USF/SLIS to Host Reception at FLA

The School of Library and Information Science will be hosting a Student/Alumni Reception at 2009 FLA Annual Conference in Orlando on May 6th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. The location and R.S.V.P. information will be distributed shortly. ALA President Jim Rettig will be joining us!

Student Organization Book Sale

The SLIS Student Orgs Book Sale will be in front of the USF Tampa Library from 7:30am to 5:30pm this Wednesday, March 25th!

SLIS Faculty and Alumni Present at ACRL in Seattle

Dr. Vicki Gregory, Professor, Dr. Derrie Perez, Assistant Professor, SLIS Alumni Claudia Dold, James Ascher and Shantrie Collins, along with Cynthia Kisby, Head of Regional Campus Library Services for the University of Central Florida in Orlando presented a panel at ACRL in Seattle on Saturday, March 14, 2009 titled, "ALSTARS: Academic Librarians for Tomorrow's Academic Researchers: An IMLS-Sponsored Project to help Define a Curriculum for Academic Librarians".

Dr. Scott Simon to Perform at Southshore Regional Library

Assistant Professor Scott Simon is a singer/songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist with an earthy sound that combines his bluesy acoustic guitar playing, heartfelt vocals, and mystical lyrics. This event is co-Sponsored by the Friends of the Southshore Regional Library and free tickets available one hour prior to the beginning of the program (limit 100) Date: 4/8/2009 2:00- 4:00 p.m. map and directions

USF Participates in FLA Library Days at the Legislature

(l-r) USF SLIS Visiting Assistant Professor, Dr. Ann Riedling, Alice Smith Lecturer for USF SLIS in 1996 and current FLA Parliamentarian, Bernadette Storck, USF SLIS Graduate Students, Karen Kaufman and Heather Husted

Dr. Ann Riedling noted, "We had excellent response from all the representatives we visited. I was delighted that they listened, actually seemed to realize the importance of libraries and stood behind what we said. I am guessing we met with about 25 people; Bernadette had provided packets for them. I was impressed with Karen and Heather. They shadowed us on Tuesday and "had their own agenda" on Wednesday. They were very professional and spoke well for USF."

Dr. Stephanie Maatta Receives Grant

Dr. Stephanie Maatta

Dr. Stephanie Maatta was awarded $3,800 by the Center for 21st Century Teaching Excellence Innovative Learning-Centered Grant program. The Accessibility Based E-Learing (ABEL) Project proposes to take a proactive approach to redesigning LIS6603 Basic Information Sources and Services to meet accessibility standards and to create course content that is truly learner-centered. After completing an online certification program in "Accessible Information Technology" through the University of Southern Maine, Dr. Maatta will redesign and usability test LIS6603 for accessibility. Outcomes of the project include LIS6603 serving as a general model of accessible e-learning, creation of multimedia demonstrations that can be incorporated into course delivery campus-wide, and preparation and implemention of workshops to support faclty in creating their own accessible course content. The final outcome will be a course that is barrier-free for students with disabilities while also meeting the needs of students with a variety of learning styles. The project is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2010.

SLIS Alumni and Adjuncts Receive Awards at SEFLIN Awards Luncheon

Several SLIS alumni were award recipients at the SEFLIN Awards Luncheon on February 27 in Ft. Lauderdale:

Collaboration Award: Rachel Cathcart, Lauren Christos, Larry Treadwell, Doreen Gauthier, Jan Johnson, Amanda Sarra, Dan Tan, Leecy Barnett, Sunem Beaton-Garcia, Dani Lichtenberg, Larry Treadwell. The Collaboration Award recognizes SEFLIN member libraries and their staff "for their contribution of time, energy and talent in supporting cooperation between all types of libraries."

Vista Award: Sunem Beaton-Garcia, Lucia Gonzalez, Miriam Hershenson, Deobrah Passalacqua, Cynthia Shulman, Victoria Thur, Eileen MacNally, Rafael Costa, Dan Tan. This award "recognizes and individual library employee or a team of library employees for providing excellent library services and furthering cooperation between all types of libraries."

Innovation Award: Kathleen Werthman. This award recognizes "an innovative library activity, program or service based on collaborative efforts between libraries or libraries and the communities they serve.

Horizon Award: Marleen Lee. The award "recognizes community and business leaders/organizations for their outstanding support of libraries."

Also, several SLIS adjunct faculty received awards: Chris Casper accepted a Collaboration Award on behalf of the Poster session presenters at 2008 ALA Conference, Barbara Correll received a Horizon Award, and Dr. William Miller received the Distinguished Service Award.

USF SLIS Student wins Best Poster Award

Thomas "Trey" Shelton III won the Best Poster award at the University of Tennessee's College of Communication and Information 31st Annual Research Symposium on Friday, February 27th. The theme of the symposium was "Power and Politics: Communication and Information. Trey won for his poster titled "The ???Queer' Politics of Libraries."

Trey's was one of only four prizes awarded: best faculty/student collaboration, best paper by a master's degree student, and best paper by a doctoral student were the others.

Trey Shelton's award was personally presented by the widely-recognized and leading scholar, Dr. Carol Tenopir, Professor at the University of Tennessee's School of Information Sciences and Director of the Center for Information and Communication Studies in Knoxville. The UT judges said Trey's research poster and presentation was "visually appealing, used current images and was an excellent presentation that stood out among all the others."

The Univ. of Tennessee College (CCI) webpage prominently features this Symposium in their news at: http://www.cci.utk.edu/