News
04/02/2016
Sheila Corrall and Kip Currier win LIBER Innovation Award
The Program Committee for the 45th Annual Conference of LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche – Association of European Research Libraries) has selected a paper by Sheila Corrall and James D. “Kip” Currier for a LIBER Innovation Award. The paper on “Legal, Ethical, and Policy Issues of “Big Data 2.0” Collaborative Ventures and Roles for Information Professionals in Research Libraries” will be presented at the conference in Helsinki, Finland, on June 29-July 1, 2016.
The awards are sponsored by OCLC and awarded to the 3 most innovative and relevant papers submitted to the LIBER Conference. Award recipients receive a grant of 1000 euros towards travel and conference registration. The award ceremony takes place at the conference plenary on July 1.
Conference website http://liber2016.org
04/01/2016
Alumna named director of libraries at Oberlin College & Conservatory
The School of Information Sciences (SIS) congratulates alumna Alexia Hudson-Ward on her appointment as the Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries at Oberlin College & Conservatory. Hudson-Ward currently serves as a tenured associate librarian at Penn State and will begin at Oberlin in her new role on July 1 of this year. As the director of libraries, Hudson-Ward will oversee and be responsible for the four campus libraries as well as other critical operations such as collection development, space utilization, technology integration, and special exhibits.
Hudson-Ward, who earned her MLIS from SIS, also holds a BA in English and African American studies from Temple University and is pursuing her PhD in managerial leadership in the information professions at Simmons College. Read the full announcement concerning her new appointment on Oberlin’s website.
03/24/2016
Leona Mitchell to be a featured speaker at the 2016 AIIP Annual Conference
Visiting professor of practice Leona Mitchell is going to be a featured speaker at the upcoming 2016 Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) Annual Conference. The conference will take place in Pittsburgh from April 7-10 and provides an opportunity for independent information professionals to network, share ideas, collaborate, and develop their professional vision. Ms. Mitchell brings over 30 years of high-level experience and leadership with IBM to the conference and will share 5 common mistakes consultants make with her AIIP audience.
03/21/2016
SIS alumna named one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers of 2016
The School of Information Sciences (SIS) congratulates alumna Megan Rosenbloom who was named one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers of 2016. Rosenbloom graduated from the Library and Information Science program in 2008 and began her work in libraries at the University of Southern California’s Norris Medical Library, where she is now the associate director for collection resources. Her library educates doctors and medical students while conducting critical work that greatly increases the relationship between libraries and the medical profession.
Rosenbloom’s interest in medical history lead her to the Order of the Good Death, which focuses on discussing how to approach death and mortality from a less stigmatized point of view. She now serves as the director of the association, which includes academics, artists, and death professionals who gather at annual meetings to discuss death and cultural issues. Both her work in medical libraries and the Order of the Good Death has marked Rosenbloom as a rising advocate for the death positivity movement.
03/01/2016
James Joshi promoted to full professor at School of Information Sciences
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) is pleased to share the news that Chancellor Gallagher has promoted SIS Council Chair and Associate Professor, James Joshi, to the rank of Full Professor, effective January 1, 2016. Joshi teaches in the Information Science & Technology and the Telecommunications & Networking programs at SIS. He also holds a secondary appointment as professor of health information management in the School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences.
02/29/2016
SIS faculty awarded WISE Excellence in Online Teaching Award
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) congratulates faculty members Sheila Corrall and Ellen Detlefsen, who teach in the Library & Information Sciences department, on being 2015 WISE Faculty Award recipients.
To be awarded, instructors must have taught one or more WISE course during the calendar year and demonstrated dedication to best practices in online education. SIS was one of only two participating institutions to have two faculty honored this year. This is the fifth WISE Faculty Award for Detlefsen, who was also awarded for her excellence through WISE in 2014 and in subsequent years.
02/19/2016
SIS’ annual iFest expands its reach in 2016
iFest 2016, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) and sponsored by IBM, UPMC, and FedEx among others, was held the first week of February. Throughout the week, presentations and workshops were made available on ethics, professional development, and mastering information interviews. Alumni met with over 60 students looking for advice and guidance during the walk-in professional assistance and resume review sessions on Monday and Tuesday nights. The Career Expo was also incredibly popular with both students and employers and saw over 200 people throughout the course of Wednesday evening.
Special events included the Project Showcase and the inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition, which offered students a platform to present and discuss their research and work with other students and faculty. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) event challenges PhD students to present their thesis research in exactly three minutes to a panel of judges. Congratulations to the 3MT prize winners Xidao Wen, Marcela Gomez, and Chun-Hua Tsai, who all received a cash prize.
02/12/2016
The Sara Fine Institute announces 2016 lecturer–Christine Borgman
Until recently, data were considered part of the research process–essential but largely invisible. In the “big data” era, the products of the research processes have become valuable intellectual property to be protected, which is often at odds with the open access leanings of public policy. This talk will explore the stakes and stakeholders in research data and implications for policy and practice.
02/11/2016
SIS faculty Amelia Acker quoted in Trib Live article about distracted driving and smart phones
The School of Information Sciences’ Assistant Professor Amelia Acker was recently quoted in a Trib Live article discussing the dangers of distracted driving due to smart phone use. Acker’s research has included the phenomena of phantom buzzes and rings, which involves people thinking they hear a notification on their phone and reach for it or become distracted, even if there is no such notification.
02/10/2016
SIS’ MLIS archival student, Bryan Colvin, highlighted by the Archives Service Center
Current MLIS student Bryan Colvin was recently highlighted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Archives Service Center (ASC) in their blog. Colvin holds a Pitt Partner’s Placement with the ASC working with the Erroll Garner Collection. When asked, Colvin said that some of the most interesting items he has worked with thus far are documents that bare the signatures of famous people such as JFK and Johnny Carson. “I did not think that holding a piece of paper that a famous president or person would have held would make me as emotional as it did, but it’s a connection with the past on a whole new level.” Through his experience with ASC, Colvin said he has recognized the importance of documents from the past and how they have the power to change and effect our future.
02/09/2016
SIS faculty James Joshi promoted to full professor
The School of Information Sciences (SIS) congratulates James Joshi, who was recently promoted to full professor. Joshi teaches in the Information Science & Technology and the Telecommunications & Networking programs at SIS. He also holds a secondary appointment as professor of health information management in the School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences.
02/08/2016
SIS faculty-edited series on archives, archivists, and society now available
“Archival Research and Education: Selected Papers from the 2014 AERI Conference,” which was published in December 2015 as the seventh installment in the Series on Archives, Archivists, and Society, features fifteen essays by both emerging and established archival scholars and faculty from around the world. Edited by University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) faculty Richard J. Cox, Alison Langmead, and Eleanor Mattern. The sixth annual Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI) was hosted by SIS in July 2014 and attracted international scholars involved in archival studies. The Series on Archives, Archivists, and Society is edited by Cox and published by Litwin Books, LLC.
02/01/2016
Collaboration between SIS and the City of Pittsburgh results in impactful student projects
Professors of practice from the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS), Leona Mitchell and Dmitriy Babichenko, have fostered an exciting collaboration between SIS and the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Innovation and Performance in order to work on special projects that will benefit both the City and SIS’ students in impactful ways.
The collaboration was prompted by the City of Pittsburgh’s Chief Innovation and Performance Officer Debra Lam, who reached out to SIS for a fresh outsider perspective on projects in the spring of 2015. Mitchell saw the opportunity to not only build a relationship with the City but to offer undergraduate students at SIS valuable real-world experience that would challenge their perception of what an information scientist does.
01/28/2016
SIS’ Dean Larsen to step down from leadership role in 2017
Ron Larsen, dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences (SIS), has announced his intention to step down from his position and return to teaching and research in the summer of 2017.
Larsen, who spent 15 years as an administrator, earned his PhD in computer science from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1981, his master’s degree in applied physics at The Catholic University of America in 1971, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from Purdue University in 1968.
01/18/2016
SIS students volunteer in the community to gain experience and make a difference
The School of Information Sciences (SIS) is partnering with PittServes, a program at the University of Pittsburgh that connects students with non-profits looking for assistance, in its recent launch of “iServe,” which is an information science-focused version of the PittServes program. iServe offers students at SIS professionally relevant experiences in the form of volunteer work for local non-profit organizations and carries forward PittServes’ mission to “promote a community of compassion, service, and wellbeing for our neighbors and ourselves so we can thrive as one.”
Last term, SIS graduate students participated in projects that included adult computer and Internet literacy, Web page development and design, database management, social media support, digitization and data stewardship, and creating simple surveillance networks with Raspberry Pi computers. These opportunities helped students expand their professional skills and acquire experiences for their resumes and CVs. It also gave them quality exposure to professional working environments. Participants walked away happy with what they accomplished and more confident to face their future job search.
Students interested in participating in an iServe project in the spring term should attend the iServe@PittServes “Volunteer” Career Fair on January 29 to speak with representatives of organizations looking for help. It will be held from 3:30 pm to 5 pm on the third floor of the Information Sciences building.
01/12/2016
2016 ALA Mid-Winter Meeting reception recap
On January 10, 2016, SIS and the Pittsburgh Alumni Association (PAA) co-hosted a reception at the 2016 American Library Association Mid-Winter Meeting in the Seaport Boston Hotel. Despite all-day torrential downpour, more than 30 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and guests braved the weather to gather at the Seaport Boston Hotel for an evening of mingling, networking, and noshing. Sheila Corrall, chair of SIS’ Library & Information Science program, provided an overview of the school for the non-SIS Pitt alumni in attendance, and shared updates for both the school and the LIS program. Annie Sullivan (CBA ’11), president of the Pitt Boston Alumni Club, gave an introduction about the club and the activities it holds, and invited Boston-area alumni to get involved. Thanks PAA for co-hosting a successful event! Visit our Facebook page to see reception pictures.
01/08/2016
SIS Faculty Leanne Bowler awarded 2016 ALISE Research Grant
Join us in congratulating School of Information Sciences’ (SIS) Associate Professor Leanne Bowler for recently being awarded the 2016 ALISE Research Grant for her study, “Mindful Makers in Libraries.” The “Mindful Makers” study looks at how question prompts can assist with the development of technical skills and thinking in maker space settings within libraries. The study “seeks to explore the intermediation between librarians and teens in maker spaces specifically in relation to self-reflective question prompts.”
The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) is a non-profit organization that serves as the intellectual home of university faculty in graduate programs in library and information science within North America. Bowler is also the current Director of the Sara Fine Institute for Interpersonal Behavior and Technology at SIS.
01/05/2016
SIS’ Kostas Pelechrinis’ research featured in the Tribune Review
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences’ (SIS) Assistant Professor Kostas Pelechrinis offered up data from his recent research on bike systems to the Tribune Review for an article about the local Healthy Ride bike share program to help highlight the effects of having such a service in place. According to Pelechrinis, having a bike share system station can contribute to increases in neighborhood property values by over two percent. While this can initially look like a positive effect, Pelechrinis is quick to mention that this increase can cause some residents to be priced out of their homes. Healthy Ride currently has 50 stations around Pittsburgh and is looking to open up more in the future.
12/21/2015
SIS alumnus achievement: Joey Nicholson
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) congratulates alumnus Joey Nicholson on his recent appointment to the National Medical Library Association Nominating Committee. Nicholson earned his MLIS from SIS in 2004 and is currently an Education and Curriculum librarian at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.
12/18/2015
SIS’ David Tipper is a cybersecurity expert panelist for Pittsburgh Business Times
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences’ (SIS) David Tipper, professor and chair of the Telecommunications & Networking program, was a panelist in the Pittsburgh Business Times “Table of Experts on Cybersecurity.” Tipper, along with professionals from Apogee, Ethical Intruder, and Schneider Downs, offered expertise on topics such as cloud computing security, common forms of cyberattacks, and ways businesses can keep themselves safe.
The panel was also asked what kind of skills employers look for when hiring cybersecurity professionals. Among the answers were: a computer science background, well-rounded and strategic thinking, a blend of technology and security knowledge, and a familiarity with business. “[W]e cover all the basics,” Tipper said, referring to SIS’ top-ranked information security program, “everything from security and privacy, to securing systems like Cloud systems, to network security and firewalls, cryptography, and risk management. Our students are in high demand.”
12/17/2015
Study abroad options expanded for SIS students
Thanks to expanded partnerships, students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) have exciting options to pursue their studies overseas in places such as Sunkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées in Lyon, and the University of Sheffield in Sheffield among others. Students can take classes in information sciences or fulfill elective requirements while exploring the world.
12/15/2015
Congratulations winter 2015 SIS graduates!
The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences (SIS) celebrates our 2015 winter graduates! Family, friends, and supporters joined graduates at the William Pitt Union for the Winter Recognition Ceremony on Friday, December 11, which was led by Dean Ronald L. Larsen.
12/10/2015
SIS student Published in Public Services Quarterly, appointed to PaLA board
Bryan McGeary, current Library & Information Science graduate student at the School of Information Sciences (SIS) and University Library System (ULS) staff member, recently had his article, “Accessibility, Collaboration, and Staffing: Revamping the Model for Academic Library Video Collections” published in Public Services Quarterly. The article discusses increased accessibility of audiovisual materials in academic library collections and the necessity of a media librarian to help traverse the changing landscape that includes increased streaming services.
11/20/2015
Prestigious Young Investigator Award won by SIS’ Kostas Pelechrinis
The School of Information Sciences (SIS) congratulates Assistant Professor Kostas Pelechrinis, who was recently awarded the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the Army Research Office for his project “Models and Metrics for Socio-Spatial Composite Networks.”
The award is in the form of a one-year grant that will be used to support Pelechrinis’ proposed project. The Young Investor Award is awarded to assistant professors only and, “seeks to identify and support academic scientists who show exceptional promise for doing creative research.” Pelechrinis’ research interests include network science, social computing, and in particular, location based social networks (LBSNs) and urban informatics. In the past he has been involved in research in computer networking and wireless and mobile networks. Pelechrinis is extremely interested in the design and implementation of practical systems based on analytical frameworks.
11/04/2015
Alumnae receive prestigious awards from the Medical Library Association
Andrea Ketchum and Melissa Ratajeski, both reference librarians with the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System and alumnae of the School of Information Sciences, were honored at the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association’s recently held annual meeting in Asheville, NC. Ketchum was awarded the 2015 Award for Professional Excellence by a Health Sciences Librarian and Ratajeski was awarded the 2015 Marguerite Abel Service Recognition Award, which recognizes exemplary service to the chapter during the past year. Join us in our congratulations!
10/26/2015
NSA director visits Pitt to discuss the future of cybersecurity
On Monday, October 26, Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the NSA and commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, spoke to students, faculty, and staff at the University of Pittsburgh about the current state of cybersecurity and online threats in the U.S. and around the world. The event was organized by Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and co-sponsored by the School of Information Sciences.
10/23/2015
SIS holds second annual Short Course Day
The School of Information Sciences (SIS) hosted Short Course Day last Friday in the third floor collaboration space for students, staff, and the interested public. Four courses on practical topics were offered throughout the day, lasting less than two hours each.
10/20/2015
Full-time Director of Constituent Relations joins SIS staff
We are pleased to announce that Amy Herlich has been hired as the Director of Constituent Relations for the School of Information Sciences (SIS). She will manage SIS’ alumni relations, fundraising, and stewardship programs. Monday, October 19th, is her first day on the job.
10/16/2015
New Pitt-led open data center launches
The Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center was unveiled Thursday, October 15 by Mayor Bill Peduto, city officials, Allegheny County, and the University of Pittsburgh. The data repository service houses public information previously spread out across many different platforms, which required cumbersome procedures to access. The new data center makes it possible for anyone to access the data sets submitted by government, non-profits, and academic institutions. Users can easily view and export the data for their own analysis. The University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research is overseeing the project.
10/13/2015
SIS’ Board of Visitors holds annual meeting
The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences (SIS) was delighted to welcome its Board of Visitors (BOV) to Pittsburgh for their annual meeting that was held Monday, October 12 and Tuesday, October 13. The BOV recommends both long-term strategies and short-term projects, and is comprised of innovative leaders in higher education and industry. Board members, who live and work all over the country, travel to SIS once a year in order to attend this key meeting.
10/12/2015
SIS alumni celebrated at Insights and Awards events
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) hosted the annual Alumni Awards and an inaugural Alumni Insights event on Friday, October 9 at the Information Sciences Building. The event featured opening remarks and the introduction of SIS’ Visiting Scholars by Dean Ronald Larsen followed by four talks led by distinguished speakers, most of whom are SIS alumni. Later in the day, SIS alumnus and representative to the Pitt Alumni Association Eric Spiegel (BSIS ’88) opened the Alumni Awards ceremony. Spiegel introduced Dean Larsen, who then presented the Distinguished Alumni Award to Steven S. Choi (PhD ’76); the Professional Achievement Award to Chris Geary (MSIS ’98); and the Young Alumni Award to Tim Schlak (MLIS ’07, PhD ’10).
10/07/2015
SIS’ BOV Chair delivers keynote at symposium geared to Black student retention
Alfred Moyé, Chair of the Board of Visitors for SIS, gave an engaging keynote speech at the fifth annual African American Student Retention Symposium on Sept. 25. Moyé spoke about mentors and role models to a crowd of two hundred attendees.
10/01/2015
SIS LIS PhD student awarded 2015 Libri Student Award
The School of Information Sciences congratulates LIS PhD student Michael Widdersheim in being awarded the annual Libri Student Award for 2015. Widdersheim’s winning paper, “Governance, Legitimation, Commons: A Public Sphere Framework and Research Agenda for the Public Library Sector,” will be published in this December’s issue (volume 65, number 4) of Libri, the German peer-reviewed LIS journal. The award also includes a gift of EUR 500 and a free subscription to the journal. Libri has been a strong voice in the international library world since 1950 and continues to work to support the next generation of library and information science professionals.
09/24/2015
SIS alumnus named Penn State Library Director
SIS Alumnus Glenn McGuigan has been named Penn State Harrisburg’s library director after 15 years with Penn State’s University Libraries. McGuigan holds an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh along with a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MBA from Penn State Harrisburg. He is currently working toward his PhD at Penn State Harrisburg’s public administration program.
Before being appointed library director, McGuigan held the positions of business and public administration reference librarian and reference and public services coordinator at Penn State Harrisburg. He has also served as the business subject editor for Resources for College Libraries (published by ACRL Choice Magazine) since 2005. McGuigan’s research areas include the intersections of public administration, library science, and scholarly publishing, with special focus on academic journal publishing and collection management in academic libraries.
09/18/2015
SIS Cybersecurity Lab Awarded NSA Center of Academic Excellence Grant
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) top-ranked cybersecurity lab, the Laboratory for Education and Research on Security Assured Information Systems (LERSAIS), was recently selected by the NSA to receive a Center of Academic Excellence Cybersecurity Grant. The proposal, entitled “Towards Insider Threat Assessment and Mitigation,” will fund three PhD students under the guidance of SIS Associate Professor and LERSAIS Director James Joshi, as well as other faculty over the course of one year. The proposal aims to fill the gap in resources focused on mitigating insider threats to companies and organizations. The team will develop framework for an insider threat assessment in order to classify potential risks as well as create adaptive methods to prevent threats in a timely fashion.
09/01/2015
Welcome SIS students!
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) is excited to welcome all new and returning students back for the fall 2015 term. Approximately 300 new students are entering SIS as a part of one of the seven programs of study offered through the school. New students come from 21 different states and 11 different countries, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Kosovo. Last week, incoming students participated in orientation events that prepared them for their time at SIS and in the city of Pittsburgh.
08/31/2015
SIS Faculty Awarded NSF Information and Intelligent Systems Grant
The University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) associate professors Peter Brusilovsky and Daqing He (project lead and co-lead respectively) were recently awarded a Nation Science Foundation Information and Intelligent Systems grant for their project titled “Open Corpus Personalized Learning.” The project will focus on streamlining and expanding the reach of effective adaptive educational hypermedia, which allows students and independent learners without access to traditional classrooms to gain a personalized education. Both Brusilovsky and He are also faculty in the Intelligent Systems program, which is housed in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.
08/26/2015
SIS PhD Alumna Joins Faculty at Simmons College
Simmons College School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) welcomed assistant professor Janet Ceja to their faculty beginning fall 2015 semester. Ceja researches in the fields of moving image preservation, archival pedagogy, and cultural archives, specifically Latino and Indigenous cultural communities. Her most recent work examines how amateur videos interplay with community identity, memory, and acts of devotional labor to preserve a religious fiesta in rural Mexico. Ceja received her PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was a member of the American Library Association’s first cohort of Spectrum Doctoral Fellows.
08/25/2015
SIS Professor Discusses the Importance of Technology Standardization in Podcast
“You might not realize the exceptionally vital role standardization plays in our daily lives,” says University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences Associate Professor Michael Spring. “Most people begin to fall asleep at the mention of standards. In reality standards are far from boring. They protect you from danger, create new markets, and encourage innovation,” he explains in a newly published podcast on The Academic Minute. The podcast is based on Spring’s research into the history and current state of information technology standards that has been conducted over the past two years.
08/24/2015
MLIS Graduate, Dominique Luster, Highlighted in AACR Newsletter
University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (SIS) graduate Dominique Luster, who is now the Diversity Liaison Librarian at the University of Pittsburgh’s Library System and teaches in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Freshmen Programs, was highlighted in the summer 2015 issue of the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable newsletter. While in the MLIS program at SIS, Luster was a member of the school’s Diversity Student Organization and the Carnegie Mellon/PITT Black Graduate Student Union, which is a student of color dinner series.
08/21/2015
SIS-led study examines the benefits that special deals offered on location-based social media networks have for American business owners
A burger joint in Lawrenceville gives free orders of fries with every Foursquare check-in. A café on the South Side offers a discount on a dessert for every first-time visitor review submitted on Yelp.
Special deals, such as these, on social-media networks should provide a win-win situation for everyone involved. The consumer saves money by simply using the mobile app, while the business owner reaps the benefits of inexpensive means of advertisement. A simple scenario where everyone wins, right? “Not so fast,” says a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences and the Stevens Institute of Technology.
According to the study, offering special deals on social media, while a useful tactic for increasing the visibility of an establishment, is not a reliable means for increasing patronage in isolation. Researchers point to a number of factors—such as venue type, area population density, the length of the special-deal offer, and the manner in which potential customers learn of offers—that play a significant role in making special deals a worthwhile promotional strategy for business owners.
08/19/2015
Pitt LIS Alumnus Roland Barksdale-Hall Receives Recognition as Library Expert
Roland Barksdale-Hall (MLS ’84), the library director at the Quinby Street Resource Center, Sharon, PA, received the 2015 Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) National Leadership Award at the 9th National Conference of African American Librarians, held in August 2015. Barksdale-Hall received this honor in recognition of his significant and extraordinary contributions in service to the library profession in areas of leadership including scholarship, professional development, library education, and professional activities on the local or national level.
Barksdale-Hall serves as the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) Director of Publications and was the recipient of the AAHGS James Dent Walker Award, the highest AAHGS award. He taught at the library school at Clarion University.
Barksdale-Hall is president and co-founder of JAH Kente International Inc., an organization that promotes the arts and genealogy throughout schools in metropolitan Washington D.C. area. He has served as the national youth director for Frontiers International, Inc. and as the vice president of the Buckeye Review and on the executive committee of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.
08/12/2015
LIS PhD Alumna Publishes Book and Co-Edits New Publication
Rebecca Morris (PhD ‘11), assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, published her first book, School Libraries and Student Learning: A Guide for School Leaders (Harvard Education Press), in August 2015. The book demonstrates how school leaders can strengthen and support quality school library programs for critical learning outcomes, including interdisciplinary curricular content learning, critical thinking and inquiry, multiple literacies, personal growth and collaboration, and college and career readiness.
Morris is one of the co-editors of the new publication, School Library Connection, published by ABC-CLIO. This is a new print magazine and online professional development suite that merges the former Library Media Connection and School Library Monthly. Her area of focus is “libraries in context,” which considers the broader picture of education in which school libraries operate.
07/24/2015
The iSchool Congratulates July 2015 Graduates!
The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences (iSchool) celebrates our 2015 summer graduates! At the iSchool’s summer recognition ceremony on Friday, July 24, more than 150 family, friends, and supporters joined graduates at the O’Hara Student Center for the ceremony led by Dean Ronald L. Larsen.
Larsen charged graduates to remember the challenging lessons learned during their time at the iSchool and asked them to apply their own sense of creativity to the knowledge they developed in order to “envision a better future and to work toward its realization.” He also reminded students and faculty of their many personal, professional, and departmental accomplishments to be proud of over the past year. He concluded with an invitation to graduating students to stay in contact with the iSchool through the Alumni Association in order to share future achievements and growth.
07/21/2015
International Journal of Digital Libraries Edited by iSchool Professor, Stephen Griffin
Stephen Griffin, Mellon Cyberscholar and visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences, recently edited a special issue of the International Journal of Digital Libraries that focuses on digital scholarship.
In the introduction, Griffin discussed how digital scholarship has and continues to drastically change research techniques and collaborative approaches to scholarly endeavors. Griffin also highlighted how digital libraries have advanced digital scholarship by expanding resources and developing information environments for scholars to utilize. The issue features six papers that represent and describe examples of excellent contemporary digital scholarship.
07/15/2015
MLIS Alumnus Named Acting State Librarian for Pennsylvania
Brian Dawson (MLIS ’12) was recently named Acting Deputy Secretary for the Office of Commonwealth Libraries/State Librarian for Pennsylvania. Brian currently works at the Office of Commonwealth Libraries as the Director, Bureau of Library Development where he is responsible for directing a staff implementing statewide programs and services; evaluating programming and services; working with senior management to integrate state and federal budgets; interpreting and implementing the laws of Pennsylvania that relate to public libraries.
Brian previously worked as the Library Director for the Oil City Public Library and an Administrator for the Oil Creek Library District. Brian also worked at the California Area Public Library as the Director.
Brian received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Political Science from Seton Hill University and a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
07/15/2015
iSchool Professor, Michael Spring, Featured in University Times
iSchool Professor Michael Spring has donated to the University’s Faculty and Staff Campaign for 29 years. He was recently featured in the University Times as part of the “Why They Give” series.
07/14/2015
iSchool Faculty’s Paper Wins Best Paper Award at IEEE/ACM CCGrid’15
Congratulations to iSchool Assistant Professor Balaji Palanisamy for receiving the Best Paper Award at the 15th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Cluster, Cloud, and Grid Computing (IEEE/ACM CCGrid’15) recently held in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China for his paper entitled “Deferred Lightweight Indexing for Log-Structured Key-Value Stores”. Palanisamy co-authored the paper with Yuzhe Tang (Syracuse University), Arun Iyengar (IBM Research), Wei Tan (IBM Research), Liana Fong (IBM Research), and Ling Liu (Georgia Tech).
07/08/2015
First Chinese Bioethics Fellows Graduate from Pitt’s International Research Ethics Program
A graduation ceremony was held on July 6, 2015 at the University of Pittsburgh’s University Club to honor the inaugural group of Chinese Fellows to complete a bioethics training program during their time spent here as visiting scholars. The event was well attended by senior faculty members from China, University faculty members, and representatives from the Provost’s Office and Department of Asian Studies.
The program’s grant is administered through the School of Information Sciences (iSchool), and co-directed by Beth Fischer (visiting assistant professor at Pitt’s School of Information Sciences), and Michael Zigmond (professor at Pitt’s Department of Neurology).
07/07/2015
iSchool Professor’s Research Published in the Wall Street Journal
Interesting research by Yu-Ru Lin from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences was recently highlighted by the Wall Street Journal. Lin collaborated with an interdisciplinary team of fellow researchers to examine how tracking daily cell phone usage can reveal “socially beneficial real-time economic statistics.”
07/06/2015
iSchool MLIS Alumna Selected as Recipient of 2015 ASIS&T New Leaders Award
Dr. Deborah Charbonneau (MLIS ’96) has been selected as a 2015 recipient of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) New Leaders Award. The award is designed to recruit, engage, and retain new members and to identify potential for new leadership in the association.
07/01/2015
Sara Fine Institute Names New Director, Leanne Bowler
The School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh welcomes Leanne Bowler as the newly named director of the Sara Fine Institute for Interpersonal Behavior and Technology (SFI).
SFI was founded in 1999 in honor of Sara Fine, who was a professor at the School of Information Sciences for over 20 years. The SFI organizes lectures, hosts distinguished speakers and visiting fellows, fosters research projects, and coordinates programming around science and technology with a focus on information technologies, interpersonal behavior, and human-machine relationships.
Bowler, who stepped into the directorship May 1, values the important role SFI plays exploring humanistic questions about the relationship between people, information, data, and technology.
07/01/2015
iSchool Welcomes New School College Regional Campus Director
Effective July 1, 2015, Eric Spiegel (BSIS ’88) will represent the iSchool as its School College Regional Campus Director (SCR Director) on the Pitt Alumni Association (PAA) Board of Directors. During his two-year term, Eric will actively participate in strategic planning activities, attend alumni events, encourage fellow alumni to reconnect with the University, and be an advocate for the iSchool and University in general.
06/30/2015
David Tipper Promoted to Professor at School of Information Sciences
We are pleased to share the news that Chancellor Gallagher has promoted Telecommunications Program Chair and Associate Professor, David Tipper, to the rank of Full Professor, effective September 1, 2015. Please join us in congratulating David on this well-deserved promotion!
06/29/2015
iSchool MLIS Alumnus Seth Ciotti Honored with “Mover and Shaker” Award
Seth Ciotti (MLIS ’12) was named a “Mover and Shaker 2015—Digital Developer” by Library Journal. Seth is a Teen Technology Librarian at Kitsap Regional Library in Washington State.
06/24/2015
iSchool at Pitt to host 2015 Drupal Developer Conference
After a successful event last year, Drupal Camp PA is returning Saturday, August 1st and Sunday, August 2nd to the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Systems. The theme of the conference, “Bridging Higher Education & Industry,” demonstrates the importance of open source solutions in both higher education and industry. The two-day Drupal developer conference will feature topical sessions, keynote speakers, “Birds of a Feather” breakouts, and code sprints.
06/10/2015
iSchool Professor, Richard Cox, Featured in University Times
iSchool alumnus and professor, Richard Cox, has donated to the University for 27 consecutive years. He was recently featured in the University Times as part of the “Why They Give” series. Read more about Richard and why he gives.
06/04/2015
Steven Choi (PhD ’76), Mayor of Irvine, California Visits the iSchool
Steven Choi (PhD ’76), an iSchool alumnus and the Mayor of Irvine, California, recently visited the iSchool while he was in Pittsburgh participating in the Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD). Mayor Choi spoke to a group of iSchool students, faculty, and staff, as well as University administrators, about his goal of building a new 21st century library at the Great Park in Irvine.
06/04/2015
iSchool Alumna Featured in Spring 2015 Issue of Shady Ave Magazine
We are pleased to share that School of Information Sciences Alumna Maria Harrington (MSIS ’90, PhD ’08) was featured in the spring 2015 issue of Shady Ave Magazine for her dissertation research. Dr. Harrington’s dissertation, defended and published in 2008, “Simulated Ecological Environments for Education (SEEE): A Tripartite Model Framework of HCI Design Parameters for Situational Learning in Virtual Environments,” investigated the empirical inter-relationships between humans, computers, and the environment.
05/30/2015
iSchool Hosts the 2015 Bernadette Callery Archives Lecture Series
On May 29, the iSchool hosted more than 55 attendees at the 2015 Bernadette Callery Archives Lecture Series. Richard J. Cox, Professor, and Amelia Acker, Assistant Professor, led “Charting the Future of Archives and Archival Work: A Panel Discussion.” Panelists included Anne Van Camp, Director of the Smithsonian Institution Archives; Dr. Robert Riter, Assistant Professor, University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies; and Deidre Scaggs, Associate Dean, Special Collections Research Center and Director of the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, University of Kentucky.
05/29/2015
The iSchool’s i3 Program Earns Award for Significant Impact on Diversity
Pitt’s School of Information Sciences iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) is the recipient of the 2015 Chancellor’s Affirmative Action Award. The i3 program each year prepares undergraduate students from underrepresented populations for graduate education in information sciences.
05/01/2015
iSchool PhD Student Invited to Give Keynote Address at ARA 2015 Conference in Dublin
James King, a Library and Information Sciences PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences, has been invited to give the keynote address at the UK & Ireland Archives & Records Association Annual Conference (ARA 2015) in Dublin this summer.
04/27/2015
The iSchool Celebrates Graduates at Spring 2015 Recognition Ceremony
On April 26, 2015, we recognized the 322 graduates of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences and honored their impressive achievements at the 2015 Recognition Ceremony. Dean Ronald L. Larsen led the day’s events, alongside department chairs Bob Perkoski, Peter Brusilovsky, David Tipper, and Sheila Corrall at the University of Pittsburgh’s Alumni Hall.
4/24/2015
iSchool Telecommunications Research Featured in Online Media Outlets, Conference
Some exciting work coming out of the iSchool at Pitt could change the way city-dwellers plan their urban travels. Dr. Konstantinos Pelechrinis, Assistant Professor at the iSchool at Pitt, along with his colleagues Dr. Esther Galbrun and Dr. Evimaria Terzi from Boston University, have developed a set of algorithms that use Big Data (publicly-available crime statistics and locations) to identify potentially risky points on a map, and navigate their users around them.
4/24/2015
iSchool at Pitt LIS PhD Student Selected to Present at PaLA Spring Workshop
Library and Information Science PhD student Ashleigh Faith selected to present her research and work with 3D printing and its ability to get students (kids and older) excited about STEM at the upcoming Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) South Central Chapter Workshop in the spring of 2015.
The presentation, entitled “3D Printing: Education through “Replication,” will introduce what 3D printing is exactly, and how it differs from the fictional “replication” technology used in sci-fi programs such as Star Trek. The presentation will then progress into examples of its use and how fields such as medical, art, and culinary are using 3D printing. Finally, the presentation will discuss how to educate through 3D printing, with special attention paid to teaching students.
4/20/2015
Two of Pitt’s iSchool Faculty Members Receive Instructor of the Year Awards from WISE
Library and Information Sciences faculty members Ellen Detlefsen and Michele Leininger have both won WISE 2014 Instructor of the Year Awards. Ellen’s spring 2014 course “Health Consumer Resources and Services” (LIS 2585) and Michele’s summer 2014 course “Advocacy and Marketing for Libraries” (LIS 2830) earned them the awards for their outstanding instruction in the online education space. While Ellen has won this award before in 2007, 2008, and 2011, this is Michele’s first time receiving the honor.
All students who enroll in a course through WISE within a given calendar year are invited to submit nominations for the WISE Excellence in Online Teaching Award. The award highlights outstanding WISE instructors and recognizes them for their dedication to quality online education.
4/17/2015
DRCN 2015’s Best Paper Award goes to iSchool Telecommunications Faculty and Students
We are proud to announce that a paper authored by School of Information Sciences (iSchool) faculty and students has won the best paper award at the 11th International Conference on the Design of Reliable Communication Networks (DRCN 2015).
The paper, entitled “On Smart Grid Communications Reliability,” was co-authored by Dr. David Tipper, Associate Professor at the iSchool at Pitt, along with Velin Kounev, PhD Telecommunications student, Martin Levesque, Post-Doctoral Scholar, and Teresa Gomes, Professor at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. The paper will appear in the proceedings published by the IEEE, so keep an eye out for it!
4/10/2015
School of Information Sciences and Dept. of Computer Science Invited to Join Forces as One New Academic Unit
On April 10, 2015, the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, Patricia Beeson, met with the faculty and staff from the School of Information Sciences and the Department of Computer Science to invite them to develop a proposal that will incorporate both into a single academic and administrative unit. This request was motivated by the widely held belief that the University of Pittsburgh’s institutional strength in this increasingly important area of inquiry could be enhanced through a structure that allows for greater integration and coordination of its research and academic programs.
Global Search Produces First “iFellows” in New Doctoral Fellowship Program Funded by Mellon Foundation
The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences (iSchool) has named the first two iFellows under the new doctoral fellowship program for information science students — Timothy Schultz, PhD student at Drexel University’s iSchool, and Wei Jeng, PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh’s iSchool. These distinguished doctoral students were selected as the first iFellows from a competitive pool of applicants. Students from each of the 55 iSchools with membership in the international iSchools consortium were invited to submit proposals in the spring of 2014.
Pitt’s Online MLIS ranked #8 out of 20 by TheBestSchools.org
The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences is excited to be recognized by TheBestSchools.org for its online MLIS degree — coming in at 8 out of 20 programs recognized for their academic excellence. Learn more.