SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION STUDIES Volume 42, No. 1 • Fall 2010 Jottingsand DIGRESSIONS COURTESY OF CRISTINA SPRINGFIELD Save the Dates May 5, 2011 Alumni Association Annual Business Meeting All SLIS alumni are encouraged to attend. Check the SLIS website in the spring for time and location, an agenda and the Executive Board ballot. May 12, 2011 Beta Beta Epsilon Chapter of Beta Phi Mu annual meeting and initiation of new members at the Pyle Center, UW-Madison. Check the spring issue of Jottings for more details. June 26, 2011 SLIS Reception and Alumni Reunion at ALA conference in New Orleans. Check the spring issue of Jottings for details. From left: Tom Olson, head of acquisitions at Forest Home branch of Milwaukee Public Library, Cara Evanson, Amy De Simone, Kristina Gomez, Eric Johnson, foreign language system selector for the library, and Angie Manderfeld CONTENTS Students found REFORMA Chapter SLIS REFORMA is a student orga- the most-supported, non-English 2 From the Chair nization based off REFORMA, the language in public libraries. 3 Digital Humanities Initiative national association for the promotion What these statistics mean for of library and information services to UW-Madison SLIS students is that 4 Olive C. Koch Rowe Scholarship Recipient: Toni Streckert Latinos and Spanish-speaking many students will eventually work populations. A recent graduate of in an information setting serving 5 Scholarships and Awards SLIS, Kristina Gomez, MA’10, estab- Spanish speakers. Gomez, Boss, and 6 Faculty and Staff News lished the UW-Madison SLIS chapter Springfield saw the implementation 8 Alumni News of REFORMA in fall 2009. Fellow of a SLIS REFORMA chapter as an SLISers Sam Boss, MA’10, opportunity for students interested 10 Class Notes and Cristina Springfield, MA’11, in Spanish language services to unite 13 Alumni Learning Opportunities assisted Gomez. and collaborate on service projects and 14 SLIS News Gomez said the primary drive professional development opportunities. for establishing a student chapter of SLIS REFORMA is working REFORMA was based on statistics: to address major areas of library Hispanics are the fastest growing reform, such as more frontline staff demographic in the United States, and fluent in Spanish, library staff who recent ALA research shows Spanish as are representative of the community’s Continued on page 3 FromHEADING the Director’s Chair New Year Brings New Faces Dear Friends, focuses on bioethics and informa- years of experience in student services tion ethics, with particular reference at UW-Madison, most recently as As I write in to privacy. He is author of several the graduate program and research late August, articles on topics that include genetic administrator in the Laboratory of we are get- engineering, and the USA PATRIOT Molecular Biology & Institute for ting ready to Act. Alan, whose appointment is 100 Molecular Virology. welcome new percent in SLIS, will be teaching two As you know, just maintaining members of courses a year for SLIS, and two for the size of the faculty and staff is a the SLIS com- legal studies. We are confident that continuing challenge for SLIS. I am munity. First, students will much appreciate his very happy to let you know that SLIS Christine Pawley, Director, I want to dynamic and knowledgeable presence is able to search for a faculty member School of Library and Information Studies introduce our in the classroom, and are thrilled that during the 2010–2011 academic year, new SLIS he is joining us. as part of a new Digital Studies pro- faculty member: The largest contingent of new gram funded through the Madison assistant professor SLISers is, of course, the incoming Initiative for Undergraduates (MIU). Alan Rubel, who master’s class. Over 100 students are The Digital Studies program, a cross- brings to us consider- entering as master’s degree candi- departmental initiative, prepares able research expertise dates; 79 of these will take the pro- undergraduate students to critically in an area of core gram through on-campus delivery, 29 analyze and creatively compose with Alan Rubel, interest in LIS — through our newly formatted distance new media and information technolo- Asst. Professor privacy. For the last program. Recruitment to the program gies (see www.dighum.wisc.edu/). two years, Alan has in both delivery modes has been very Finally, let me thank you for your been Greenwall Fellow in Bioethics successful this year: we received 260 continued support of SLIS, whether and Health Law Policy at Johns applications to the campus program through financial contribution, advo- Hopkins University and Georgetown and 54 applications to the distance cacy, or practical assistance. We rely University. Previously, he was law program. Two new PhD students are on friends like you to help us keep clerk to Wisconsin Supreme Court starting this semester. SLIS strong in the face of dwindling Justice Ann Walsh Bradley for two While we are excited to meet resources. I’m sure that you will be as years. He received his PhD in phi- new colleagues and students, we pleased and proud as we are that SLIS losophy in 2006 and his JD in 2003, were sorry to say goodbye to visit- has again ranked in the top 10 schools both from UW-Madison. His research ing assistant professor Sei-Ching of library and information in the 2010 Joanna Sin (PhD 2009). However, U.S. News & World Report; that at we are delighted at her appointment UW-Madison, SLIS consistently ranks Jottings is the alumni newsletter of the as assistant professor at Wee Kim in the top five master’s programs in School of Library and Information Studies 600 North Park Street Wee School of Communication and the number of graduates; and, most Madison, WI 53706 Information, Nanyang Technological importantly, that SLIS students con- E-mail: [email protected] University, Singapore. We wish Jo the tinue to get jobs. In the last five years, Director of the School of Library very best in her new job. We were 413 graduated from the MA program; and Information Studies: Professor Christine Pawley also sad to bid farewell to our student our research shows that 89 percent of Jottings Editor: Christina Johanningmeier and alumni relations coordinator, graduates surveyed were employed Assistant: Laura Damon-Moore Andrea Poehling, who has moved (overall response rate 90 percent), and Contact for gifts information: “up the hill” where she will be work- that 184 had jobs in Wisconsin. We Christine Pawley, Director ing with the divisional committees, feel that this is a very good achieve- [email protected] particularly on tenure cases and cur- ment, and we are working hard to Design: Wisconsin Alumni Association riculum matters. The excellent news make it even better. On Facebook: UW-Madison SLIS is that we have hired a new student On Twitter: UWSLISAlums and alumni relations coordinator, With very best wishes, Or link from the SLIS homepage: www.slis.wisc.edu Tanya Cobb. Tanya received her MA from SLIS in 2004, and has many Christine Pawley 2 JOTTINGS HEADING Curriculum Update: Digital Studies, Other Changes SLIS has implemented, or is prepar- would be offered in fall 2011. more options to specialize in their ing to implement, several changes and Currently, “a sweet spot exists area of interest,” said SLIS Director additions to its curriculum that will between casual computer use and Christine Pawley. The art history dou- broaden choices for students. computer science that the arts and ble degree offering may begin as early In the spring of 2010, the Digital humanities can best fulfill,” the fac- as spring 2012. Humanities Initiative at UW-Madison ulty and staff, including SLIS faculty SLIS has also retooled its Archives was awarded funding to offer an Kristin Eschenfelder, Greg Downey, and Records Management program. undergraduate Digital Studies certifi- Stephen Paling and Christine Pawley, The revamped curriculum, which cate. The development of the Digital wrote in their proposal. “At the high- launches in the fall of 2011, is essen- Studies curriculum is a collaborative est level, it promises to make UW a tially the same as the previous track effort, involving more than 30 fac- leader in 21st-century education.” with the exception of the course ulty and staff in three colleges, the A new double degree program sequencing and broader practicum Libraries, and DoIT. with the School of Music and a similar choices. The familiar 977 class will For SLIS, the Digital Studies program in the works, through the now include an EAD component and program will offer increased teaching Department of Art History, also will 40-hour practicum; in addition stu- assistantship opportunities for mas- allow students to cross disciplines. The dents will take the 620 class and 120- ter’s students through two undergrad- idea behind the programs is to reduce hour practicum or equivalent intern- uate classes and provide a gateway to the course load required for those who ship at an archives of their choice. attract students to SLIS. Graduate stu- would like to pursue graduate studies “It’s more open and more flexible,” dents will benefit, too, from additional in music, art history and Library and said Pawley. course offerings. The first courses Information Studies, giving “students Reforma continued from page 1 demographics, increasing diversity language selector Eric Johnson and Tammy Pineda, MA’08, for students within the LIS profession, expanding acquisitions librarian Tom Olson to interested in learning basic Spanish outreach to recent immigrant popula- learn about developing and maintain- vocabulary related to the library envi- tions, cultural sensitivity training for ing a Spanish collection. The Forest ronment. Students focused on Spanish library staff, more funding for Spanish Home branch is home to Milwaukee’s computer terms, terms and phrases language materials, and bilingual early largest Spanish collection and is in a for getting a library card, checking out literacy programming.