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Batista gift to support iSchool and University Library
When planning their estate, Emily (MS/LIS ’77) and David (MS/LIS ’83) Batista wanted to give back to the university that prepared them for their successful careers as librarians. For this reason, the Batistas’ $1.2 million estate gift to the University of Illinois will be directed to the iSchool and University Library.
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“We have no children, so when we began to discuss our estate planning, we agreed to split our joint assets between the University of Illinois and Iowa State University,” said Emily, who earned her bachelor’s degree in German from Iowa State before earning her MS/LIS from Illinois. “We both enjoyed our careers as librarians, and we both felt strongly about the importance of the academic library within the university. Our education at Illinois was a great foundation for our successful careers.”
After graduating with her MS/LIS, Emily worked as a reference librarian in a public library in the Chicago suburbs. She was quickly promoted to assistant director and managed the library’s conversion to automated circulation. After two years, she accepted a position at another library, where she managed their move to online circulation. This experience prompted her return to the University of Illinois, where she earned her MBA, majoring in management information systems, and David, who held a JD, pursued his MS/LIS.
The couple moved from Illinois to St. Paul, Minnesota, where David worked as a law librarian, and Emily worked at the State Law Library. Soon after, they moved to Philadelphia, where both accepted positions with the University of Pennsylvania—David with the Biddle Law Library and Emily with the Lippincott Library of the Wharton School of Business.
“I started at Penn as a business reference librarian at the Lippincott Library, but after three years, I was promoted to the head of circulation of the main library, where I, once again, managed the transition from one circulation system to another,” said Emily.
She worked at Penn for 37 years in a variety of roles, including interim director of library systems, head of resource sharing services, and head of access services. Since her retirement in 2021, Emily has enjoyed traveling, exploring Philadelphia with her walking club, sewing quilts, reading with her book clubs, and following the Philadelphia Phillies. David left Penn in 1990 for Rutgers Law School-Camden, where he obtained tenure as an associate professor and served as the faculty research services librarian. He passed away from cancer in 2018.
The iSchool fund created by the Batistas’ estate gift will support faculty, staff, and graduate student professional development.
“We wanted to support the program that gave us our opportunities to become librarians and also to support the University Library because we believed in its mission,” said Emily. “We both worked in the library at different points in our education and know that the University of Illinois has one of the premier libraries in the country as well as the top information program. Libraries and librarians are more vital than ever, and it’s important to support the institutions that educate our future leaders.”
DECADE: 1960s
Rebecca (Becky) Wetzel (MS/LIS ’69) passed away on September 23, 2022.
DECADE: 1970s
Ruth Van Kirk (MS/LIS ’72) passed away on May 3, 2022.
DECADE: 1980s
After 35 years working as a freelance indexer, Virgil P. Diodato (PhD ’81) is volunteering in medical services.
Ann-Marie Horcher (MS/LIS ’81) joined Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, as an associate professor in computer science and the program lead for developing the new cybersecurity program. Mary Kirby Johnson (MS/LIS ’81) retired from her position as adjunct reference and instruction librarian at Rogue Community College in White City, Oregon, in June 2020. Beth McNeil (MS/LIS ’89) is president-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). Carol Tenopir (PhD ’84) retired after 27 years as a professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Mark Tucker (PhD ’83) co-edited, with Mark McCallon, The Academic Library in the United States: Historical Perspectives.
DECADE: 1990s
Nancy Driscoll Bishop (MS/LIS ’90) passed away on July 12, 2022. Paul Cauthen (MS/LIS ’91) retired from the University of Cincinnati in 2020 as assistant music librarian emeritus.
Anita Coleman (PhD ’96) authored a chapter in Collection Development in Theological Libraries. Melanie Kimball (MS/LIS ’98, PhD ’03), associate professor at Simmons University, has received the University Award for Service from Simmons.
Jennifer Erica Sweda (MS/LIS ’94) is an editorial specialist for Merck. Lynne M. Thomas (MS/LIS ’99) was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine for Uncanny Magazine. Alex Todd (MS/LIS ’95) has been elected to the Illinois Library Association (ILA) Executive Board.
DECADE: 2000s
Jenny Benevento (MS/LIS ’05) wrote a literature review for the new book, Stuck? Diagrams Help. The Missoula (MT) Public Library has named its newly expanded People’s Terrace in honor of its retired director, Honore Bray (MS/LIS ’05). Olha Buchel (MS/LIS ’01) is a postdoctoral researcher at the New England Complex Systems Institute.
Katherine Chandler (MS/LIS ’06) is assistant professor, special collections cataloger, at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. Eric Edwards (MS/LIS ’06) is president-elect of Health Science Librarians of Illinois (HSLI) and vice-chair/chair-elect of the ACRL Chapters Council.
Joshua Finnell (MS/LIS ’07) was promoted to full professor in the University Libraries at Colgate University. In November, Diane Foote (MS/LIS ’06) retired as executive director of the ILA.
Beth German (MS/LIS ’09) is the assistant director for assessment and user experience at the Princeton University Library. Kevin Hawkins (MS/LIS ’03) is program director for the Opioid Industry Documents Archive. Kate Fultz Hollis (MS/LIS ’04) works for the medical school at Oregon Health and Science University. She co-edited the 8th edition of Health Informatics.
Lindsay King (MS/LIS ’08) is head of the Bowes Art and Architecture Library at Stanford University. Stacey Knight-Davis (MS/LIS ’01) has received the President’s Award from HSLI.
Martin Kong (MS/LIS ’05) is a library services coordinator for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois.
Roman Koshykar (MS/LIS ’01) is the engineering, technology, and sustainability librarian at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Lisa Mackinder (nee Sibert) (MS/LIS ’07) is assistant director of systemwide licensing and collection services for the California Digital Library. Sarah McHone-Chase (MS/LIS ’05) has been elected vice-president/president-elect of the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries (IACRL). Amanda McLellan (MS/LIS ’08) is director of Thomas Library at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. Caroline Nappo (MS/LIS ’08, PhD ’15) and Edward Remus (MS/LIS ’10) co-presented at the Heterodox Academy’s annual conference. Safiya Noble (MS/LIS ’09, PhD ’12) will receive the Privacy Champion Award from the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Scott Reece (MS/LIS ’06) is the e-resources librarian at Central New Mexico Community College. Colin Rhinesmith (PhD ’04) is the founder and director of the Digital Equity Research Center at the Metropolitan New York Library Council.
DECADE: 2010s
Jess Alexander (MS/LIS ’13) received the Youth Services Librarian of the Year Award from the ILA.
Mary Baker (MS/LIS ’16) was promoted to lead at Bain & Company. Treasa Bane (MS/LIS ’17) is the copyright and scholarly communications librarian at Washington University in St. Louis. Alyson Bell (MS/LIS ’16) is associate director of advancement for stewardship and donor relations for the University of Illinois Library. Sara Benson (MS/LIS ’17) received the 2022 Outstanding Public Engagement Award from the University of Illinois Library. Stefanie Borntreger (MS/LIS ’17) is senior LMS applications administrator at Brandeis University. Emily Bruce (Adams) (MS/LIS ’17) is the high school media specialist at Lincoln High School in Vincennes, Indiana. Ben Chiewphasa (MS/LIS ’19) is the social sciences and policy librarian at Columbia University in New York City. Jarrett Dapier (MS/LIS ’15) was elected to the board of trustees of the Freedom to Read Foundation of the American Library Association. His new picture book, The Most Haunted House in America was published by Abrams Kids.
Carla Dinnocenzo (MS/LIS ’15) is assistant department head of youth and teen services at the Palos Heights (IL) Public Library. Julia Erlanger (MS/LIS ’14) co-authored the book, LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Children’s Librarianship: Policies, Programs, and Practices. Itzel Jihan (MS/LIS ’19) is data governance lead at Jobcase, Inc. EvaAnne Johnson (MS/LIS ’18) was recognized for her role in the creation, design, and completion of a new library at the Starhill Forest Arboretum.
Dustin Kelley (MS/LIS ’18) is a research and instruction librarian at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. Kristin Lansdown (MS/LIS ’19) is librarian and IDEA coordinator at DePaul University. Ashley Long (MS/LIS ’19) is the recipient of the 2022 American Association of School Librarians Frances Henne Award.
Katie MacKendrick (MS/LIS ’18) is a catalog and metadata librarian at the Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver (CO) Public Library. Mark McCarthy (MS/IM ’18) is lead quality assurance engineer at AITS. KatieRose McEneely (MS/LIS ’12) is an information delivery and technology analyst at Abbott.
Jhani Miller (MS/LIS ’15) has received ACRL Membership Funding for BIPOC Library Workers. Valerie Moore (MS/LIS ’19) has received the James M. Matarazzo Rising Star Award from the Special Libraries Association. Gail Murray (MS/LIS ’15) is the electronic resources management librarian at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. In May 2022, Sarah Nagle (MS/LIS ’15) published Innovation and Experiential Learning in Academic Libraries with co-editor Elias Tzoc.
Christina Norton (MS/LIS ’14) has been elected secretary of IACRL. Hillary Rains (MS/LIS ’14) is the community engagement manager at Lincoln Library, the public library of Springfield, Illinois. Kathy Reiser (MS/LIS ’14) is a columnist for The News-Gazette, a daily newspaper serving eleven counties in the eastern portion of Central Illinois.
Allison Riggs (MS/LIS ’18) has received the Young Adult Library Professional of the Year Award from the ILA.
Kate Rojas (MS/LIS ’14) is the courseware support specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Mikki Smith (PhD ’17) is a medical librarian forGuthrie, based at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania. Stacey Smith (MS/LIS ’15) is a senior DAM manager for Walmart. Janet Swatscheno (MS/LIS ’14) is the digital scholarship librarian/associate director of outreach and education at HathiTrust Research Center.
Christinna Swearingen (MS/LIS ’19) is serving on the Council for Library and Network Development to improve library services in Wisconsin.
Lydia Tang (MS/LIS ’15) has been elected to a three-year Council term with the Society of American Archivists.
Kelli Trei (MS/LIS ’12) is vice-chair of the Biodiversity Heritage Library Executive Committee.
Angela Vetsch (MS/LIS ’14) is library director at Rodney A. Briggs Library at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
DECADE: 2020s
Kadet Alaks (MS/LIS ’21) is technical education and applied arts librarian at the College of DuPage. María del Carmen Cifuentes (MS/LIS ’22) is an adult services specialist/DOJ accredited representative at Addison (IL) Public Library. Zhaneille Green (MS/LIS ’21) has been selected as an Innovation Fellow by ITHAKA. Rebecca Greenlee (MS/LIS ’21) is the community library co-coordinator for the Education Justice Project. Connor Monson (MS/LIS ’21) serves as manager of the Champaign County History Museum in Illinois.
Fernanda Schaefer (MS/LIS ’20) is manager, enterprise metadata and taxonomy at NBCUniversal.
Olivia Warren (MS/LIS ’21) is the program coordinator for Allerton Park and Retreat Center, which is owned by the U of I. Hollis Wittman (MS/LIS ’21) is the metadata and music library specialist at Virginia Tech and digitization manager for the journal of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States.
Emily Zerrenner (MS/LIS ’22) is a research and instructional services librarian at Salisbury University in Maryland.
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130th Anniversary!
The iSchool will celebrate 130 years in 2023 with a series of in-person and virtual events. More information will be available on our anniversary web page: go.ischool.illinois.edu/130th
Students study in the Learning Resources Lab (LRL), 1998
Library School Senior Class of 1926-27
Demonstrating equipment at University High School Library, 1944-1945
