School of Information Sciences Faculty and Incoming Student Present at the American Library Association Annual Conference in San Diego
Many School of Information Sciences faculty members, current students, and alumni traveled across the country from Tennessee to San Diego to attend the 2024 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference and Exhibition.
ALA prioritizes learning and ensuring access to information for all by providing resources to library systems across the country and by advocating for public policies and legislation that affect the library field. This year’s conference featured speakers such as Trevor Noah, Anika Noni Rose, and Taraji P. Henson. SIS Director Abebe Rorissa along with Professor Wade Bishop and Associate Professor Rachel Fleming-May helped lead a panel discussion on Developing Data Literacy Champions: Building a Culture of Critical Engagement with Data, and incoming master’s student Cassandra Taylor spoke on uplifting diverse voices through inclusive library services. Nearly two dozen faculty members, students, staff, alumni, friends of SIS, and the College of Communication and Information Dean, Joe Mazer, attended the SIS reception, while Assistant Director of Academic Programs Amanda Yother connected with prospective students throughout the week of events.
Yother is a graduate of the SIS master’s program and said, “It has been a full decade since my last visit to an American Library Association Conference, and it was my pleasure to attend this year to represent the School of Information Sciences in a variety of capacities. I was able to share information about our master’s program with library workers and supporters who were seeking options to grow in their careers. I attended sessions presented by our stellar faculty and alumni and was thrilled to hear from some fabulous authors and library champions.”
Taylor currently serves as the adult literacy program specialist for Nashville Public Library, as well as a library associate for the Technology Engagement Center at the Redford County Library system in Murfreesboro. In addition, she has taken on the role of Intellectual Freedom chair for the Tennessee Library Association. Presenting at ALA was her first opportunity to conduct an hour-long session. Her presentation, “Uplifting Diverse Voices Through Inclusive Library Service”, discussed how library systems can promote inclusivity and shared the practices that libraries in Middle Tennessee are actively engaging in.
Taylor also attended the Tennessee Library Association Conference earlier this year and says that, as a distance learner, these conferences help her connect with other UT faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
“It’s very important for me to have that connection with my instructors. Otherwise, I would just feel lost. So, it’s very much appreciated for these opportunities as an incoming student,” she said.
In addition to holding a Master of Library Science from Middle Tennessee State University, she enrolled in UT’s Information Sciences master’s program in the hopes of advancing her career to become a Library Director one day.
“There’s always something new to learn, which is exciting,” she shared.
Aeryle Kuehn (‘24), an alumnus of the MSIS program, attended ALA for the first time this year with her family. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Minnesota in 2012 and began working in public libraries in 2018.
After a brief period of working in libraries, Kuehn expressed, “I wanted to start a master’s program right away because I loved it so much. It was like an immediate feeling of coming home when I had always been looking for the next job. I wanted to stay at this public library.”
Kuehn was fortunate to receive funding from her job to attend this year’s ALA conference.
“The biggest benefit that I got from the conference was probably the individual sessions where they went over AI. I specifically chose sessions that were related to my job now and then things that I would like my job to be. If I had to pick one session I enjoyed most, it would be a roundtable session that focused on AI. It was filled with academic librarians who were specifically concerned about plagiarism citation and all these things that I’m also concerned about. I felt like I had connected with people the most in smaller settings and we had something specific to talk about,” she explained.
One of those smaller settings Kuehn was able to be a part of was the SIS alumni reception. Alumnus Stephanie Morgan (‘24) also attended.
“The alumni dinner was a fun event. Since the SIS program is online, it is especially enjoyable to get to see classmates in person. I also enjoyed getting to meet alumni who graduated before me and hear the ways they have used their degrees and where libraries have taken them,” Morgan said.
Morgan graduated with her master’s in SIS in the spring while also earning a certificate in Research Data Management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from Western Washington University and currently works as the librarian for Art, History of Art and Architecture, and French and Italian at Vanderbilt University.
“One of the many things I love about my job is that each day is different. I never know what kind of research question students or faculty are going to ask and what kind of interesting research it will lead to,” she said.
Morgan attended the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) Annual Conference and will also attend the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference in April. This was her first time at ALA.
“It was a very cool and unique feeling to be surrounded by people from all over the world who are in the same profession. It was also very awe-inspiring to listen to and see the amazing work that our colleagues are doing,” she said.
The SIS faculty, staff, students, and alumni expressed that the cross-country trip was worthwhile and that they would attend again in the future. Faculty and staff are eager to apply what they learned from the trip to their work at the university.
School of Information Sciences Faculty and Incoming Student Present at the American Library Association Annual Conference in San Diego written by Kristen Gallant and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.