iSchool's Friedman, Hendry co-author 'Value Sensitive Design'

Monday, July 8, 2019

Batya Friedman and David Hendry, faculty members in the UW Information School, have co-authored the new book “Value Sensitive Design: Shaping Technology with Moral Imagination.” With technology affecting all aspects of life and the growing concerns over privacy, security and inclusion, the authors ask: “How should designers, engineers, architects, policymakers, and others design such technology? Who should be involved and what values are implicated?” Value Sensitive design “brings together theory, methods and applications for a design process that engages human values at every

Researchers use virtual reality to inspire incarcerated teens

Monday, July 8, 2019

A recent art exhibit at Snoqualmie library displayed artwork inspired by teens’ experiences in virtual reality. Called “Here But Not Here,” the exhibit showcased the work of teens who typically are unable to go to the library. They are incarcerated nearby at the Echo Glen Children’s Center for Juvenile Rehabilitation. The exhibit, and the VR experiences that inspired it, were part of a research project led by the University of Washington Information School and Museology program. The project aims to create a digital arts education program for kids at the Echo Glen School, and to

MLIS alumnus awarded Librarian of the Year in Oregon

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) alumnus Jeremy Skinner was recently recognized as Librarian of the Year for the State of Oregon. Skinner is the library director for Curry Public Library in Gold Beach, Oregon. His duties include hiring, fundraising, setting strategy and goals, managing employees and coordinating community relations. The award, which is given by the Oregon Library Association, is granted to a professional librarian who has a proven track record of exceptional library service. A 2010 iSchool graduate, Skinner has held various library positions as an ar

Online MLIS student named Mosaic Program Fellow

Monday, June 24, 2019

Kelli Yakabu, an online Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) student at the UW Information School, has been selected as a Mosaic Program Fellow. Established by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the Mosaic Program accepts MLIS students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in an effort to increase diversity in archives and special collections. As a fellow, Yakabu will complete a one-year, paid internship with the archives and special collections at UW Libraries, as well as participate in both the 16th Annual ARL

8 iSchool students awarded ALA Spectrum Scholarships

Friday, June 21, 2019

Eight University of Washington Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students were among the 60 winners of 2019-20 Spectrum Scholarships, the American Library Association has announced. iSchool winners include returning students Joan Hua, Conrrado Saldivar and Meneka Thiru as well as incoming students Joanne Chern, Taylor Healey-Brooks, Courtney Nomiyama, Tania-María Ríos Marrero and Karen Wang. Hua is a third-year online MLIS student. She has been working in instructional design at an academic library in Washington D.C. She hopes to incorporate digital methods in

Convocation honors hundreds of iSchool graduates

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

The UW Information School honored 478 graduating students from its undergraduate and graduate programs at Convocation on June 8, 2019, at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The keynote speaker was Xiao Wang, co-founder and CEO of Boundless Immigration, which uses data to help people navigate the U.S. immigration system. Wang spoke about his parents’ life in communist China and their lack of opportunity, and he urged graduates to set their own paths in their careers. “In a world where technology can be so powerful, and yet is being used to solve such menial or privileged issues, you can all deci

Informatics students take on 'evil' technologies

Friday, June 7, 2019

Students from Information School Assistant Professor Alexis Hiniker’s “Designing for Evil” have a lot of ideas for removing — or at least reducing — the evil in some popular apps and websites such as YouTube, Yelp and LinkedIn. By learning how to design for evil, Informatics students in the INFO 498 class learn how to design for good. They shared their final projects in a poster session June 3 at Mary Gates Hall. Hiniker’s class explores the responsibility of designers and developers to create systems that serve the greater good. Students examine things such as manipulati

Capstone puts students' skills on display

Thursday, June 6, 2019

The iSchool’s 2019 Capstone event, held June 4 at the University of Washington HUB, featured 129 poster presentations and 39 online ones from more than 400 students. Projects were judged for awards in several categories, including social impact, commercial potential, research, service, innovation/design, and diversity. Additionally, students in each program awarded a Best in Class prize to their peers.  Held annually, Capstone showcases the breadth of skills and expertise students develop in the B.S. in Informatics, M.S. in Information Management and 

Informatics students pilot 'Hack for Social Good' hackathon

Monday, June 3, 2019

Information School students brought 11th- and 12th-graders from the UW Dream Project to campus May 24 for a “Hack for Social Good” hackathon. The event, organized by iSchool student leaders and staff, prompted the high schoolers to design information and technology solutions to real-world problems. Informatics Undergraduate Association diversity officer Katie Goulding, 2019-20 diversity officer Eva Perez, and iSchool Diversity Programs Advisor Cynthia del Rosario led the hackathon. They partnered with the UW Dream Project, which seeks to promote college readiness in local middle

iSchool research a key factor in eviction reforms

Monday, June 3, 2019

Research from the UW Information School and eScience Institute factored into a recent change to state law that will keep more people in their homes. Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill on May 9 that makes a set of reforms to the state’s eviction laws. The legislation requires that tenants be given 14 days to respond to an eviction notice, rather than the three days required previously. It also requires that eviction notices be written in understandable language, and it gives judges some leeway in deciding whether there is just cause for an eviction. The Washington Evictions Research Proj

MLIS team shines light on criminal justice records

Thursday, May 30, 2019

In theory, information on misconduct in prisons and policing is supposed to be available to the public. The reality, however, is that such documentation is largely inaccessible due to the organization of public records. Three dedicated iSchool students have decided to address this information gap with their Capstone project. Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students (pictured, from left) Mariah McGregor, Angela Gonzalez-Curci and Stef Clark are working on a metadata schema for the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC), which focuses on prisoner rights and legal issues surr

MSIM students help Seattle better serve homeless people

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Seattle has one of the largest homeless populations in the nation. More than 12,000 people were counted as homeless in the city and King County in an annual survey last year, with more than half living unsheltered. Seattle-King County ranked only behind the city and county of Los Angeles and New York City last year in the number of homeless people in the U.S. Getting these people help — be it a shower and a warm bed or a return to permanent housing — has become one of Seattle’s top priorities. To aid in the effort, the city has turned to the University of Washington’s Information

Capstone project will help make Seattle more age-friendly

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Four Informatics students are using the skills they’ve learned at the UW Information School to help make Seattle a great place to grow up and grow old. The team — (pictured, from left) Muhammad Hariz, Davis Huynh, Estelle Jiang and Liyuang Fu — has created an interactive, accessible website and assessment test for Age Friendly Seattle, a program of the city’s Aging and Disability Services. The work is the team’s project for Capstone, which puts iSchool students’ skills to use to solve a real-world problem. The project began because the city needed a new technology tool t

TASCHA, IFLA release update on development and access to information

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Access to information accelerates development, and libraries make this a reality for many people around the world. The 2019 Development and Access to Information (DA2I) Report offers new data, examples and arguments for placing libraries at the head of national development strategies. Twenty of the targets set forth by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), recognize the importance of access to information, and the skills and attitudes necessary for people to meaningfully use it in their lives and their communities. Produced by the International Federation of Library As

Informatics team helps patients make music with their eyes

Friday, May 24, 2019

ALS is a ravaging disease. People living with it slowly lose control of their legs, use of their hands, and the ability to speak and to breathe on their own. Many, however, can still control their eyes. And those functioning eyes and some inexpensive computer hardware are all they need to start using My Visual Piano, an exciting new software application developed by iSchool students for their 2019 Capstone project. The application allows musicians and music lovers with physically debilitating conditions to literally play piano with their eyes, running notes, laying down chords, and feeling