Category: News

New director for the iSchool

Leadership changed at the iSchool this spring. Dr. Alan Rubel, who joined the faculty in 2010, will serve as iSchool director for the next three-year term. Dr. Rubel’s research interests are in information ethics, policy, and law, focusing on information privacy and security, surveillance, and algorithmic decision-making. He is also a faculty member in UW’s …

iSchool leaps in rankings

The UW–Madison Information School (iSchool) recently moved up in the U.S. News and World Report ranking as the 11th best program for Library and Information studies in the nation.  While the iSchool was already top-ranked in previous years as 14th in the nation, the leap in ranking reflects the school’s longstanding commitment to educate students …

iSchool Virtual Graduation Ceremony on May 9

Help the iSchool celebrate the Class of 2021! The iSchool will host a virtual graduation ceremony on May 9 via a Canvas Celebration site. An email was sent to alumni on Tuesday, May 4 with the Canvas site information. If you didn’t receive the email, please contact Anna Palmer, ahpalmer@wisc.edu. The site will open at …

Family Ties: First year student Monika Hetzler follows in her mother’s footsteps

First year student Monika Hetzler is about to have more in common with her mom. Her mother, Svetha Hetzler, is the library director at the Sun Prairie (WI) Public Library and had a significant influence on Monika’s decision to pursue the library profession. “Growing up, my mom would always take us to the library with …

iSchool receives major gift: Mary Elizabeth Koch Fund

The iSchool recently received an unprecedented gift: a $5.5 million donation with the flexibility to be used at the discretion of the school. The gift will support the research and diversity missions of the iSchool. Specifically, the gift is expected to fund the research of new junior faculty members, helping them become prominent scholars in …

2021 Distinguished Alumnus: Patrick Losinski

The iSchool is excited to name Patrick Losinski (MA’83) as the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus. Patrick is currently the CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Ohio. Tell us a little about your background. I grew up in Stevens Point, WI and attended UW-Stevens Point. My degree included an internship for the local cable access television …

The iSchool supports Asian and APIDA communities

Dear iSchool family, We write to share our grief for the loss of the eight people murdered Tuesday in Atlanta. While we do not yet know all of the details, reports indicate that people were targeted for violence based on their perceived race and gender. Six of those killed were of Asian descent and seven …

Rachel Vagts (MA’97) Heads SAA as President

Rachel Vagts did not anticipate that serving as the president of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) would involve responding to a global pandemic, but she has successfully helped the organization through the unprecedented circumstances. This meant moving educational offerings and annual meetings to virtual formats and adjusting the budget to avoid employee layoffs. The …

Alumni Profile: Rita Ormsby (MA’92)

It was not a straight road to librarianship and a 2020 induction into the Special Library Association (SLA) Hall of Fame for Rita Ormsby (MA’92). Rita’s career started with a journalism degree, editing the quarterly publication for the Center for Rural Affairs, and continued with twelve years as a legal assistant in Minnesota. After volunteering …

Events and recordings featuring the new MS Information degree

Interested in learning more about the new Master of Science in Information degree? There are upcoming events featuring faculty, career options, and application tips. Events will be recorded. Faculty Spotlight: MS Information January 19, 2021 | 4-4:30 p.m. | Watch the recording Join Dr. Ian Hutchins to hear how information is used to advance medical …