The mission of the Library School Alumni Association (LSAA) is to support the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS), to encourage active participation of alumni in the programs of GSLIS and LSAA, to encourage students to become active, lifelong supporters of GSLIS and LSAA, and to be a partner with the University of Illinois Alumni Association in supporting alumni in their professional lives.

For more information, e-mail -lis-dev, at illinois.edu-.

Join LSAA

As an LIS alumni, you are automatically a member of LSAA which entitles you to several valuable benefits and services. To find out more about these and other membership upgrades, please visit the University of Illinois Alumni Association.

Greetings from LSAA President Beth McNeil

Beth McNeilOn June 26, 2011, the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science Library School Alumni Association approved a new board of directors in New Orleans at the annual meeting of the American Library Association. I am honored to serve GSLIS and look very much forward to working with board members and with GSLIS faculty and staff to continue the mission and traditions of the LSAA. Thank you very much to Past President Mary Jane Petrowski and to departing board members for their service to LSAA and GSLIS.

During 2011-2012, the LSAA Board of Directors will strive to carry on the work of past boards to increase alumni support for and involvement in GSLIS programs and initiatives. Increasing the LSAA Endowed Professorship endowment will continue to be a major initiative for the board, through the Tassel Project, so ably initiated by Julie Derden and Mary Jane Petrowski this past year, and other efforts. The LSAA Board will meet on September 16 for a first meeting of the year (in person and via Skype). Please consider becoming involved in your alumni association—the GSLIS LSAA.  Feel free to contact me at -mcneil.m.e, at gmail.com- with suggestions about LSAA.

All best wishes,

Beth McNeil (MS ’89)
LSAA President 2011-2012

2011-2012 LSAA Board Members

Beth McNeil (MS '89), President, -mcneil.m.e, at gmail.com-: Beth is associate dean for academic affairs and professor at Purdue University Libraries. Her areas of responsibility include oversight of twelve libraries and archives and special collections, scholarly communication, and collection development. Prior to joining Purdue she held a variety of positions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. She holds an AB in English, as well as MS in library and information science from the University of Illinois. She is currently working on a PhD in leadership studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Rachel BindmanRachel Bindman (MS '02), Vice President, -rbindman, at gmail.com-: Rachel Bindman received her PhD in European history from the University of California, Los Angeles (2000), and her MS in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2002). She has taught at UCLA and is currently a lecturer in the Library Media Teacher Services Credential Program at California State University, Long Beach. She has worked at the Getty Research Institute, the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago, and in public libraries for the last decade.

Beth WoodardBeth Woodard (MS '79), Secretary, -bswoodar, at illinois.edu-: Beth has served as a reference librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1983. During her tenure she has trained graduate assistants, co-taught a course at GSLIS, and coordinated library-wide staff development training. She has also given workshops for librarians throughout the country on improving their teaching skills. Beth is a Board of Trustee for the Oakwood, Illinois, Public Library and holds a B.A. in English from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Donna SchaalDonna Schaal (MS '00), Treasurer, -dschaal, at illinoisheartland.org-: Donna is currently employed with Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) in Champaign, Illinois. As a trainer, Donna focuses on providing general assistance and training for the east Central Illinois catalog. She also participates in the Diversity Program Advisory Committee for the Illinois State Library and the Illinois Library Association, currently serving on the Advocacy Committee and previously serving on the Reporter and Awards Committees. Donna is also the founder of the alumni regional group for Central Illinois GSLIS Graduates.

Mary Jane PetrowskiMary Jane Petrowski (CAS '94), Past President, -mpetrowski, at ala.org-: Mary Jane first worked overseas as a military librarian (in Turkey and West Germany) for ten years before returning to the States to begin work on her CAS at the University of Illinois. During her GSLIS years (1988-1993), she joined the faculty of the University Library and worked in the Undergraduate Library. After eight years at Colgate University in upstate New York, she joined the staff of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in 2002. She holds an M.L.S. in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in English from Duke University.

David KatesDavid Kates (MS '10), Director, 2011-2014, -dakates, at verizon.net-: David A. Kates is a librarian at Milken Community High School in Los Angeles. Prior to this, he worked as a librarian at the Crossroads School for Arts & Science and an editor at the ERIC database. David holds master's degrees in library and information science from the University of Illinois and journalism from the University of Southern California. He has written for VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) as well as renewable energy publications. He also has written two memoirs in poetry. David is excited to join the LSAA board.

Ethan HendersonEthan Henderson (MS '07), Director, 2010-2013, -ethanahenderson, at gmail.com-: Ethan is currently special collections librarian and archivist at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, where he oversees the rare books, manuscripts, and archival holdings of the college. He holds an M.S. in library and information science from the GSLIS, a certificate in special collections from the Midwest Book and Manuscript Studies program, and a B.M. in music from St. Olaf College.

Jim ObstJames Obst (LEEP, MS '05), Director, 2009-2012, -james.obst, at chi.frb.org-: Jim is digital services lead in the Knowledge Center of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He supports the economists, examiners, and executive office with information services and manages the bank's historical archives. He recently chaired the Federal Reserve System's archivists subcommittee and served on the Metropolitan Library System's Specials Advisory group.

Jane Kauzlaric (MS '02), Director, 2009-2012, -kauzlaric, at illinoisalumni.org-: Jane is serving her second term on the LSAA Board. She was the head of Youth Services at the Joliet Public Library, Black Road Branch, until she moved to sunny Phoenix with her husband Jack. Jane also holds a B.S. in biology from Binghamton University (State University of New York) and a M.S. in medical laboratory science from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Katrina FenlonKatrina Fenlon (MS '06), GSLIS PhD Student Representative, -kfenlon2, at illinois.edu-: After earning her MS from GSLIS in 2009, Katrina worked for a couple years as project coordinator of the IMLS-funded Digital Collections and Content (DCC) project in the GSLIS Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship (CIRSS). As a doctoral student, she continues to work on questions at the heart of DCC—about how to aggregate digital collections usefully, about metadata interoperability, about context and cohesion in digital collections.

Jeanie AustinJeanie Austin (MS '09), GSLIS CAS Student Representative, -austin10, at illinois.edu-: Jeanie Austin received an MS from GSLIS in December 2009 and began the CAS program in January 2011. She is currently project coordinator for the Mix IT Up! grant, an IMLS grant to build capacity at GSLIS by pairing students from groups traditionally underrepresented in library science with community organizations focused on youth. Jeanie also oversees the ELSEY juvenile detention center library project.  Jeanie's research interests include access to information, critical approaches to library science, and juvenile detention center libraries.

Laura SpradlinLaura Spradlin (MS '12 anticipated), GSLIS MS Student Representative, -lspradl2, at illinois.edu-: Laura Spradlin grew up in Morton, Illinois, and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in May 2010 with a degree in English-Writing and French. She is starting her last year of GSLIS this fall, and while she has experience working in public libraries, she is interested in exploring other areas of librarianship and combining her undergraduate background with a master's degree in library science. At GSLIS, she works as a graduate assistant in the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations, and in September, she will start as a graduate assistant in the Communications Office. In her spare time, she is an avid Illini fan and frequents book sales whenever possible.

Diana StroudDiana Stroud, GSLIS Staff Liaison, -dstroud, at illinois.edu-: Diana Stroud is the assistant dean for advancement and alumni affairs at GSLIS. In December 2010, she completed her fifth year at GSLIS and has successfully coordinated the $15M GSLIS Brilliant Futures Campaign. She volunteers with the National Association of Social Workers in Illinois and Washington, D.C., and currently serves as treasurer of the National Board. She holds a B.S. in political science and a minor in social work from Illinois State University and an MSW in public policy administration from the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.