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Alumni E-News / April 2008
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Issue 18 - April 2008
Dean's WordGreetings and welcome to this bumper edition of the Alumni E-newsletter. There is much happening at the school and I welcome the opportunity to share this news with you. As you will see from entries below, the school has recruited three new faculty members whose expertise will greatly enhance our current and future offerings. These hires are only the start of a significant growth period for our school. We hope to recruit a further two for Fall 2008 and another two again in 2009. Of course, new faculty need new offices and plans are in an advanced stage to move the entire school to new premises in 1616 Guadalupe during Summer 2009. The growth in faculty is not tied to growth in student numbers. In recent years we have reduced enrollment in order to maintain some control over a student:faculty ratio that was too high. Even now, at 23:1, our ratio is higher than most undergraduate programs and we need to reduce it significantly to increase the quality of the experience we provide students. Although enrolment is managed, there is a tremendous demand for places in our program and the quality of our students is exceptional. This bodes well for their future and the future of the field. While others talk of a crisis in LIS education, there is no crisis here. Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you who contributed to our recent annual giving program. With state funding for higher education depleting each year, we face increasing need to raise funds ourselves and your gifts make a significant difference in our ability to advance the program. Three new faces at the iSchoolThe School of Information welcomes three new faculty Dr. Caroline Frick is the latest addition to the iSchool faculty, joining us this past Fall as an Assistant Professor in a joint appointment with the College of Communication. Caroline's research and teaching interests focus upon the evolution of the moving image archiving movement, cross-cultural approaches to historical preservation, and digital media libraries. She is the founder and executive director of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, an organization devoted to the discovery and preservation of media related to the state. Dr. Frick received her MA in Film Archiving and Film History from the University of East Anglia, UK and obtained her PhD in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to her work in Texas, Dr. Frick worked in film preservation at Warner Brothers, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Dr. Frick also programmed films for the American Movie Classics cable channel in New York and serves as a Director of the Board for the Association of Moving Image Archivists. Her book Saving Cinema is forthcoming from Oxford University Press. Professor William (Bill) Aspray, an internationally recognized expert in the social impact of computing, will join the School of Information at The University of Texas in Fall 2008. Currently the Rudy Professor of Informatics at Indiana University, Dr. Aspray will hold the Bill and Lewis Suit Professorship in Information Technologies at the School of Information, with courtesy appointments in the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Dept. of Computer Science. Dr. Aspray served for six years as executive director of Computing Research Association, an educational nonprofit that represents the doctoral-granting computing-related academic organizations and industrial and government computing research laboratories in North America. His previous experience also includes teaching at Harvard, Minnesota, Penn, Rutgers, and Williams, as well as research and management positions with the Charles Babbage Institute and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He has published widely on both historical and contemporary issues facing the computing and information community, most recently co-editing The Internet and American Business for MIT Press (2008, with Paul Ceruzzi); the Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award winner Women and information technology: research on under representation (MIT Press, 2006, with Joanne Cohoon of the University of Virginia) and Computer: A History of the Information Machine (Basic Books, 1996; 2nd ed. Westview 2004; with Martin Campbell-Kelly) Dr. Aspray's current research interests include labor and education issues associated with IT globalization; health informatics; legal, business, and economic issues related to the Internet; history of computing, information, and information technology; gender and entrepreneurship in high technology; and the social dimensions of privacy and security in the digital age. Dr. Lecia Barker will join the iSchool in Fall 2008 as an Associate Professor of Research. She leads the Assessment and Research Center in the Alliance for Technology, Learning, and Society Institute at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is also Senior Research Scientist with the National Center for Women in IT (NCWIT). In this role, Lecia identifies effective practices for implementation by NCWIT members, consults with Academic Alliance members and NCWIT Hubs on their research and implementation projects, supports evaluation through advising, instrument development, and analysis, and disseminates NCWIT and outside research projects and findings. Lecia conducts research into under-representation in IT at the K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels. For example, working with the Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program, Lecia and colleagues are studying methods and messages that can lead to greater recruitment of girls into computing. Her ethnographic work in higher education has focused on identifying features of IT classroom environments that attract or repel women. In addition to these projects, Lecia evaluated the 2004 Grace Hopper Celebration of Diversity in Computing, the 2001 and 2003 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conferences, and the University of Houston-Downtown's Visiting Scientist Program for Minority Institutions and Small Colleges. School of Information Receives $504,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the HumanitiesAUSTIN, Texas. A grant for $504,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will provide support to The University of Texas at Austin's School of Information's Kilgarlin Center for Preservation of the Cultural Record. The grant, to be used primarily to support teaching, will enhance the center's mission to focus national attention on preservation. The funds will help sponsor symposia and convene experts to focus on topics that address the management of our cultural heritage in humanities institutions across the United States. "Cultural records form a precious resource that must be skillfully managed if we are to ensure their sustainability and availability for future generations," said Andrew Dillon, dean of the School of Information. "This award from NEH is further recognition of the unique educational and research programs in preservation and conservation that we provide at The University of Texas." Home to the nation's #1 ranked program in Archives and Preservation, the School of Information offers comprehensive master's level certificates of advanced study in preservation administration and conservation. A $20,000 federal match award challenges the Kilgarlin Center to raise $20,000, which NEH will match for additional funding of $40,000. Contact: Ellen Cunningham-Kruppa, director, Kilgarlin Center for Preservation of the Cultural Record, (512) 471-8287 or e.cunnk@mail.utexas.edu, or Amy Maverick Crossette, (512) 573-1078 or amyc@mail.utexas.edu. iSchool faculty receive two best paper awards for researchThe IEEE Professional Communication Society has awarded Dean Andrew Dillon and former doctoral student Jit Sengupta the Rudolph J. Joenk, Jr. Award for Best Paper of 2006 in the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication. The award recognizes an outstanding article published in the preceding year's volume as selected by the PCS Editorial Advisory Committee. The paper, "Query by Templates: Using the Shape of Information to Search Next-Generation Databases," results from Dr. Sengupta's doctoral dissertation work on data structures and Dean Dillon's work on information shape. Dr. Sengupta is an Assistant Professor at the Dept of Information Systems and Operations Management in the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University. Professor Fran Miksa's article, "The DDC Relative Index," has been selected as the best article published in Volume 42 of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly. The award panel, composed from among the CCQ editorial board, consisted of Nancy J. Williamson, Michael Carpenter, and Brad Young (Chair) issued the following comments: "The DDC Relative Index" by Francis Miksa is a detailed analysis of the intricacies of the various indexes to the Dewey Decimal Classification, their origin, development, structure, and their unique and complex nature In the course of the research, the author exhibits a highly intelligent grasp of the intricate system he is analyzing and has a deep and theoretical understanding of the complex conceptual relationships among subjects generally. For those who create indexes of this kind, the article has much to say about their design and about the nature of concept relationships. As well, cataloging practitioners could benefit a great deal from what the author has to say, that would aid in their intelligent use of the indexes in practice. The research methodology is well designed and Miksa has a clear writing style that results in a logical and systematic presentation. The research is original and, indeed, the author certainly accomplishes what he had set out to do. From Gray Areas to Green Areas SymposiumThe School of Information's Kilgarlin Center for Preservation of the Cultural Record at the University of Texas, Austin, hosted From Gray Areas to Green Areas: Developing Sustainable Practices in Preservation Environments on November 1-2, 2007. The symposium examined sustainable practices in cultural heritage preservation environments, and boasted an exciting line-up of speakers from the fields of conservation, architecture and public relations. For more information, see the symposium homepage at http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/kilgarlin/gaga/. iSchool Students in the Chronicle of Higher EdSchool of Information PhD student, Joe Sanchez, and iSchool alumna Char Booth are among the eight young librarians interviewed in a recent issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, the leading national weekly dealing with university news. In an article entitled "Young Librarians, Talking' 'bout their generation", both speak to the relevance and value of libraries and librarianship in the future. As Joe notes: "The academic library in the future is going to be a continuation of what we see now, with more multimedia integration. [It won't be] limited to just providing access to materials but also providing access to the creation of different types of materials. For instance, it's not just providing access to DVDs, but maybe providing access to video cameras or DVD burners in order to make digital storytelling, or maybe going so far as to provide games or immersive environments in virtual worlds." In MemoriamDonald Dunn, '72 passed away on January 6, 2007. He was Dean and Professor of Law at the Ontario, California based University of La Verne College of Law, as well as a nationally known law librarian. For the complete obituary please see Jodi Potrok-Gilbert, '04 passed away on October 15, 2007. Her obituary was published in the San Antonio Express-News on 10/24/2007: "Jodi Potrok-Gilbert, age 40, passed away Monday, October 15, 2007, from complications of Leukemia. Services were held in Iowa. Jodi is survived by her husband, Steven Gilbert of San Antonio, Texas." Liza M. Sudol, '07 Master's student passed away on November 11, 2007. Liza was just beginning her Master's program studying studies in preservation. Ida Marrine Foster Courtney, '74 passed away on August 9th at Retirement and Nursing Center in Austin, TX. Ida obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University. She was an educator with the Austin Independent School District for more than 30 years, serving as librarian at Blanton Elementary School, LBJ High School and ended career with the Austin Independent school district as administrator of library services. An obituary and guest book are available online at wcfish.com. Alumni NewsTwo alumni, Char Booth '05 and Daniel Cornwall, '96, were names as Movers and Shakers for 2008 in Library Journal. Char is Reference and Instruction Librarian at Ohio University in Athens, and Daniel is Head of Information Services at Alaska State Library. Kathy Edgar, '00 is now part of the Del Valle Central Administration as an Instructional Technology Specialist and Library Services. She works with the district librarians to advocate for exemplary programs at all 10 campuses. Ida Gonzalez-Garza, '05 is the newly appointed director of the Nueces County Public Library in Robstown, Texas. Pat Yenbamrung, '92 continues to work as an Associate Professor with STOU, Thailand as a distance education specialist after serving for many years as VP for University Operations. Want to share your news with your fellow alumni? Send details to . Faculty NewsDr. Randolph Bias appears in UT's Spotlight on Faculty. Information is valuable only if humans can gain access to it. In order for all of the research generated at a university to have any impact on the world, people need to be able to find it, perceive it, and make sense of it. Dr. Randolph Bias, Associate Professor at the School of Information at The University of Texas, works to make information accessible (read the full article: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs//about/newsletter/faculty/r_bias.html) Dr. Loriene Roy is maintaining a high profile this year as President of the ALA. In recent months she has appeared on Good Morning America, been a regular contributor NPR, and quoted in Newsweek. Her term as president runs through the ALA Annual Conference in June, after which she will continue for one year as Past-President and return to her position as professor in the iSchool. During her presidency she has enabled many iSchool students to connect with senior members of the profession and to experience first-hand the many projects involved in leading the ALA. Barbara Immroth was elected Secretary of the IFLA Standing Committee for School Libraries and Learning Resource Centers for the term 2007-2009. She toured several libraries in South Africa including two Township Libraries, the University of Capetown Library, and two large public libraries: Capetown, which is moving into renovated quarters in a 19th-century armory, and the Piertermaritzburg Municipality Library which built a beautiful children's addition with a Carnegie grant. Details of faculty publications and research output are available on the School's website at: http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/research/ Student NewsiSchool Ph.D. student, Gilok Choi, anticipates completing her doctoral dissertation on user navigation in virtual environments and has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science at Pratt University, starting this Fall. iSchool Ph.D. student, Snowden Becker, and her work preserving culture through film are featured on the Graduate School's home page. Read the story here: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/about/archives/s_becker.html iSchool Ph.D. student, Joe Sanchez's, research on computer-supported collaboration in virtual communities is featured in the current issue of Government Technology magazine. Sanchez's research focuses on shared virtual environments, technology enhanced learning, and social informatics. Graduating iSchool student, Adriana Trujillo, has been selected to
participate in the 2008 ALA Class of Emerging Leaders at the 2008 ALA
Midwinter Conference in Anaheim, California. Adriana currently works in
the University Library at Texas A&M University. Career Services Office BulletinsAlumni Careers: Where Our Alumni Work Almost 270 graduates of the School of Information have shared their jobs and the geographic areas in which they work. The listing provides a special benefit to prospective and current students, as it helps them understand the diverse careers our graduates pursue. Please share, or update, your current career information by submitting the following to rpollock@ischool.utexas.edu, and placing "Alumni Success" in the subject line:
We especially want to encourage our international students to share their career locations. Career Services for Alumni. While most schools do not provide career services for their graduates, or provide only limited services for a fee, alumni of the School of Information (and GSLIS) have open access to career services after graduation at no cost. We also have online information on resumes, CV's, cover letters, and interviews. There is also a listing of online job resources, ranging from lists of associations to high tech company job sites. Additionally, graduates may schedule appointments to talk about career transition options and assistance with resumes, cover letters, and interview preparation. For access to the online resources, explore the iSchool Career Services Office Web site at and the iSchool JobWeb at http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/careers/. To schedule an appointment, contact Ron Pollock at (512) 471-2623 or email to rpollock@ischool.utexas.edu. Alumni - Share Your Experiences We are always looking for alumni who are willing to share their experiences after they complete their educational programs and enter the job market. If you will be in the Austin area, and would like to visit with students to talk about your experiences in seeking and obtaining your first/current job, as well as what you now see as important for students to know as they prepare for and enter the job market, please contact Ron Pollock at (512) 471-2623 or email to rpollock@ischool.utexas.edu. Supporting the iSchoolPlease join fellow UT Austin School of Information alumni and friends at our 2008 Texas Library Association reception.
PLEASE NOTE: No ticket purchase necessary, but RSVP by April 10 to Luke Dunlap luked@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 471-8421 so we can estimate numbers. Why your support matters. Gifts from alumni are the only source of discretionary funds we routinely receive. These funds enable us to directly support student initiatives and outreach, help send students to professional conferences, provide student associations with resources to arrange events and speakers, and even to update technologies and classrooms. In addition, alumni giving is one of the measures used in ranking programs. As state funding for education in Texas declines, and our tuition remains one of the lowest among our competitor schools, your gifts to us are vital in keeping our program competitive. Contact UsOver 1000 subscribers received this newsletter. If you know someone who has graduated from our program and is not receiving this, please forward a copy and point them to the subscription page on our site at http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/mailman/listinfo/alums. Moving? Need to update your alumni records? An "Information for Alumni"
page has been set up with various links to help make it convenient for
you to make changes. Go to: http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/mailman/listinfo/alums Alumni Mailing Listhttp://www.ischool.utexas.edu/mailman/listinfo/alums Last Modified: April 16 2008 10:37:58. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
