Lorri Mon, who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Washington Information School in 2006, recently became director of Florida State University’s School of Information.

Mon took the helm on June 1. She previously had been an associate professor and associate director of FSU’s iSchool.

At the UW iSchool, she was the second person to graduate from the Ph.D. program, completing her dissertation, “User Perceptions of Digital Reference Services,” under committee chair Joe Janes. Her research since then has focused on how organizations use emerging technologies in information services.

“I particularly like being able to integrate my research into my teaching to give my students hands-on experiences in using technologies to help connect people with information,” she said. “I've brought students into working hands-on with social media, chat, text messaging and virtual worlds as a result of my research.”

Mon’s research and teaching have also explored areas such as social media management, digital reference, government information, and reference and information services. She’s also an advocate for libraries and was involved in a project that provided research data about the Miami Dade libraries during a funding crisis in 2013. 

Much like the UW iSchool, FSU’s School of Information is responding to a changing job market with constantly evolving needs for technology skills, Mon said. That adds to the appeal of taking over leadership of the school.

“It's always been part of the fun for information and technology professionals that you get to constantly learn new things, experiment and explore,” she said.