School of Information Sciences

K.C. Williams on Library Management, Programming, and Grant Writing

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Classes taught: Grant writing, Adult Services, Rural Library ManagementKC Williams

Lecturer: K.C. Williams

Location: Lives in Knoxville, works in Maryville, Tennessee as director of the Blount County Public Library.

Academic/Work Background: I didn’t know I’d be a public librarian, it looked like the hardest type of librarian job.

I went to school to be a medical librarian in the early ‘80s, graduated in ’84 from the University of Southern Mississippi. The year I graduated college is the same year that medical librarians were no longer mandatory, so there were no jobs. So I got a job in Dallas as a commercial … Read more “K.C. Williams on Library Management, Programming, and Grant Writing”

SIS Announces New John C. Winslow Memorial Scholarship

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Torchbearer at Circle ParkThe School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is pleased to announce a $30,000 gift from the John C. Winslow Fellowship Fund to establish the John C. Winslow Memorial Scholarship. Current and prospective students who are already working in public libraries and who are graduates of the University of Tennessee and/or Vanderbilt University will be given special consideration.

“We are grateful for this generous gift, especially since it will help those already working in public libraries earn professional credentials, so they can serve their communities to an even greater extent,” said SIS Director Diane Kelly. “We hope … Read more “SIS Announces New John C. Winslow Memorial Scholarship”

Student Spotlight: From Music to Cataloging, Nick Floyd Finds Inspiration in IS

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Featured student: Nick Floyd

Location: Nashville

Education: Bachelor’s of music from Belmont University, Nashville

Current job: I work with a music company called Naxos, we deal with every aspect of the music industry, largely classical. I specifically work in licensing and library services. We have a subscription service that public libraries, universities and performing arts organizations subscribe to. It’s an educational, electronic resource. We basically have a music software that has educational resources as well as streaming music.

Why SIS?

I was a music major in Nashville, as an undergrad. I was fortunate to find this job almost five years … Read more “Student Spotlight: From Music to Cataloging, Nick Floyd Finds Inspiration in IS”

Alum Ari Baker Finds Fulfillment in Public Librarianship

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Ari Baker, SIS alum and Learning Commons Coordinator at Blount County Public LibraryWhen Ari Baker (’15) first got the career assessment results back that said they’d be an ideal librarian, they were skeptical. After all, they’d spent some time volunteering to shelve books at the Blount County Public Library, and it hadn’t been all that exciting.

Now, three years after graduating with a master’s degree in information sciences and 10 years into working at the Blount County Public Library, they chuckle at their previous notion of what a librarian does. They spend their days as the learning commons coordinator, overseeing a broad array of programs for adults, including English Language Learner classes, … Read more “Alum Ari Baker Finds Fulfillment in Public Librarianship”

Learn About a Lecturer: SIS Alum Ashley Maynor Dives into the Nontraditional World of Digital Humanities

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Ashley Maynor with service dog CardamomLecturer: Ashley Maynor (’13)

Location: New York City, NY

Academic Background: I was a college scholar, which is part of the “design your own major” program for undergraduates at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I mostly focused on French literature and cultural studies but took courses across many curricula—from anthropology to cinema studies to international relations! I also have an MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University and an MSIS from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Work Background: I’m the digital scholarship librarian at NYU Libraries. I like to think of myself as kind … Read more “Learn About a Lecturer: SIS Alum Ashley Maynor Dives into the Nontraditional World of Digital Humanities”

Student Spotlight: Josh Borycz Finds Purpose in Scientific Data Management

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MSIS student Josh Borcyz in BrazilFeatured student: Joshua Borycz

Location: Knoxville, TN

Education: Bachelor of science in chemistry and mathematics from Hope College in Holland, Mich.; master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota; and PhD in chemistry from the University of Minnesota.

Current job: I work at Oak Ridge National Lab for the Office of Research Excellence. I visualize data using Python, answer research questions, and work at the reference desk. I’m also doing research with DataONE. Professor Suzie Allard and Professor Carol Tenopir are my academic advisors.

Why SIS?

After I finished my PhD, I went on a long hike – … Read more “Student Spotlight: Josh Borycz Finds Purpose in Scientific Data Management”

Student Food Insecurity Addressed by New SIS Food Box Program

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Graphic of SIS Food Box

Books, tuition, housing, utilities – these all add up for college students, and recent studies show that about a third of students find themselves choosing between necessities. Often, this means making food a low priority, resulting in food insecurity. When someone suffers from food insecurity, it means they don’t know where their next meal is coming from, or when they might be able to buy more groceries on a meager budget that is already stretched thin.

Food insecurity has a domino effect of negative outcomes, including lower graduation rates. Many people may not realize that college students are at … Read more “Student Food Insecurity Addressed by New SIS Food Box Program”

Alum John Wilkin wins Hugh C. Atkins Memorial Award

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John Price Wilkin, alumniSIS Alum John Wilkin (’86) was recently honored with the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award for his outstanding accomplishments as an academic librarian. He is the Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Dean of Libraries and University Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The award is jointly sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). It honors the life and accomplishments of Hugh C. Atkinson by soliciting nominations and recognizing the outstanding … Read more “Alum John Wilkin wins Hugh C. Atkins Memorial Award”

SIS & CCI Townhall Bridges the Gap

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Rachel Fleming-May, Diane Kelly, Dean Michael Wirth, Joseph Winberry and Hannah Brandon at the Town Hall

This article was written by Joseph Winberry and Hannah Brandon, two MSIS students who orchestrated the SIS & CCI Townhall event.

A dean, a school director, and a graduate studies director walk into a room—it’s not the beginning of a bar joke, but rather the events that unfolded on the evening of Feb. 5, 2019 in Patrick Auditorium. Michael Wirth, dean of the College of Communication and Information, Diane Kelly, director of the School of Information Sciences, and Rachel Fleming-May, director of SIS Graduate Studies, came together to participate in a joint CCI/SIS Townhall event with students in attendance via … Read more “SIS & CCI Townhall Bridges the Gap”

Alum Dorothy Ogdon Takes Libraries Into the Future with Technology Resources, Services

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Dorothy Ogdon holding 3D models of a brainVirtual reality, 3D-printing, models of brains and bones – these are just a few of the things that Dorothy Ogdon (’07) is dealing with on a regular basis. And she’s a librarian.

Of course, she’s not your typical librarian. Currently she is the emerging technologies librarian at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. It’s a new position at the library wherein Ogdon creates and oversees innovative programs and resources.

Ogdon said the inception of her technology ventures at the library started when a student asked if the library had a skeleton to borrow in order to study it.

“They had a … Read more “Alum Dorothy Ogdon Takes Libraries Into the Future with Technology Resources, Services”