When Dick Kawooya first traveled from Uganda to the United States in 2001 to study library science, he had only expected to stay for one year. Now, Kawooya is an associate professor and just finished a year as interim director of the School of Library and Information Science College of Information and Communications at the University of South Carolina.

Part of his Kawooya’s journey includes graduating with a doctoral degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Communication and Information, with an emphasis in information sciences.

Erika Long (’16) was working with children in an after-school program, and as an academic mentor and tutor, when she realized she could do more for them. She wanted to provide children with lifelong skills that would make them successful academically and professionally, and she settled on the best way to do that: become a school librarian.

Recent SIS graduate Lauren Cole (Spring ’19) spent part of her last semester conducting a practicum through East Tennessee PBS and its “Black in Appalachia” project.

Featured alum: Valerie Aucoin (’19) just graduated from SIS and is currently interviewing for youth librarian positions across the country. She will be attending the American Library Association conference this week in Washington, D.C. as a volunteer, after she helped lead the student ALA chapter at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Why UTK?

Shelving assistant, library branch manager, business analyst and now, director of product development – these are some of the job titles SIS graduate Donna George (’01), has held throughout her career.

The first job she ever had was at her neighborhood public library, and she loved it. While her peers were working in typical teen jobs at restaurants and retailers, she was happy to be at the quiet library, and had stable hours. But it was more than that – working in a public library set the stage for the rest of her career.

Virtual 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.