Mike Crandall comments on new Pew Research report

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The findings: a full 21% of respondents reported having read an e-book within the past year, as of February 2012. To put this into perspective: in December 2011, just 17% of those surveyed had read an e-book in the past year. That's a jump of four percentage points in just two months--which makes sense, since a number of people probably received new ultra-low-priced e-readers and tablets during the holiday gift-giving season. "Libraries clearly are being impacted by the move to digital," said Mike Crandall, senior lecturer at the Information School at University of Washington. "This is not

New book by Affiliate Instructor Randy Hinrichs

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Engaging the Avatar: New Frontiers in Immersive Education explores possible academic worlds where the avatar is at the center of learning. The book addresses timely questions which include: What are the frameworks and strategies for building these virtual environments? What are the things the avatar adapts and learns from in its environment? How does this strategy support learning? Hinrichs and series editor, Charles Wankel, Ph.D., St. John's University, have curated essays and case studies that explore what it takes to create a global education environment for learning. In addition t

New book by Affiliate Instructor Annie Searle

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Reflections on Risk is a collection of 22 research notes focused on operational risk. The book is divided into four sections: business practices, business preparedness, business security, and emerging trends. About the author: Annie Searle & Associates LLC -- also known as ASA -- is a Seattle-based operational risk consulting firm that also specializes in research and publication around risk-related topics through its Institute for Risk and Innovation. The research practice feeds the consulting practice, which offers confidential assessments of existing risk management plans and program

Joe Janes: A Hazy Shade of (Mid)winter

Monday, March 5, 2012

In the recent edition of American Libraries Magazine, Joe Janes, associate professor and chair of the MLIS program, writes about his conversations and observations at the January American Library Association conference. Janes concludes, "I was so taken with the level of sophistication, depth, passion, creativity, community, collaboration, and downright chutzpah on display throughout, particularly in such a time of profound change and, often, retrenchment. It made me even prouder to be a librarian." Read the complete story.

iSchool alumna appointed Oregon State Librarian

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

MaryKay Dahlgreen, MLIS '84, was appointed by the Oregon State Library Board of Trustees to the post of State Librarian. Dahlgreen has served as the Interim State Librarian since the former State Librarian, Jim Scheppke, retired in late 2011. Her new role is effective March 1, 2012. Dahlgreen's background includes working at the Oregon State Library for over sixteen years as Library Development Program Manager and Youth Services Consultant, and prior to that working in the King County Library System in Seattle, Washington. She holds a master's degree in librarianship from the University of

Disaster response in Chile: The critical role of libraries and telecenters

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Two years ago on February 27, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Chile, followed by a tsunami that devastated several coastal communities. Libraries and telecenters played an important and unexpected role in responding to the crisis, helping to restore communication and promote recovery. Produced in partnership with the Assocacion de Telecentros Activos de Chile (ATACH), the Technology & Social Change Group's latest series of publications -- Disaster response in Chile: The critical role of libraries and telecenters -- examines post-disaster information and communication needs, services p

iSchool MLIS students interviewed by Publisher's Weekly

Monday, February 27, 2012

In an interview for Publisher's Weekly, Andrew Richard Albanese spoke with 11 current Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students about their plans for the future and the future of libraries. The interview was arranged by iSchool advisory board member, adjunct faculty and PW contributing editor Nancy Pearl. MLIS students who participated included Amy Mikel, April Martin, Cherl Petso, Althea Lazzaro, Denise Douglas-Baird, Tim Cahill, Grace Chung, Lillian Dabney, Zach Zelinski, Jen Malczewski, and Andrew Brink. Read the article, I-School Confidential: 'PW' talks with future l

Harry Bruce recognized for his contribution to the iCaucus

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Harry Bruce, dean of the UW iSchool, completed his tenure as chair of the iCaucus and was recognized for his two years of service at the 2012 iConference. In an awards ceremony on February 10, Bruce was a gift of glass art by the incoming chair, Elizabeth Liddy. Liddy is dean and trustee professor at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. The iCaucus is the governing organization for the iSchools. The iSchools organization was founded in 2005 by a collective of Information Schools, including the University of Washington iSchool, dedicated to advancing the information f

UW iSchool participates in iConference 2012

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Congratulations to the iSchool faculty and students who are participating in this year's iConference in Toronto, Canada. The seventh annual conference runs February 7 through February 10, with more than 400 people expected to attend. The iConference series is presented by the iSchools organization, a worldwide collective of 33 Information Schools dedicated to advancing the information field, and preparing students to meet the information challenges of the 21st Century. Visit the iConference for the complete schedule. Accepted UW Papers and Panels Social Network Analysis of Public Acce

Alison Head featured in Journalist's Resource

Thursday, February 2, 2012

"What do professors do with findings like ours? Here's an idea: Educators may want to take a hard look at how they teach critical inquiry," advised Alison Head in a recent interview with Journalist's Resource, an online publication that curates scholarship relevant to the media for use by practitioners, educators and students. Head was asked to talk about her research on college students online study habits as part of her work for the iSchool's Project Information Literacy. "Our interviews and surveys of college students have revealed some surprises for us as researchers. We have found

Jeff Huang wins 2012-2013 Facebook fellowship

Thursday, February 2, 2012

iSchool Ph.D. student Jeff Huang was named a Facebook fellow for 2012-2013. The fellowship is highly competitive and open to Ph.D. students from universities around the world. Only a handful of students are selected for the honor annually. In its third year, the Facebook fellowships are awarded to those individuals in the academy whose work will enable Facebook to solve complex technical problems. The award comes with a stipend, along with funds to pay for tuition and fees. Learn more about the Facebook Fellowship Program.

'Frontline' documentary benefits from MLIS student's work

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Renato Rodriguez played an important role in the FRONTLINE documentary "Nuclear Aftershocks," which aired February 17 on KCTS. Rodriguez conducted the archival research to identify the video and photos used in the documentary. He worked with the producers to develop a wish list of items they felt would support the storyline: The implications that the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan may have for the U.S. nuclear safety. Through extensive research, he found the materials, contacted vendors, identified licensing fees and created a database of contacts and tags for the producers

Nancy Pearl increases iSchool scholarship funding through new Amazon partnership

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Book Lust Rediscoveries, Nancy Pearl's latest initiative, will bring back six out-of-print or out-of-stock books a year through a new partnership with Amazon. A portion of the sales will go to the Nancy Pearl Endowment for Public Librarianship at the University of Washington's Information School. The endowment was established in 2011. Nancy Pearl, is on the iSchool's master of library and information science advisory board and serves as an adjunct faculty. She speaks about the pleasures of reading to library and community groups throughout the world and comments on books regularly on NPR's