Several GSLIS alumni have recently been elected to leadership positions in the following professional associations:

James Blank (MS '97) is the recipient the of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Engineering Librarian of the Year Award. The Engineering Librarian of the Year, sponsored by IHS, highlights the accomplishments and contributions of SLA Engineering Division members to the engineering librarian profession.

Blank is a technical knowledge specialist in the engineering library at Caterpillar Inc. Since joining Caterpillar in 2000, his responsibilities have included many library functions, such as cataloging, acquisitions, collection development, and website administration. He currently has responsibility for performing in-depth research, administering access to industry standards,...

Rebecca Graham (MS '98) has been named the University of Guelph’s new chief information officer (CIO) and chief librarian. Her five-year term begins May 23.

The announcement was made on March 22 by provost and vice-president (academic) Maureen Mancuso, who chaired the search committee.

“Rebecca possesses the knowledge, skills and qualities that we were looking for in our next CIO and chief librarian,” Mancuso said. “She is a strategic thinker and an exceptional leader whose experience, vision and passion will help us further build our reputation as a forerunner in information technology and library systems.”