STUDENT NEWS & RECOGNITION

Anthony Holderied became Director of the Environmental Protection Agency Library in Research Triangle Park in August.

Holderied follows Susan Forbes, who joined the EPA-RTP Library in 2005 and became director in 2013. She accepted the role of Assistant State Librarian for North Carolina over the summer.

Holderied had been Assistant Director of the EPA-RTP Library since 2013. He has 14 years of professional librarian experience, and prior to joining the EPA-RTP Library, he was an Instructional Technology Specialist at NC State University. He holds an MLS from North Carolina Central University and an MA in Educational Media from Appalachian State University.

In November, Taylor Abernethy Johnson (MSLS ’16) became Assistant Director of the EPA-RTP Library, transitioning from her previous role as User Services and Research Librarian.

Anthony Holderied Taylor Abernethy Johnson Above, Mélina Mangal talks with students and faculty at the SILS Library. Right, the cover of Mangal’s picture book.

University Librarian Elaine Westbrooks champions changes in academic publishing

Elaine L. Westbrooks, Vice Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian at UNC-Chapel Hill, issued a statement on March 20 supporting the University of California (UC) system’s decision to cancel their $50 million subscription deal with publishing giant Elsevier. Read her statement at library.unc.edu/2019/03/statement-uc-elsevier.

In the fall, the University Libraries hosted a series of town hall meetings to gather input from faculty and students prior to contract renewal negotiations with Elsevier and other publishers.

“In an era of rising costs and declining revenues, the traditional model of academic publishing is unsustainable for universities,” Westbrooks said in a feature published by Carolina’s The Well on October 11. Read more about her concerns and plans at go.unc.edu/westbrooks-open-research.

Mélina Mangal (MSLS ’94) visits SILS to share picture book biography

Author, school librarian, and SILS alumna Mélina Mangal (MSLS ‘94) visited Chapel Hill in early April to share her new book, The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just. She read and discussed the picture book biography at the SILS Library in Manning Hall on April 3.

Illustrated by Luisa Uribe, The Vast Wonder of the World tells the story of African-American scientist Ernest Everett Just, who overcame hardships and discrimination to become a successful professor, embryologist, and cytologist in the early 20th century.

Since its publication in the fall of 2018, the book has received favorable reviews from School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, which describes it as “More than a story of triumph against the odds, this book shows the necessity of opportunity for brilliant minds to reach their potential.” The book also received the 2019 Carter G. Woodson Book Award from the National Council for the Social Studies.

A Minneapolis Public Schools librarian, Mangal and her book were featured on KARE11, the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis, shortly before the book’s publication. Watch the interview at http://bit.ly/vast-wonders-interview and learn more about the author at www.melinamangal.com.

IN DEEPEST SYMPATHY

SILS extends condolences to the family and friends of alumni who passed away during the previous year. The following were drawn from obituaries published from November 1, 2018. to November 1, 2019. Joyce L. Croom – November 4, 2018 Kenneth C. Elmore – December 3, 2018 Abigail Lippincott – December 7, 2018 Joe A. Hewitt – December 19, 2018 Erik D. France – December 28, 2018 Carolyn L. Shelhorse – December 28, 2018 Patricia J. Powell – January 14, 2019 Emily M. Gerstbacher – March 1, 2019 Martha S. Evatt – March 31, 2019 Peggie C. Byars – April 23, 2019 T. J. Dickerson – April 25, 2019 Ann S. Smith – May 6, 2019 Margaret S. Atkins – May 16, 2019 Delia S. Stark – July 20, 2019 Gene D. Lanier – August 14, 2019 Mary A. Brown – August 21, 2019 Isaac I. Chao – August 27, 2019 Shirley M. Tarlton – September 9, 2019 Robert C. Russell – October 8, 2019 Jean L. Humber – October 20, 2019

ALUMNI ALUMNI NEWS NEWS

Lisa Howorth (MSLS ’77) visited Chapel Hill to discuss her new book Summerlings with UNC History Professor & Grammy winner William Ferris at an event hosted by Flyleaf Books in August. A Cold War coming-of-age story, Summerlings was named an Amazon Best of the Month pick. Howorth lives in Oxford, Miss., where she and her husband, Richard, founded Square Books in 1979.

Don Welsh (MSLS ’80) has retired from the College of William and Mary after 28 years, having served as Head of the Research Department and Acting Associate Dean for Research and Public Services. He previously worked at Boston University, and he now lives in New York City.

Robert G. Anthony Jr. (MSLS ’82), Curator of the North Carolina Collection and Director of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center for University Libraries, received the C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Awards from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019.

Anna Yount (MSLS ’86) retired in May from her position as Director of the Transylvania County Library in Brevard, N.C. In a profile by The Transylvania Times, Yount shared reflections on her career and the importance of libraries. “It’s a place where people can have access to information and can convene, discuss, and learn about issues not only facing their communities, but the world,” Yount told the newspaper. “We are really the last civic place where people can come and nothing is expected of you. You don’t have to pay to get in the door, and you can learn anything you want to learn.” Read the profile at http://bit.ly/yount-profile.

Robert “Bob” Martin (PhD ’88), a SILS Distinguished Alumnus, was profiled as part of the University’s 225th anniversary retrospective series, which highlights Tar Heels who have made impact on campus, communities, the state, the nation, and the world. Read the feature at http://go.unc. edu/martin-225. Timothy Owens (MSLS ’92) was appointed State Librarian of North Carolina in January 2019. A native of Harbinger, N.C., Owens began his library career at Neuse Regional Library in Kinston, followed by service at Perkins Library at Duke University and in Library Development at the State Library of North Carolina. He has served as President of the Association for Rural & Small Libraries. Before returning to North Carolina to become Assistant State Librarian in 2017. Timothy Owens

David Singleton (MSLS ’92) has been appointed Executive Director of Live Oak Public Libraries, a system of 16 library locations serving a three-county region in southeast Georgia. Each year, the Library checks out almost 1.3 million items, answers in excess of 650,000 questions, registers more than 450,000 computer sessions, and presents programs to nearly 80,000 patrons.

Donna Nixon (MSLS ’01) published “The Integration of UNC-Chapel Hill – Law School First,” in the North Carolina Law Review (https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/ nclr/vol97/iss6/6/). The article tells the story of the five African-American men who integrated the UNC-Chapel Hill student body and how their legal challenge to segregation at the University fit into a broader civil rights campaign that culminated in Brown vs. Board of Education. The article complements a Kathrine R. Everett Law Library digital collection that Nixon curated titled “Law School First – The African Americans Who Integrated UNC-Chapel Hill” (integration.law.unc.edu). The collection includes photographs, university correspondence, legal documents from the case, news articles, and links to audio and transcripts of oral history interviews at the Southern Oral History Program. Wilson Library’s many rich collections were instrumental in both endeavors.

Hannah Rains (MSIS ’01) is now Associate Director of Learning & Development at BD, a global medical technology company with over 65,000 associates. Rains has been with the company for 18 years. Miriam Intrator, PhD (MSLS ’03), authored a book, titled Books Across Borders: UNESCO and the Politics of Postwar Cultural Reconstruction, 1945-1951, which was published by Palgrave Macmillan in the New Directions in Book History series over the summer. More at www.springer.com/us/ book/9783030158156.

Jason Griffey (MSLS ’04) joined the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) as Director of Strategic Initiatives in June. Prior to this appointment, Griffey ran his own technology consulting company for libraries. He has been an affiliate at metaLAB and a fellow and affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Emily Weiss (MSLS ’05), Head of Reference Services at the Bedford (NH) Public Library, was elected Junior Director of the New England Library Association in fall 2018. This fall, she will become the Association’s Senior Director.

Megan Oakleaf (PhD ’06), Associate Professor and Director of Instructional Quality at Syracuse University, won the 2019 Association of College and Research Libraries Instruction Section’s Miriam Dudley Award in recognition of her dedication to student learning, assessment strategies, and program development.

Anne Fleming Less (MSLS ’08) has been appointed Knowledge Manager at Google.

Kendra Allen (MSLS ’08) was promoted to Director of Library Media Services for the Wake County Public School System in September. Before the promotion, she had been WCPSS’ Coordinating Teacher for Secondary Libraries since February 2015.

Chirag Shah (PhD ’10) joined the University of Washington’s Information School as an associate professor and Amazon Scholar in 2019. He had previously been an associate professor and Director of the InfoSeeking Lab at Rutgers University. His work while at Rutgers generated funding from National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Institute of Museum and Library Services as well as Amazon, Google, and Yahoo. Read more about his research – and his competitive ballroom dancing – at https://ischool. uw.edu/news/2019/08/chirag-shah-joinsfaculty-focusing-fairness-systems.

Sofía Becerra-Licha (MSLS ’12) was appointed lead archivist at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. this spring. The Kennedy Center created the position to help organize and preserve its historical holdings in preparation for its 50th anniversary season in 2021-22. The disarray of its materials, as well as that of the National Theatre, are highlighted in a story by The Washington Post (https://wapo. st/372jZpH). Prior to joining the Kennedy Center in April, Becerra-Licha had been Associate Director of Archives at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Though she’ll be facing a scenario that The Post reporter compares to the final shot of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Becerra-Licha said she was looking forward to the new challenge.

Rebecca Carlson (MSLS ’12) became Health Sciences Librarian and Liaison to the Eshelman School of Pharmacy for the Health Sciences Library at UNC-Chapel Hill, effective May 13.

Sarah Joy Arnold (MSLS ’13) is now a Digital Accessibility Consultant with UNC-Chapel Hill’s new Digital Accessibility Office.

Courtney Bailey (MSLS ‘13) is serving as the Chair of the Society of American Archivists Records Management Section, May 2019-August 2020.

Megan England (MSLS ’13) has been promoted to Branch Manager of the Scottsville branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. Previously, England was the YA Librarian at the Crozet Branch.

Anagha Hanumante (BSIS ’14), Senior Intelligence Analyst at CB Insights, delivered a presentation about the future of wellness at CB Insights’ TRANSFORM conference in Dec. 2018. Watch her talk on YouTube at http://bit.ly/next-in-wellness.

Liz Bellamy (MSLS ’15) and three collaborators received the 2019 Academic Innovator Award from the Virginia Library Association. The VLA recognized the team for their initiative to re-envision and renovate an information literacy center in Radford University’s McConnell Library through the Active Learning Center (ALC) Steelcase Grant program. With $67,000 in grant funding, they were able to transform a traditional classroom into a beautiful and flexible new space for collaboration

Wei Gao (MSIS ’01), VP at Amazon, named one of National Diversity Council’s Top 50 Women in Tech

Wei Gao (MSIS ’01), SILS alumna and Vice President, Technical Advisor to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, was named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology by the National Diversity Council. The list features executive female leaders in the technology industry who drive change, innovate, and inspire others to succeed while contributing to business growth. The 2019 honorees were recognized at the 15th Annual Diversity and Leadership Conference on April 11 in Dallas.

In September, Gao was honored at the Asian American Luminary Awards (AALA) ceremony on in Bellevue, Wash. Organized by the Chinese Institute of Engineers/ USA-Seattle (CIE-SEA), the annual event celebrates outstanding Asian American professionals and leaders with high achievements and contributions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) within the Pacific Northwest.

Gao received the 2019 Asian American Corporate Leadership Award. A strong advocate of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Gao serves as an executive board member of the Asians-at-Amazon affinity group. She also serves on the board of the Robert Chinn Foundation, the SILS Board of Visitors, and the Pacific Science Center.

Gao was promoted to her VP Technical Advisor role in November 2018. Executives in the position are often referred to as Bezos’ “shadow” because they accompany him to all meetings, ac-cording to a report from CNBC.

In her 13-plus years at Amazon, Gao has launched products and run projects in eCommerce, Kindle, and Supply Chain technologies. Before her 2018 promotion, she led the Forecasting and Strategic Planning organization, a team that provides customer-demand forecasts and long-term business outlooks for Amazon’s consumer business worldwide. Her technical expertise spans artificial intelligence, deep learning, big-data analytics, and cloud computing.

Wei Gao

in learning. An instruction and research librarian, Bellamy was at Radford during the project but has since joined William & Mary Libraries.

Kai Ewing (MSLS ’15) had their first chapter in a monograph published on May 1. “Beyond Dewey: Creating an LGBTQ+ Classification System at the LGBTQ Center of Durham” appears in LGBTQ Librarianship in the 21st Century: Emerging Directions of Advocacy and Community Engagement in Diverse Information Environments, edited by Bharat Mehra and published by Emerald Group Publishing.

Ebony McDonald (MSLS ’15) joined the Louisiana State University Libraries faculty in January as African and African American Studies Librarian. The appointment is part of LSU Libraries’ participation in the ACRL Diversity Alliance residency program. In October, McDonald was awarded the Outstanding Early Career Librarian Award at the 2019 LOUIS Users Conference. Prior to joining the LSU faculty, McDonald was the Research & Learning Librarian at Salem Academy & College in N.C., where she received the Student Government Association’s Most Outstanding Faculty & Staff Award in 2018.

Julie Stivers (MSLS ’15) has been named a 2019 “Mover & Shaker” by Library Journal for her efforts to increase equity and inclusion at the Mt Vernon Middle School Library and beyond with the #LibFive program and #TrueBookFAIRS. Read the full LJ profile at http://bit.ly/lj-stivers and read Stivers’ YALSA blog post about the five key foundations for building inclusive libraries at http://bit.ly/yalsa-lib-five.

Danielle Thornton (MSLS ’15), Branch Manager for the Greenville County (S.C.) Library System, received the 2018 South Carolina Library Association New Professional Award, which recognizes librarians making significant contributions to their field early in their career. Continued on page 28