Project aims to strengthen research on public libraries

Monday, June 22, 2015

Research on public libraries exists in many silos. Data, reports and other materials based on the past 20 years of research are held in separate repositories, using different platforms. That makes it difficult to find, understand and use the data. The iSchool’s Technology and Social Change Group (TASCHA) aims to solve that with its Research Roadmap for Strengthening the Library Field. The project aims to bring the accumulated knowledge about public libraries into one easily accessible place. Designed to inform the future work of researchers and practitioners in the library field, the p

Annie Searle in Risk Universe: Will we always have to talk about ethics?

Thursday, June 18, 2015

I’ve been looking at the banking and finance sector for a little over 16 years, and I have to say that I don’t think that policy, ethical frameworks, codes of conduct or even regulation has had much of an impact on how employees behave.  To satisfy regulators, both before and as a result of Dodd-Frank, firms have created risk units toward the top of the firm that are still frequently confused with internal audit groups rather than embedded in the lines of business. Risk management is perceived by the business as overhead, the cost of doing business, money that could very well have bee

iSchool awards honor 6 outstanding graduates

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

The 2015 iSchool awards honor the leadership, community-building and academic achievement of each graduating student.  The awards were conferred at the iSchool Convocation on Sunday, June 14, 2015. Each program selects two graduating students to win this highest honor. One award is conferred by the graduating cohort and one from the faculty who teach in the program. Informatics Zach Balter (far left photo) won the Eisenberg Award, named for Mike Eisenberg, professor and dean emeritus and presented on behalf of IUGA (Informatics Undergraduate Association). Hillary

Deborah Jacobs keynotes 2015 iSchool Convocation

Monday, June 15, 2015

Deborah Jacobs, the 2015 keynote speaker for the Information School Convocation, is the director of Global Libraries, Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her remarks follow: "Thank you for the introduction, Dean Bruce, and thank you for the honor to be your speaker today, allowing me to share this incredibly joyous occasion with all of you, your families and friends. It’s a wonderful opportunity for me. This is my second time addressing a graduating class of the school. The first was June 1998 when I was director of The Seattle Public L

2015 Gonfaloniers: Twanna Hodge and Stephen Ramirez

Friday, June 12, 2015

Twanna Kinya Hodge, a graduating master of library and information science (MLIS) student, was selected by the Graduate School to be one of only two master’s students from the UW Seattle campus who will serve as Gonfaloniers – banner carriers – at the Commencement ceremony on June 13 in Husky Stadium. Gonfaloniers are nominated by their program advisors and must exemplify graduate education at the UW: excellence in learning, teaching, mentoring and/or research. They are announced by name as they enter the stadium, featured in the commencement program, and sent to the news me

Brian Bannon, Distinguished Alumnus 2015

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Brian Bannon, the 2015 iSchool Distinguished Alumnus, considers himself an unlikely librarian. Dyslexic as a kid, he never felt fully at home in the environment. “It wasn’t until college that I understood libraries were actually radical institutions,” Bannon said. “Their missions are much bigger than what I fully understood as a kid. I quickly got excited about the possibilities given what libraries are really about and the idea of leveraging that mission to do good in the world.” A Bellingham native, Bannon received his undergraduate degree from Pacific Lutheran University in

iSchool's use of SharePoint featured in IT Connect

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The iSchool has a reputation at the University of Washington as a leader in technology innovation and deployment to support staff, faculty and students. The iSchool IT department is often asked to beta-test new software or serve on UW-wide committees to make decisions on technology acquisitions. IT Connect featured the iSchool's use of SharePoint in a May news article.  From the article:  SharePoint’s built-in features, with a bit of configuration, sufficiently meets needs of the iSchool. They use SharePoint as an intranet, making it the go-to place for policy, procedure and

MLIS alumna appointed associate dean for technology and digital strategies

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Karen Estlund, MLIS '05, has been appointed associate dean for technology and digital strategies for the Penn State University Libraries, where she will provide leadership, strategic direction and support for information technology. Her portfolio will include Library Technology (I-Tech), Media and Technology Support Services (MediaTech), Digitization and Preservation, discovery, Web services and the Libraries’ digital research repository, ScholarSphere. She will also serve as liaison to Services and Solutions, a unit of Penn State’s Information Technology Services. Estlund will

Bryce Newell interviewed on NPR

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Information from Seattle's license plate scanners is used by the police for all kinds of investigations. Bryce Newell, Ph.D. '15, was interviewed by NPR's Martin Kaste for a story entitled, "Questions remain about how to use data from license plate scanners." Newell is an expert in information law, policy, and ethics. In addition to his iSchool doctorate, he has a law degree from University of California, Davis. He investigates how wearable cameras on police officers alter various aspects of police work, affect police-citizen interactions and perceptions of police legitimacy, and

Informatics students participate in 2015 Undergraduate Research Symposium

Friday, May 15, 2015

The iSchool was well represented at the Eighteenth Annual UW Undergraduate Research Symposium that took place on May 15, 2015. The event is organized by the Undergraduate Research Program, which facilitates research experiences for undergraduates in all academic disciplines. The Symposium is a chance for undergraduates to present what they have learned through their research experiences to a larger audience. It also provides a forum for students, faculty, and the community to discuss cutting edge research topics and to examine the connection between research and education. The event includes p

VIEWS2 given WLA President's Award

Friday, May 8, 2015

The Project VIEWS2 Team received the Washington Library Association 2015 President’s Award for their leadership role in early learning. The project, which began in 2011 with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Washington State Library, was the brainchild of Eliza T. Dresang. She spoke to many librarians interested in including early literacy concepts in their storytimes but who had no way of knowing if their activities were making a difference. Dresang decided to create a research project that would validate their efforts. Dresang passed away April

TASCHA and the iSchool at ICTD 2015

Monday, May 4, 2015

The International Conference on Information Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD 2015), hosted by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, will take place May 15-18. The iSchool and our Technology & Social Change (TASCHA) group will have a strong presence at the conference this year.  May 18th lineup: Joshua Blumenstock will be presenting the paper, Promises and Pitfalls of Mobile Money in Afghanistan: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial, on May 16th, which he co-authored with TASCHA’

iAffiliates Day 2015

Thursday, April 30, 2015

More than 125 iSchool Affiliate partners and friends of the program came together at the Seattle Central Library on April 28, 2015, for the fourth annual iAffiliates Day. The brainchild of iAffliliates Founding Director Mike Crandall, the event brings together community partners and iSchool faculty, researchers, and students to consider shared challenges and opportunities centered around the use of information. This year’s program featured three expert panels, the unveiling of a next-generation learning system for professional training, and the introduction of a new director. The first pa

Annie Searle in Risk Universe: ISIS is an operational risk

Friday, April 17, 2015

Like you, I am deeply outraged at the increasingly horrific actions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL), which in late June of 2014 rebranded itself to this designation, announced the formation of the Caliphate, and named its Caliph: “We clarify to the Muslims that with this declaration of khilāfah, it is incumbent upon all Muslims to pledge allegiance to the khalīfah Ibrāhīm and support him (may Allah preserve him). The legality of all emirates, groups, states, and organizations, becomes null by the expansion of the khilāfah's authority and arrival of its troops

iSchool student and alumni receive 2015 Awards of Excellence

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

The 2015 University of Washington Awards of Excellence recipients include a current MSIM student and two alumni from the Information School. The annual Awards of Excellence honor the achievements in teaching, mentoring, public service and staff support. Distinguished Staff Award: Ross Braine, MSIM '16 and Stephen Weber, Informatics '07 The Distinguished Staff Awards program was established in 1997 to honor outstanding University of Washington staff. Five individuals or teams are selected to be the award recipients based on their extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to