Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Addresses the Friends of the Broward County Libraries

On December 17, 2009, the African American Research Library & Cultural Center (ARRLCC) hosted the monthly luncheon of the Friends of Broward County, the umbrella organization of the 29 local chapters.  The featured luncheon speaker,  Dr. Henrietta M. Smith, discussed the history of the Coretta Scott King Award; presented the criteria used in the selection of the new talent, author and illustrator award winners; and shared some behind the scenes anecdotes.

Dr. Henrietta M. Smith

~MT

What a Year-2009

CHICAGO —The Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association (ALA) has announced accreditation actions taken at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Continued accreditation status was granted to the * Master of Arts in Library and Information Science offered by the University of South Florida.The next comprehensive review is scheduled to occur in 2016. –KdlPMc

CHICAGO —The Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association (ALA) has announced accreditation actions taken at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Continued accreditation status was granted to the
* Master of Arts in Library and Information Science offered by the University of South Florida.

The next comprehensive review is scheduled to occur in 2016.

SLIS Fall Graduates Attend Tampa Campus Celebration and Commencement

More than a dozen SLIS Fall graduates and their families and friends gathered together with SLIS faculty and staff on Saturday, December 12 to celebrate their graduation. The event took place in the CIS building atrium prior to the 6pm commencement ceremony at the USF Sun Dome. Distinguished University Professor Dr. Kathleen de la Peña McCook, Assistant Professors  Dr.  JungWon Yoon and Dr. Stephanie Maatta-Smith, Fieldwork Coordinator Dr. Linda Alexander, Academic Program Specialist Wendy Steiger and Assistant Director and Instructor Diane Austin welcomed attendees to the event, which culminated with a the traditional  graduation picture on the atrium stairs.  Graduate assistant Jyoti Deo, one of the fall graduates, generously provided the refreshments for the graduation celebration. Thank you, Jyoti! View more pictures from the event on USF SLIS Flickr site.

pics & post by DA

Florida Library Association Bookmark Design Contest

The Florida Library Association is hosting its first bookmark design contest!  Anyone can enter and it’s easy to do!  The winning design will cover one side of a bookmark that the association will use to highlight membership benefits.  This is a great opportunity for those interested in graphic design, or those who just want to have fun building connections in the library community in Florida.  Complete contest guidelines and submission instructions are posted here.

The Florida Library Association (FLA) is a non-profit organization of libraries, library staff, and those who support libraries.  FLA works to develop the skills of librarians and support staff.  It also works closely with the information industry and the library community, and advocates for excellence in all types of library service within the state of Florida.  More information about the Florida Library Association is available online at http://www.flalib.org.

~JV for FLA

SLIS Student Lands New Senior Archivist Job for UCF Library

As of Friday, December 11, the main campus library at The University of Central Florida enjoyed a new addition to its library staff, USF SLIS Student Sandra Varry. Sandra has been appointed as the library’s new Senior Archivist. Previously, she was on staff at the Rosen Library for over two and a half years. Congratulations to you, Sandra! USF SLIS wishes you the best.

-DR

Recharging after forays into curriculum and mission

On the morning of Wednesday, December 9, 2009, faculty, staff and students of the USF SLIS were represented in meetings to address the continuing evolution of the school’s curriculum and mission. Dr. James Andrews led the overall effort, which included breakout sessions into smaller discussion groups. Idea results from the smaller groups were then collated when the session re-convened.

The need for discussion of future curriculum choices and refining of the school’s mission are, in part, a result of the feedback received during the recent ALA re-accreditation process. Concrete decisions regarding any changes to the curriculum and mission are envisioned for the spring semester when more of the faculty will be present.

A group of 12 faculty, GA’s and staff then shifted gears into a celebratory mode. They adjourned to nearby Antonio’s for a luncheon and, for those who wished to participate, a token gift exchange.

What better gifts for librarians to exchange, of course, than books!

The format was one in which participants choose to either take a wrapped, anonymous book from the collected stash or steal one from someone that’s already unwrapped their draw.

The surprise results appeared to tickle everyone.

Dr. Jungwon Yoon happy with her selection.

For example, Dr. Yoon seemed so excited by her book about chocolate that she attempted to magically produce dessert from the very pages of the tome. 

Dr. Cora Dunkley's draw

Good food, good company, good discussion and good spirits were enjoyed by all.

To view more pictures from this event click here.

[Posted by AB]

East Coast Graduation & Holiday Reception

On December 6, 2009 the SLIS East Coast Program held their 14th graduation and holiday reception in the SEFLIN Meeting Room at the Boca Rotan S.E. Wimberly Library on the FAU Campus. There were 14 SLIS graduates in attendance who each got a professional picture taken in their cap and gown  and a frame for them to put their diploma in, both given to the students as gifts from East Coast Assistant Director Maria Treadwell.

Along with the graduates, in attendance at the event were their families, alumni, Director Jim Andrews, Assistant Directors Maria Treadwell and Diane Austin, Communication and Information Officer Jessica Voss, Emeritus Faculty member Henrietta Smith, and Jennifer Moore from the CAS Foundations Office.

Diane Austin and Dr. Henrietta Smith

To view more pictures from this event go here.

~JV

Alice G. Smith 20th Anniversary Lecture and 2010 Scholarship Acknowledgement Dinner

On December 3, 2009, SLIS celebrated its 20th Anniversary Alice G. Smith Lecture. The night started off with Dr. Jim Andrews welcoming everyone to the dinner and then presenting the scholarships for Spring 2010. The list was as follows:

Johnie Key Thomson Scholarship

Lauren Gelbart

Kristine T. Smith

H.W. Wilson Scholarship

Gina McIntyre-Bingham

Nicole M. Kennedy

Judiann Rakes

Patricia Andrew Cone Scholarship

Joseph Kelly

Rhoda Gamboa

Blackwell/Perrault Scholarship

Darla Asher

Dr. Andrews giving Gina McIntyre-Bingham her certificate

Following dinner, Dr. John Budd of the University of Missouri gave a talk entitled, “The Economics of Information: A Morass, Wrapped up in a Muddle, Inside a Quagmire.” Dr. Budd’s talk will soon be available on the SLIS Web site. The night was a success and we thank everyone who was in attendance.

Dr. Jim Andrews and Dr. John Budd

To view more pictures from the event go here.

For more information about the Alice G. Smith Lecture series, go to http://slis.usf.edu/communication/showcase/

~JV

SLIS Students Publish Article in BRASS

Two of our own SLIS students, Marilyn Hart and Dave Davisson, co-authored the latest edition of BRASS (Business Reference and Services Section — RUSA) Public Libraries Briefcase. Their article, “A Few Social Networking Tools Not to Miss for Business Information: Social Networking for Business Librarians,” describes several free social networking resources for business librarians, including some popular sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as other, less well-known tools, such as LibraryThing and StumbleUpon.

Marilyn and Dave collaborated on the Winter 2009 issue of BRASS with Assistant Professor, Dr. Stephanie Maatta, for their LIS6624 Business/Legal Information Sources and Services class. Way to go Marilyn & Dave on getting published!

sdg

David Davisson

Marilyn Hart

SLIS Program Specialist Wendy Steiger Receives CAS Outstanding Staff Award

SLIS Program Specialist Wendy Steiger and CAS Dean Dr. Eric Eisenberg.

SLIS would like to congratulate Wendy Steiger, who was the recipient of one of the few CAS outstanding staff awards. They announced the winners on Friday, November 20th at the CAS staff appreciation event in the botanical gardens.

Also, in attendance at the CAS staff appreciation event were Director Jim Andrews, Communication and Information Officer Jessica Voss, Program Specialist Wendy Steiger, and Office Manager Dina Castellon.

Dr. Jim Andrews, Jessica Voss, Wendy Steiger, and Dina Castellon at the CAS Staff Appeciation Event

To view more pictures from the event go here.

~JV