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2022 UNT Information Science Department Alumni Awards
2022 Information Science Department Outstanding Alumni Award Recipient
Dawn Smith, Associate Director for Technical Services, Lillian Goldman Library, Yale Law School
Dawn graduated from the M.S. Library Science program in 2005. At that time, her program was hybrid, which afforded the opportunity to work. She also had two internships during her time in the program, one at an advertising agency and one at Texas Wesleyan Law School. She says that the program gave her exposure to many types of libraries- medical, law, special, and public, which helped her pinpoint her career options and helped her connect with a community of information professionals, helping to launch and grow her career
Currently, at Yale Law School, Dawn is in charge of all acquisitions, both physical and electronic materials, supervises a team of 5 full-time staff, acts as Collection Manager, and provides technical services.
Dawn was honored with the Outstanding Alumni Award due to her support for both the UNT Information Science Department and the profession of library science. She says that on a human level, she has worked toward helping others find their success through mentoring, participated in many professional organizations through committee work, and is a member of the Black Caucus of AALL, active in the Black Law Librarianship special intersection, and she has built networks of community members to share time, treasure, and knowledge.
2022 Information Science Department Outstanding Early Career Alumni Award and UNT Rising Star Award Recipient
Mathew Zuniga Teacher and Librarian at Del Valle Opportunity Center
Mathew Zuniga, a 2021 graduate of the M.S. in Library Science with School Librarian Certification, is the recipient of two prestigious awards, The Rising Star Award from the University of North Texas Alumni Association, and The Outstanding Early Career Alumni Award from the Department of Information Science.
Mathew graduated from the Master of Science in Library Science program with School Librarian Certification in 2021. Mathew is currently a teacher and librarian at the Del Valle Opportunity Center. Mathew was motivated to earn his degree in library science in order to become the librarian at his school and to begin a library program that would inspire and positively impact the students he works with. Mathew has successfully implemented two major literary programs at his school that bring students into the library to learn about various books and also promote self-confidence by allowing students to practice their reading skills by reading books to others.
