s program that would best complement his professional goals.
Ultimately, Chandran chose the iSchool because it was a great fit for him. He appreciated that the MS in information management included several pathways, making the degree unique from other programs. “The iSchool’s curriculum offers a blend of courses, and there are many opportunities at the University of Illinois Research Park,” said Chandran, whose iSchool experience prepared him well for a successful career.
Chandran’s favorite class, Applied Business Research (IS 514), started his journey as a project manager. Taught by Associate Professor Yoo-Seong Song, this class focused on advanced techniques of business research by giving students hands-on experience with real-world clients. “The ABR course allowed me to learn how to recognize user’s problems, understand and predict the needs of my peers, and structure information into actionable insights,” said Chandran.
During his time in the class, Chandran worked with Song to introduce new tools and workflows to help make the student consultants more successful. “The unique experiences and appreciation from both clients and students brought tremendous exposure to the ABR course, nearly tripling the number of students who apply for the course,” he said.
Chandran is currently a product manager at Yahoo!, where he leads the analytical platforms for advertising partners and works on complex problems faced by their users. For Chandran, it is very exciting to collaborate with different teams, synthesize user’s needs, and build innovative solutions. “I feel extremely satisfied building and witnessing all our products being loved by customers. I also had an opportunity to file two patents for our work and complete several publications,” said Chandran. “I am particularly happy with my decision to earn my MS/IM from the iSchool, which allowed me to completely tailor my degree according to my needs and interests.”
His advice to students is to have an end goal in mind and to keep their focus on courses and external organizations that complement that goal.
When Chandran is not working, he plays soccer with friends, reads, and writes his ideas and views at rrahulchandran.com.
INTERSECTIONS FALL 2021 Lee-Smeltzer Scholarship to support future academic librarians
Anew scholarship in the iSchool will support students who are interested in pursuing a career in academic libraries. Thomas Wilson established the KuangHwei “Janet” Lee-Smeltzer Scholarship Fund in honor of his wife, Janet, who passed away on November 28, 2015.
Lee-Smeltzer (MS/LIS ’93) had a distinguished career in librarianship, working in academic and public libraries in several states. At the time of her death, she served as head of Cataloging and Metadata Services at The University of Alabama (UA) Libraries in Tuscaloosa. An active member of the American Library Association (ALA), Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), and Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Lee-Smeltzer served on many committees over the years. She received the ALA’s Samuel Lazerow Fellowship for Research in Acquisitions or Technical Services in an Academic or Research Library and was selected to participate in the ACRL Leadership and Career Development Program and the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute.
Lee-Smeltzer held a BA in library science from Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei, Taiwan; MS in education from Southern Illinois University; and MS in library and information science from the University of Illinois. According to Wilson, the education of future library and information science (LIS) professionals was important to his wife, who was actively engaged in giving back to her alma mater through mentoring UIUC students.
She was also a champion of diversity in LIS, coediting a book on the subject, Diversity Now: People, Collections, and Services in Academic Libraries, with Teresa Y. Neely. Preference for the new scholarship will be given to students that contribute to the diversity of the iSchool’s student body. “We both spent most of our library careers in academic libraries,” said Wilson, professor and associate dean of UA Libraries. “Janet was a consummate cataloger and manager and supported a more diverse profession. I wish to continue that support and make possible careers in academic librarianship for members of underrepresented populations. Librarianship was a shared love of ours— we wanted to ensure its future.”
Belcher Scholarship honors mother’s commitment to LIS education
When Lucille Belcher applied to the Graduate School of Library Science (now the iSchool) in the 1960s, she was met with some uncertainty, or at least concern, regarding her ability to complete the program. After all, Belcher was a middle-aged housewife and mother, and at that time, there weren’t many women of her age and situation heading back to college.
“Before she could be admitted to the program, she had to interview with the chair of the School, about her educational goals and if she could manage this as a forty-something housewife with a husband and a family,” recalled Belcher’s daughter, Mary Lu Bretsch. “‘This is a very serious business,’ he lectured her. Oh, she was quite serious, she assured him.”
Belcher’s commitment paid off, and after earning her MS in library and information science in 1966, she went on to work as a librarian for the DelandWeldon School District in Piatt County, Illinois, for almost twenty years.
“We take pride in Mom’s perseverance when it came to getting her education,” said Belcher’s younger daughter, JoAnne Ramirez.
Belcher paused her undergraduate studies during World War II, in order to get married and start a family. Later, when her husband Lowell received two job offers in Illinois—one in Mascoutah and the other in Monticello—they chose Monticello, so she could finish her education at the University of Illinois.
Both sisters remember their mother telling them that she knew she wanted to be a librarian from the first time she went to her local library at the age of four. Like her mother, Bretsch’s love of libraries and path toward becoming a librarian started early.
“I used to play ‘Library’ as a young child. All of the books in my parents’ two living room bookcases contained little squares of paper that simulated the book checkout cards with the title of the book at the top and columns for the date due,” she said.
Bretsch followed in her mother’s footsteps, earning her MS/LIS from the U of I in 1975, then spending most of her career as a librarian for the high schools in Belleville, Illinois. Over the years, she and her mother have both developed and served in their church libraries, Belcher in the Monticello United Methodist Church and Bretsch at her church in Belleville, where she still volunteers. “I always loved my job as a librarian. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t look forward to going to work,” she said. “Mother was retired then, and she would come and visit my library, where she helped with cataloging, handing out and retrieving periodicals, taking inventory, etc.”
A few years ago, the sisters decided to create a scholarship fund at the iSchool to honor their mother’s perseverance in earning her LIS degree and acknowledge the role of the School in preparing mother and daughter for rewarding careers as librarians. The Lucille H. Belcher Scholarship supports students from Piatt and central Illinois counties who are interested in school or public librarianship. Ramirez noted that she personally knows the first two scholarship recipients, because they are from Monticello, where she lives. “My parents created the means to support a scholarship; we’re blessed with the fruits of their labor. I believe they both would be proud and humbled to see what their hard work and ideals ultimately achieved,” said Ramirez. “Mom would be so happy to help others who share her love of the library turn that into a career.”
INTERSECTIONS FALL 2021 iSchool surpasses goalfor “With Illinois” campaign
The iSchool has surpassed its $20 million goal in the “With Illinois” campaign, the Urbana campus’ most ambitious fundraising effort to date. Gifts toward “With Illinois” will continue until June 30, 2022. The School’s priorities for the campaign are to offer an accessible education, enrich the student experience, and provide faculty support.
“With the help of our alumni, friends, research partners, faculty, and staff, we have not only met but exceeded our campaign goal. Thank you all for your contributions large and small—they made a difference. It has been my pleasure to assist you with your desire to give to the iSchool,” said Diana Stroud, who served as assistant dean for advancement and alumni affairs, coordinating the School’s involvement in the “Brilliant Futures” and “With Illinois” campaigns.
New funds established during the current campaign include the following: • Nancy and Dan Balz Scholarship • Midwest Services Scholarship • Ginny Murray Scholarship • Laura M. and Paladuga V. Rao Scholarship • Raymond L. and Barbara O. Slanker iSchool Fund • Selma Richardson Scholarship • School of Information Sciences Class of ’75 Scholarship • Kuang-Hwei “Janet” Lee Smeltzer Scholarship
In addition, thanks to a gift from the Beta Phi Mu Alpha Chapter, the School has a new award, the Kathryn Luther and William T Henderson Award, which will be given to a student who demonstrates a record of service through professional activities. “As a doctoral student, I was fortunate to receive the Josie B. Houchens Fellowship,” said Michèle Cloonan (MS/LIS ’84, PhD ’88), who serves as chair of the iSchool’s campaign committee. “Houchens was a librarian and adjunct faculty member who left money to the iSchool, and in so doing gave students a lasting legacy. It occurred to me when I received the fellowship that I could do the same thing! She and the other women for whom fellowships are named at Illinois have inspired me to give unto others as they have given to me.” The School has received over $7 million in support from alumni in the “With Illinois” campaign. Several existing funds received major gifts during this period, including the iSchool Annual Fund, Endowed Chair in Libraries and the Information Professions, Linda C. Smith Doctoral Fund, Harold Ladd Smith Jr. and Flora Lancaster Smith Endowment, Mildred M. Luther and Kathryn Luther Henderson Fellowship, Mildred M. Luther and Kathryn Luther Henderson Professorship, Susan F. and Clifford H. Haka Fund, and Molly Dolan Travel Fund. “Our students, faculty, and staff have benefited from the generosity of our donors. We are not done—there is still one more year to make a gift during this campaign,” said Stroud.
For more information about supporting the iSchool, please contact Eileen Prillaman at prillamn@illinois.edu or (217) 333-7344.
Prillaman joins the iSchool Advancement Office
Eileen Prillaman joined the iSchool on October 18 as assistant dean for advancement. In her new role, she will lead and manage a comprehensive advancement strategy. She will engage alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations in support of the School’s vision, mission, and goals.
Prillman served as director of stewardship and donor relations for the U of I College of Fine and Applied Arts from 2017 to 2021. During this time, she developed a stewardship and donor relations program, started a student ambassador program, and managed financial operations in accordance with gift accounts. Prillaman joined the University in 2011 as a regional director of development, building relationships with major and principal gift donors in the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to joining the University, Prillaman spent 25 years in leadership and managerial roles in the private sector. “I am excited about the opportunity to work with the dynamic team at the iSchool,” said Prillaman. “I look forward to building upon the accomplishments of the advancement office, while creating engagement and philanthropic opportunities. It is so rewarding to build meaningful connections with alumni, friends, and corporate partners that will enhance and support the mission of our School.”
Prillaman holds a Master of Education in human resource development from the University of Illinois and a BS in biological sciences with a minor in business management from Eastern Illinois University.
Leave a Legacy
There are a number of ways to give to the School of Information Sciences. These include short- and long-term options. The iSchool Advancement Office is happy to work with you to determine which option best fits your needs.
If you would like to designate your estate gift for a particular use or gift fund within the School, please contact Eileen Prillaman in the iSchool Advancement Office, (217) 333-7344, prillamn@illinois.edu, to obtain further information to ensure that your wishes are carried out.
Leave your Legacy by using this language in your will/trust or on IRA or other beneficiary forms:
“I leave (e.g. % of estate, $ amount, residue) to the University of
Illinois Foundation, an Illinois nonprofit corporation (37-6006007), to be used for the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.”
For more information about giving to the iSchool, or to make a gift, visit go.ischool.illinois.edu/give.
DECADE: 2020s
Joann Bosas (MS/LIS ’20) is the youth services librarian at the Franklin Park Public Library. Gillian Dubin (MS/LIS ’20) moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to begin working on site as the special collections and metadata librarian at the American Printing House for the Blind. Tanya Gupta (MS/IM ’21) has started a job as business technology solutions associate in the Philadelphia office of ZS Associates.
DECADE: 2010s
In June, Tegan Beese (MS/LIS ’18) started as teen services librarian at Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library in Ankeny, Iowa. Katie Blakeman (MS/LIS ’11) has been elected president of the Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees. Katie Chamberlain (MS/LIS ’10) teaches online courses at the iSchool and was included on the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Students for Spring 2021. In July, Zachariah Claybaugh (MS/LIS ’15) is the student success librarian at the University of Connecticut, where he advocates for and facilitates the use of open educational resources on campus. Jarrett Dapier (MS/LIS ’15) has published a children’s book called Mr. Watson’s Chickens. Hailley Fargo (MS/LIS ’16) is the head of education and outreach services at the W. Frank Steely Library at Northern Kentucky University. Brian Flota (MS/LIS ’13) coauthored the article, “Re-imagining (black) comic book cataloguing: increasing accessibility through metadata at one university library,” with Steven Holloway (MS/LIS ’13) and Justina Kaiser, in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. Patti Gibbons (MS/LIS ’10) coauthored a library science textbook, Exhibits and Displays: A Practical Guide for Librarians, published by Rowman & Littlefield. Sam Helmick (MS/LIS ’12), community and access coordinator at the Iowa City (IA) Public Library, has been elected to serve on the ALA Executive Board. Rebecca Hodson (MS/LIS ’13), assistant director of career services at the iSchool, was interviewed by American Libraries for the article, “The Library Employment Landscape.” Megan Jackson (MS/LIS ’17) is the youth services supervisor at the Kathryn Linnemann branch of the St. Charles City-County Library system in Missouri. Ellen Janowski (MS/IM ’18) started a new role at Invenergy LLC as a senior analyst in knowledge management. Annie Larson (MS/LIS ’15) recently accepted the position of humanities librarian at the College of Saint Benedict & Saint John’s University. Monique Lassere (MS/LIS ’17) presented “Translating Bits: Maintaining (Born-)Digital Heritage” as part of Syracuse University Libraries’ annual Brodsky Series for the Advancement of Library Conservation. Sarah Lindenbaum (MS/LIS ’13) published the article, “Memorializing the Everyday: The Evidence of the Final Decade of Frances Wolfreston’s Life,” in The Seventeenth Century (August 2, 2021). Lainie Miller (MS/LIS ’18) is now the collection development librarian for adult materials for Colorado’s Jefferson County Public Library system. Jordan Neal (MS/LIS ’17) has been elected director-at-large of the Illinois Library Association. Erica Parker (MS/LIS ’15) recently accepted a position as manager of adult programming at the New York Public Library. Catheryne Popovitch (MS/LIS ’11) was awarded the 2021 Rising Star Award from the Council of State Archivists. She also became the first recipient of the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators Emerging Leader Award. Naomi Sandler (MS/LIS ’12) has started a new job as a junior salesforce developer at NextStep in Seattle, Washington. Yasmeen Shorish (MS/LIS ’11), head of scholarly communications at James Madison University, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) as a director-atlarge. Joella Travis (MS/LIS ’18) recently celebrated two years as the youth services librarian at Rantoul (IL) Public Library. Jeanette Wallace (MS/LIS ’17) has been named the new director of the Winchester (IL) Public Library. Paul Wheelhouse (MS/LIS ’16) is selfemployed and the owner of A USA PPP LLC as well as the publisher of five book titles, mainly under the imprint name of Wheel House Publications. Sherry Williams (MS/LIS ’19), president and founder of the Bronzeville Historical Society, has received the MOSAIC Award from the Chicago Cultural Alliance in the category of Outstanding Community Leader. Elizabeth York (MS/LIS ’14) has published an article, “Eden in Sin City: Adapting for the Musical Theater Body in Takarazuka Revue’s Ocean’s 11,” in Dance Chronicle.
DECADE: 2000s
Jeanie Austin (MS/LIS ’09, PhD ’17) and coauthor Chelsea Jordan-Makely published an article, “Outside and In: Services for People Impacted By Incarceration,” in Library Journal. André Brock, Jr. (PhD ’07) has received the 2021 Nancy Baym Book Award from the Association of Internet Researchers for his book, Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures (NYU Press, 2020). He and Samip Mallick (MS/LIS ’11) have been selected to serve on the advisory board for the Connecting Communities Digital Initiative, a key component of the new initiative Of the People: Widening the Path at the Library of Congress. Tamela (James) Chambers (MS/LIS ’05) is now the branch manager at the Beverly Branch Library in Chicago. Brian Conn (MS/LIS ’09) was featured by American Libraries in the article, “Serving Those Who Have Served,” on June 27, 2021. Kelly Czarnecki (MS/LIS ’02) is the 20212022 president of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). She coauthored Connecting Teens with Technology at the Library, which was recently published by Rowman and Littlefield.
Christine D’Arpa (MS/LIS ’06, PhD ’17)
and Caroline Nappo (MS/LIS ’08, PhD ’15) copresented “The Chicago Public Library Omnibus Project: Reappraising the Literature of Library Work and the WPA” at the Library History Seminar XIV in June.
Aaron J. Enright (MS/LIS ’03) is enjoying his eighteenth year at Wolfram Research & WolframAlpha, where he was recently named senior information scientist. Fiona Griswold (MS/LIS ’09) recently returned to Illinois from Louisiana to assume the role of librarian at Alton (IL) High School. Margaret Heller (MS/LIS ’08), digital services librarian at Loyola University Chicago, has been elected as the 2021-22 president-elect of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, a division of the ALA. Martha Kyrillidou (PhD ’09), research associate at the iSchool, has been engaged by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to lead a feasibility study for transferring the Academic Library survey from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System/National Center for Education Statistics to the IMLS. Sarah Miller (MS/LIS ’06) started a new position as research services librarian and assistant professor at the University of Dayton in July. Elizabeth D. Muller (MS/LIS ’08) began a new position as assistant director for special collections processing at the New York Public Library. Mark Newton (MS/LIS ’07) began serving as the University Librarian ad interim at Boston University in July. Cathy Ritchie (CAS ’00) is a blog contributor to Public Libraries Online, focusing on bookrelated topics and recommendations. Michael Robak (MS/LIS ’01) contributed a chapter to the open textbook for LIS courses, Legal Issues in Libraries and Archives. Alec Sonsteby (MS/LIS ’05), chair in the Department of Library and Information Services at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was promoted to the rank of full professor. Janet Vogel (MS/LIS ’08) is the library director for Hiram College.
DECADE: 1990s
Judith Currano (MS/LIS ’99) was named a 2020 Fellow of the American Chemical Society. Heather Jagman (MS/LIS ’96) has been elected president-elect of the Illinois Library Association. Chad Kahl (MS/LIS ’98) has started a new position as a data services librarian at Illinois State University’s Milner Library in Normal. At the end of June, Loring Prest (MS/LIS ’97) retired from Manderino Library at California University of Pennsylvania, where he served as full professor and spent nine years as department chair. Jennifer E. Sweda (MS/LIS ’94) recently accepted the position of editor of the Books and Proceedings for the Web of Science database (Clarivate) in Philadelphia. Lynne M. Thomas (MS/LIS ’99) has been selected as a finalist for a 2021 World Fantasy Award in the Special Award–Non-Professional category. She was selected for her work with Uncanny Magazine, alongside her husband, Michael Damian Thomas.
DECADE: 1980s
Fred Jenkins (MS/LIS ’86) is retiring as associate dean for collections and operations after 34 years at the University of Dayton Libraries. Elizabeth Van Jacob (MS/LIS ’88) retired as director of library services at Ivy Tech Community College at South Bend/Elkhart in September. Karen Wells (MS/LIS ’80) retired from her position as senior director of system library services for Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Healthcare System in June.
DECADE: 1970s
Virginia Carden (MS/LIS ’77) retired from Duke University Medical Center Library in August, following 35 years of service. In March, Beth Christensen (MS/LIS ’77) was awarded the Music Library Association Citation for a lifetime of “expert professional practice, insightful scholarship, and generous service.” Linda Houle (MS/LIS ’70), a retired junior high media center director/technology facilitator, is a part-time content curator for LiveBinders.com. Sharon Michalove (MS/LIS ’75) released her debut romantic-suspense novel, At First Sight, in October. Elizabeth Griggs Shuler (MS/LIS ’79) retired from Selmaville School in Salem, Illinois, after 34 1/2 years as a librarian and classroom teacher. Laura Cameron Spencer (MS/LIS ’78) is retiring after 34 years in Technical Services at the James V. Brown Public Library in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Michael Widener (MS/LIS ’74) has digitally published his first novel, Fishbein, Ascending. He retired from law practice and public officialdom in 2021. Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson (MS/LIS ’78) retired as vice provost for digital initiatives and dean of university libraries at the University of Washington in June.
DECADE: 1960s Mohamed M. El Hadi (MS/LIS ’60, PhD ’64)
recently published two books in the Arabic language about the data revolution and artificial intelligence and their impact on societal and economic development.
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Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations School of Information Sciences
501 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820 ischool-advancement@illinois.edu (217) 300-5746 ischool.illinois.edu/engage/alumni
Associate Professor and Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Emily Knox and Associate Professor Kyungwon Koh received a $100,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for a project to develop an initial framework and future toolkit for measuring the impact and value of public library makerspaces in the lives of users and the communities that libraries serve.
Utilizing artificial intelligence to address agricultural challenges
Associate Professor Jingrui He is one of the researchers involved in the new Artificial Intelligence for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management, and Sustainability (AIFARMS) Institute at the University of Illinois. The National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program, a joint effort between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), recently awarded the University $20 million for the institute.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded Associate Professor Jingrui He a two-year, $319,568 grant to study how to mitigate the risk of foreign influence on news media by developing algorithms and software tools to detect, predict, generate, and understand disinformation dissemination.
Reducing the spread of retracted science
Assistant Professor Jodi Schneider’s research on reducing the spread of retracted science, funded through a $174,981 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, was shared in a case study published in a special issue on scholarly literature mining in Scientometrics and in an online workshop, Reducing the Inadvertent Spread of Retracted Science (RISRS2020).
Digitizing astrophysical literature
Teaching Assistant Professor Jill Naiman received a $506,912 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to digitize predigital scientific literature. The project is a collaboration with Harvard University and the Astrophysics Data System (ADS), a digital library portal operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) under a NASA grant. With over 15 million records, ADS is one of the most important archives in the scientific field of astronomy.
Anita Nikolich, director of research and technology innovation and research scientist, is the principal investigator of a $3 million project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). FABRIC Across Borders (FAB) will expand FABRIC, a project to build the nation’s largest cyberinfrastructure testbed and accelerate scientific discovery by creating networks to seamlessly and securely move vast amounts of data across oceans and time zones.
Identifying privacy measures in public libraries
Associate Professor Masooda Bashir received a $150,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to identify the existence and absence of privacy protecting technologies in public library systems, determining adherence to American Library Association (ALA) digital privacy guidelines. Associate Professor Yang Wang serves as key project staff.
Professor and Associate Dean for Research J. Stephen Downie and Professor Michael Twidale are coinvestigators for InterMusE, a collaboration with partners at the University of Illinois Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and colleagues across the United Kingdom. Funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, the project will preserve the history of live musical performances and the relationship between live music and communities by developing an online archive of musical events.
Analyzing digital collections for marginalized texts and communities
The HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC), cohosted at Indiana University and codirected by Professor and Associate Dean for Research J. Stephen Downie, received a $500,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop new methods for creating and analyzing digital collections. In collaboration with the University of Kansas, the project will focus on content related to historically under-resourced and marginalized texts and communities.
Creating a digital health solution for promoting COVID-19 vaccination
A new project led by Assistant Professor Jessie Chin aims to develop a “Motivational-Interviewing Conversational Agent (MintBot)” for increasing COVID-19 vaccination among vulnerable populations, especially those with compromised health conditions. The project is funded through a $74,992 grant from Jump ARCHES, a partnership between OSF HealthCare and the U of I’s Grainger College of Engineering and College of Medicine in Peoria.
Empowering youth to build health data literacy skills
Assistant Professor Rachel M. Magee, Professor Catherine Blake, and Associate Professor Jana Diesner received funding from the Office of the Provost and U of I Extension to build on existing Illinois 4-H ambassadors and advocate models to create a Health Data Literacy Ambassadors program, which will empower youth as change agents and build connections and new partnerships.
Associate Professor Jana Diesner is a member of a research team that received a $1 million, three-year grant from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany) for the collaborative project, “TextTransfer: Assessing Impact Patterns in Research Texts Applying Corpus Driven Methods.” The main goal of this project is to advance, validate, and apply methods to study the impact of research on society at large across different dimensions of possible impact of science on people. The team also is developing and validating new taxonomies and methods for this purpose.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Assistant Professor Nigel Bosch a three-year, $987,015 grant to study potential biases in K-12 mathematics adaptive learning software related to the identities expressed by students.
HathiTrust Research Center Associate Director Glen Worthey was one of the first recipients of new grant funding to advance digital scholarship in cultural institutions. His project, AEOLIAN (Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Organizations) will bring together a team of experts to develop and examine new approaches—particularly artificial intelligence and machine learning—for improving access to and use of digital collections that are currently restricted due to privacy concerns or copyright protection. It is a collaboration with Loughborough University in the UK and led by the HathiTrust Research Center, which is cohosted by the iSchool.
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New space for iSchool iSchool adds new space expansion
This architectural rendering of Hub Champaign Daniel at 614 E. Daniel Street illustrates the view from the corner of 6th and Daniel Streets. The building, which is nearing completion, will provide additional space for the iSchool on the 4th and 5th floors. The School will retain its current location at 501 E. Daniel.
This fall, our School expanded into the fourth and fifth floors of the new Hub Champaign Daniel building, located on the corner of 6th and Daniel Streets. The new location added significant space beyond what our main location at 5th and Daniel can provide for our growing faculty, staff, and student body. It features collaborative study and research areas, conference rooms, and open spaces for gatherings as well as faculty and staff offices.
