2015 ASIS&T New Leaders include Chair-Elect Hassan Zamir and Communications Director Suzanne Rogers Gruber
Former Chair Chris Cunningham received the ProQuest Doctoral Dissertation Award for Governmental Structures, Social Inclusion, and the Digital Divide: A Discourse on the Affinity Between the Effects of Freedom and Access to Online Information Resources.
Past Chair Karen Miller received the James M. Chrestos Leadership Award.
Christian James received the SIG ED Student Travel Award.

Travel Award Winner Christian James and Chair Stan Trembach at the SIG ED Business Meeting

In St. Louis this November, I had the honor of accepting the SIG ED Student Travel Award. The award helped support my travel to St. Louis for the ASIS&T 2015 Annual meeting. This gave me the opportunity to hear cutting-edge scholarship, present my student research in a rigorous academic environment, and learn more about leadership in ASIS&T. SIG ED Travel Award Winner: Christian James

I arrived in St. Louis on Sunday and attended the brunch for first-time attendees, where I got to network and hear remarks from ASIS&T leadership past and present. I also attended the plenary session and enjoyed an afternoon session on Information and Social Good.

On Monday, I presented along with my panel on “Breaking Traditional Barriers: Collaboration, Impact and Information Technology in the Humanities.” I later attended business meetings for SIG ED and SIG AH. It was a pleasure meeting everyone in SIG ED, and sitting in on the business meetings really helped give me a sense of how ASIS&T works on the ground level.

In the summer of 2015, I earned my Master of Library Science degree at the University of Maryland, College Park iSchool. I am currently working as Technical Information Specialist at the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Md. Attending this year’s annual meeting was an excellent help to transition from my graduate education to my career, where I am both answering reference questions and performing research on our customers’ information needs. Thanks again to SIG ED!

Christian James is Technical Information Specialist at the National Agricultural Library. He earned his MLS from the University of Maryland, College Park in August, 2015, and a MA in History from George Mason University. His previous employment includes ProQuest and the Center for Population Economics at the University of Chicago.

SIG ED’s Business Meeting Report

The new SIG ED Board held their first business meeting during AM 15 and were joined by several members. After briefly reviewing the past year’s successful activities, the chairs presented the annual Student Travel Award and introduced the new officers.

Our chairs also announced the establishment of a new advisory board consisting of past chairs to provide guidance and advice to current leadership when needed. Four past chairs have generously agreed to serve on this committee. This advisory board will help strengthen SIG ED by expanding the leadership’s knowledge and experience and helping ot preserve institutional knowledge for future members.

We also discussed planning for the coming year. Several possibilities for webinars were mentioned, continuing SIG ED’s excellent history of developing informative and appealing programming with a wide variety of collaborators.

SIG ED continues to be in good financial health, and looks forward to continuing to administer the annual Student Travel Award of $500 to encourage more student members to join and participate in the Annual Meeting.

SIG ED Officer meetings will continue to be held monthly. All members are welcome to participate, and recordings are available for those who can’t attend.

Volunteer with SIG ED

SIG ED has a number of opportunities for members to contribute their skills and expertise!

One of this year’s upcoming projects is moving content from our old website to our new one.

Another project is to revisit the Resources page on the former SIG ED WordPress site to update and revise listings while moving them to the new, ASIS&T-hosted website.

This is a great project for new or student members looking to improve their WordPress skills and requires just a few hours of time to complete. If you’d like to know more, email Suzi at srgruber@gmail.com.

Other volunteers are needed for our Programming in the coming year. If you’re interested in contributing to future webinars and presentations, please contact SIG ED for more information!

SIG ED Quarterly Newsletter – October 2015

PDF: SIG ED News October 2015

2015 Annual Meeting Events

The 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting is coming up! SIG ED is looking forward to participating in several programs and social events. If you are interested in learning more about
SIG ED, its officers, and opportunities to get involved with SIG ED activities, we invite you to attend our business meeting at the 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting.

SIG ED BUSINESS MEETING AT AM 15

9:15AM – 10:25 AM Monday, November 9, 2015
Sterling 6

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN LIS EDUCATION:
BRIDGING RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Tuesday, November 10, 1:30pm

PANELISTS

Kimiz Dalkir, McGill University, Canada

Denise A. D. Bedford, Georgetown University

Pamela Carson, Concordia University, Canada

Yeona Jang, McGill University, Canada

Karen Miller, University of South Carolina

SUMMARY

This panel provides a state of the art review of knowledge management (KM) education approaches in the LIS field. The panelists will share thoughts and experiences pertaining to the current treatment of knowledge management concepts in Library and Information Science education. The panel is comprised of professionals who have experience in both the knowledge management and LIS disciplines, in both academic and in practical roles. Furthermore, panelists represent perspectives from several contributing disciplines.

STANDING OUT IN THE ACADEMIC LIS JOB MARKET:
AN INTERACTIVE PANEL FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Monday, November 9, 3:30pm

PANELISTS

Rajesh Singh, St. John’s University

Karen Miller, University of South Carolina

Lorraine (Lori) Richards Bornn, Drexel University

Nicole A. Cooke, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Carolyn Hank, University of Tennessee

Barbara H. Kwasnik, Syracuse University

Howard Rosenbaum, Indiana University

Moderator Naresh K. Agarwal, Simmons College

SUMMARY

This proposal builds on the previous successes of the interactive doctoral student panels sponsored by SIG ED at the 2013, 2012, and earlier ASIS&T annual meetings. The all-new 2015 panel features faculty in various stages of their academic careers, including a relatively new assistant professor to a seasoned chair or dean. The panelists are prepared to address audience questions on such topics as the traditional academic job market, alternative career paths including post-doctoral opportunities, the development of personal research agendas, and the challenges of online instruction.

The panel discussion will focus around the academic job market and how applicants can present themselves in the best light depending upon the type of position sought. Doctoral students will gain valuable insights on finishing their dissertation, weighing postdoctoral opportunities, and preparing for their first academic position by interacting with the panelists. This panel will provide for an anonymous mechanism for doctoral students and new faculty to ask questions without feeling inhibited or intimidated. The panel may be of greatest benefit to those doctoral students nearing the end of their doctoral program, but will also be useful to new doctoral students and new assistant professors.

SIG ED Business Meeting Agenda

Monday, November 9, 2015

9:15AM – 10:25AM

Sterling 6

I. Call to order (Stan Trembach and Liya Deng)

II. Thank you to everybody who served

III. 2015 SIG/ED Travel Award presentation

IV. New Officer intoductions and volunteers for committees

A. Co-Chairs Elect (Duties include assisting the Co-Chairs with all aspects of running the SIG and assuming the Chair duties when the Co-Chairs are not available)

B. Programming Director (Duties include arranging and providing publicity for SIG/ED events)

C. Volunteers for committees to assist
Programming Director and Public Relations
officer (new web site production and maintenance)

V. Suggestions for 2016 webinars, annual meeting panels/workshops, and other activities:

A. Student member recruitment strategies (Student membership drive)

B. Collaboration strategies with other SIGs
(Stan Trembach)

VI. Budget update (Liya Deng and Hans-Christoph Hobohm)

VII. Planning for next officer/committee meeting

SIG ED Quarterly Newsletter – July 2015

PDF: SIG ED News July 2015

IN THIS ISSUE…
THE 2015-2016 SIG ED BOARD ELECTIONS
2015 ANNUAL MEETING PRESENTATIONS

The SIG ED newsletter is published in January, April, July, and October, and features updates on SIG ED activities and news of interest to SIG ED members. Have a suggestion for future issues?
Email srgruber@gmail.com

2015-2016 SIG ED BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTIONS

SIG ED’S ANNUAL OFFICER ELECTIONS ARE COMING SOON! LOOK FOR INSTRUCTIONS AND A LINK TO YOUR BALLOT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

Co-Chair Liya Deng, M.Ed., MLIS, is a doctoral student and Cultural Heritage Informatics Leadership fellow at the School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina. Previously, she served as the Government Information Librarian at an academic library. Her current research agenda lies at the interpenetration of culture and information technology, focusing on the accessibility issues and the impact of modern technologies on the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage through the creation of digital libraries, archives, and museums. Her other research interests include equality of access to cultural heritage and the use of inquiry-based learning strategies in libraries and cultural institutions.

Co-Chair Stan Trembach is currently a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science and the recipient of the Cultural Heritage and Informatics Leadership fellowship from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Previously, he has served in academic library settings as the Instructional Services Librarian and the Library Reference Fellow in Georgia and Texas. In addition to his BA in Teaching English and German, Stan received an MA in History from Clemson University and MLIS from UNC-Chapel Hill. His research interests include universal accessibility of information, history of library and information science, and the use of social media and other modern technologies to increase visibility of brands and products in libraries and cultural centers.

Co-Chair Elect Hassan Zamir is a doctoral candidate at the School of Library and Information Science of University of South Carolina. His research interests revolve around the areas of information retrieval, social informatics, information seeking, information architecture, usability and user experiences. His dissertation topic focuses on understanding the culture, nature and motivation of information seeking and sharing in social media during social crises. He has visited and presented in various conferences during last three years of his PhD life. He is deeply involved in professional services, namely in various Special Interest Groups (SIGs), student chapters, and university organizations. Apart from study, he thoroughly enjoys watching soccer leagues and has an affection to play cricket on Saturdays. He is fond of traveling in different places with his wife, as well.

Co-Chair Elect Rajesh Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Library and Information Science at St. John’s University. He has a Ph.D. in Information Studies from Åbo Akademi University, Finland, and prior to joining the faculty at St. John’s, he was a faculty member in the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University in Kansas. He has several areas of research interest, including knowledge sharing in virtual environments, information marketing and branding, and examining the impact of emerging technologies on LIS student learning. He frequently teaches courses in management and leadership, research methods, marketing, and foundations of Library and Information Science, and actively pursues management-related research. Rajesh has been serving as Program Coordinator for the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) Special Interest Group on Education (SIG ED) since 2013. He is also a member of the SLA Diversity Leadership Program Committee and is in the External Review Panel Pool for ALA’s accreditation review process of LIS programs. More information about his teaching, scholarship and service is available on his website at http://lisrajesh.com.

Secretary Anna Ferri is a librarian in Vancouver B.C. In addition to serving as the secretary for SIG ED, she is the Education Liaison for the British Columbia Library Association Readers’ Advisory Interest Group and is on the editorial board for the BCLA professional publication, Perspectives. Connect with her on both Twitter and Tumblr at ferrilibrarian.

Treasurer Dr. Hans-Christoph Hobohm Full Professor for Library and Information Science, at Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Teaching: library management, information behavior and knowledge management. Head of program: “Master of Arts, Information Sciences”, former dean of the department of Information Sciences.

Before coming to Potsdam: graduating in French and German literary history and in library science at University of Cologne and at EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales) in Paris; PhD on Censorship of novels in the French enlightenment. Then for several years head of “products and marketing”-dept. at Social Science Information Centre in Bonn/Berlin. He is ASIS&T New Leader 2014-2016 in conjunction with the International Relations Comittee. For more information:
http://de.linkedin.com/in/hanschristophhobohm

Programming Director Liz Hartnett joined the School of Library and Information Science Ph.D. program in 2013. After earning her Bachelor’s in Education at the University of Missouri she relocated with her family to Georgia. There she worked as a teacher, and psychometric tester, and after completing the MLIS program at USC, was a librarian in both college and elementary school libraries. Education and the value of self-directed learning are part of her research interests, and in particular she is interested in the part that libraries play in facilitating the ability of users to effectively pursue their interests and connect with people and information that deepen their learning and skills development. She is watching with great interest the evolution of library Makerspaces as well as other innovative services that libraries are developing to enhance the personal and intellectual development of the user. Liz has taught SLIS 756 – Children’s Materials, and maintains an interest in children’s books and services as well as developments in technology. She loves to read, travel, and ride her bike.

Communications Officer Suzanne (Suzi) Rogers Gruber has worked in school and academic libraries, publishing, photography, and tech startups, and has volunteered for many nonprofits and community organizations. She currently freelances in information strategy and design. Suzi is one of the recipients of the ASIS&T New Leader Award in 2015. Suzi served as Chair of SJSU ASIS&T in 2013-2014 and as Public Relations Officer for SIG ED in 2014-2015. Her areas of interest include user experience research and design and community development. Connect on Twitter @srgruber or through her website atwww.srgruber.com.

SIG ED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING

SIG ED is proud to share that we have had two panels accepted to the 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting programming!

Standing Out in the Academic LIS Job Market: An Interactive Panel for Doctoral Students

The 2015 panel features faculty in various stages of their academic careers, including a relatively new assistant professor to a seasoned chair or dean. The panelists are prepared to address audience questions on such topics as the traditional academic job market, alternative career paths including post-doctoral opportunities, the development of personal research agendas, and the challenges of online instruction.

The panel discussion will focus around the academic job market and how applicants can present themselves in the best light depending upon the type of position sought. Doctoral students will gain valuable insights on finishing their dissertation, weighing postdoctoral opportunities, and preparing for their first academic position by interacting with the panelists. This panel will provide for an anonymous mechanism for doctoral students and new faculty to ask questions without feeling inhibited or intimidated. While the panel may be of greatest benefit to those doctoral students nearing the end of their doctoral program, it will also be useful to new doctoral students and new assistant professors.

Knowledge Management in LIS Education: Bridging Research and Practice

co-sponsored by SIG KM

This panel provides a state of the art review of knowledge management (KM) education approaches in the LIS field. The panelists will share thoughts and experiences pertaining to the current treatment of knowledge management concepts in Library and Information Science education. The panel is comprised of professionals who have experience in both the knowledge management and LIS disciplines, in both academic and in practical roles. Panelists represent perspectives from several contributing disciplines.

SIG ED will also conduct its annual business meeting during AM ‘15. Members will have the opportunity to meet SIG ED officers in person and participate in planning activities for 2016. Business meetings are a fantastic way to learn more about your SIG and its operations. We’d love to see you there!