School of Library and Information Science News

SLIS Alumni Receive MLA Awards

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Three SLIS alumni were honored at the recent MLA conference for their distingued service in librarianship. The 2009 Michigan Library Association Award of Excellence went to Valerie Meyerson, MLS ’88, Director of the Charlevoix Public Library, for her outstanding contribution to effective and improved local library service. The 2009 Loleta D. Fyan Award recipient was Oneka Wilson, MLIS ’05, from the Detroit Public Library. This award is given to a librarian of less than 10 years who has made a creative contribution to library service in Michigan. The 2009 Walter H. Kaiser Award went to John Robertson, MLIS ’07, of the Troy Public Library. The Kaiser Award goes to a librarian who contributes an idea, procedure, concept or adaptation which results in the improvement of a library or libraries. As computer librarian, Robertson has increased the number of classes and attendees, as well as upgraded the library's website.

Read more about their successes on MLA's Professional Awards page at: http://www.mla.lib.mi.us/awards/professional. To see pictures of the MLA conference and awards banquet, go to: http://www.mla.lib.mi.us/events/annual/photos.

Please join us in congratulating these SLIS alumni on their awards!

Michigan Opera Theatre's Library Now Online with the Help of SLIS

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Michigan Opera Theatre's Allesee Dance and Opera Resource Library goes live online for the very first time this month, opening nearly 40 years of Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) history to the general public. This custom, state-of-the-art online database was created through a partnership with the School of Library and Information Science. It includes a complete performance history and a catalog of thousands of unique items, including scores, books, CDs, videos, reviews, and many unique items from MOT productions. Click here to visit MOT's online database archive: http://motlibrary.slis.wayne.edu/.

In 2006, Michigan Opera Theatre began a partnership with SLIS as part of an Institute of Library and Museum Services Grant titled, "Educating the 21st Century Fine and Performing Arts Librarian." The grant allowed students in the MLIS program to gain experience while developing the library and online archive for MOT, both helping to preserve a piece of Michigan's cultural history and provide experience to the next generation of information professionals.

The partnership between SLIS and MOT provided many of the resources for the library that would not otherwise be available to MOT, including hosting the site on their servers. The MOT library strives to be a model for how small libraries can undertake large digitization and database projects by partnering with larger institutions.

Students Selected for Association of Research Libraries 2009-2011 Diversity Scholars

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Two SLIS students, Anissa Ali and Johnnie Blunt, were selected by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Diversity Working Group to participate in the 2009–11 Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce as ARL Diversity Scholars. Ali and Blunt were among 21 students chosen from a nationwide pool of applicants.

The ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce offers stipend funding to students from underrepresented groups who are interested in careers in research libraries. Over two years, the initiative will offer stipend funding to support an MLIS education. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and by voluntary contributions from 52 ARL member libraries, this program reflects the commitment of ARL members to create a diverse academic and research library community that will better meet the challenges of changing demographics in higher education.

For more information on the ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce, visit www.arl.org/diversity/init/.

Congratulations Anissa and Johnnie!

School Seeks New Faculty for 2010

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The Wayne State University School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) currently seeks one new faculty member at the assistant, associate, or full professor rank to join the School in the fall of 2010. Reporting to the SLIS Director, serving as an advisor to SLIS students, and providing service to SLIS, the Assistant/Associate/Full Professor will perform research and teach in one or more of the following areas: reference, digital libraries, knowledge management, library administration, archives, records management, special libraries, plus teach one of the SLIS core courses. Candidates should have the ability to teach face-to-face, fully online, and blended courses.

Please see the Position Description for complete details.

SLIS Staff Member Receives Outstanding Service Award

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Jennifer Bondy, Academic Services Officer III in the School of Library and Information Science, received the Michigan College Personnel Association’s (MCPA) Outstanding Service Award at its 2009 annual conference in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. The award recognizes MCPA members who have exhibited outstanding service to the association as well as the student affairs profession.

Over the past 10 years, Bondy has served on several conference planning teams, including leadership roles such as programming and communications chair, served as the association’s membership records coordinator, awards co-chair and archivist, edited the MCPA newsletter for five years, assisted in the development of MCPA’s new institutional membership program and managed the MCPA listserv.

Bondy received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Windsor and master’s degree in library and information science from Wayne State. She is currently enrolled in the WSU College of Education’s Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies doctoral program.

Congratulations Jennifer!

SLIS Alumna Featured Speaker at Meeting on Disaster Planning

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

SLIS alumna, Maureen Olle-LaJoie, Head of Library Technology and Circulation at the Chalmer Davee Library at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, will be the keynote speaker at the Government Documents Round Table of Michigan’s (GoDoRT MI) annual meeting focusing on disaster planning on Nov. 20, 2009 at Schoolcraft Community College. Olle-LaJoie is the former Regional Depository Librarian at Louisiana State University and will speak on her experience as a librarian in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. She will address the disaster's effect on the library community and the Louisiana State University campus. Olle-LaJoie received her MLIS from WSU in 2000.

The meeting will be held on from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Vista Tech Center at Schoolcraft Community College in Livonia, Mich. The deadline to register is Nov. 13, 2009. Price: $5.00 for GoDoRT MI members and $10.00 for non-members. Checks should be sent to Treasurer Debbie Gallagher, Ann Arbor District Library, 2713 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105-2427.

Diversity Mini-Summit Keynote Presentations Available

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Keynote presentations are now available from the “Library Issues Mini Summit” hosted by the faculty of the Wayne State University School of Library and Information Science on September 24, 2009. The focus of this year’s mini-summit, co-hosted by the School’s Diversity Council, was “Diversity in Libraries.” Over fifty librarians and information professionals from across the region came together to consider how to recruit a more diverse workforce to the library and information professions, how the School can recruit more students from under-represented groups, and how to infuse a consideration of diversity issues across the MLIS curriculum.

The morning keynote presentation by Ms. Sandra Phoenix, Director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Library Alliance in Atlanta, is available here: https://connect.slis.wayne.edu/p15497638/ . Ms. Phoenix discussed how to recruit a more diverse student body.

The luncheon keynote presentation by Ms. Nonie Price, Alumni Relations and Continuing Education Coordinator for the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science, is available here: https://connect.slis.wayne.edu/p92526341/ . Ms. Price discussed the opportunities and challenges of involving library professionals in her School’s diversity recruitment and retention efforts.