From the Director’s Chair
120 years ago, the Wisconsin Library School opened its doors, one of the first programs of its kind in the country. The field it helped build has transformed enormously since then, and our department has followed suit. Yet our guiding values — information access, academic and intellectual freedom, and public service — have never wavered. We celebrate our legacy this semester with pride and a clear sense that the work ahead is just as vital as the work that came before.
On that note, this issue of Jottings reflects an Information School in motion. Our Metascience Research Lab is asking foundational questions about how scientific knowledge is produced and evaluated. Our new postdoctoral colleague Serena Guo is reimagining how physical spaces and technologies can converge to foster human connection. And our community of alumni continues to shape library and information education, from California to Rhode Island.
Another story I’ve watched unfold over the past academic year is the new era of our beloved iSchool Laboratory Library: the Rebecca Blank Student Commons in Morgridge Hall. In this issue, you’ll hear from student staff members about how the Commons has served as a next-generation training ground for future librarians and a new hub at the heart of the UW–Madison campus. You’ll also dive deeper into our rich history, learning from scholars of our historical collections about the personalities and traditions that built and defined our community over more than a century.
In addition, there is big news at the institutional level: the Board of Regents in December approved a proposal to establish a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence at UW–Madison. The reorganization places all three units of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) — the iSchool, as well as Computer Sciences and Statistics — in a newly created, standalone college, set to launch this summer. This step will enable us to build on our exciting growth over the past few years and amplify the work we do by forging new collaborations across campus and beyond.
As always, this newsletter is a glimpse, not the full picture. But even a glimpse shows clearly that the impact our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are making is nothing short of extraordinary.
Take care, and stay in touch!
Greg Downey
Director, Evjue-Bascom Professor
The Information School
University of Wisconsin-Madison
View a PDF of Jottings
iSchool News
- The Wisconsin Library School at 120: Rediscovering a history of leadership and impact
- Information School to join new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence at UW–Madison
- Professor Kristin Eschenfelder, former iSchool director, to serve as interim dean of College of Letters & Science
- Metascience Research Lab asks big questions about the future of science and discovery
- Physical space as interface: Serena Guo reimagines how people interact with their environments—and each other
Continuing Education
Our Continuing Education team offers opportunities for lifelong learning year-round, including these upcoming conferences:
Back in Circulation: A Conference for Managers and Staff in Access and Circulation Services
Oct. 5-6, 2026 | Madison, WI | The Pyle Center
Join circulation and access services professionals from across the country at Back in Circulation, the iSchool’s long-running conference returning to Madison this fall.
Upgrade: Enhancing Library Services with Technology
November 12-13, 2026 | Virtual
Upgrade brings library professionals together to explore how emerging technologies—from AI to cybersecurity—can strengthen services, expand digital access, and support evolving community needs.
Student Life
Alumni News
- Catching up with alumni shaping the future of library and information education
- Christian Willis MS’25 secures the systems behind everyday life
- Two iSchool alumni inducted into Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame
Alumni updates
Kathleen McCook PhD’80 was honored with a series of essays about her research and advocacy, in the Public Library Quarterly (“In Service of Equity”), for which Sarah Pritchard MA’77 wrote the foreword. Both Pritchard and McCook participated in a webinar in February 2026 with all contributing authors, sponsored by ALA’s Library History Round Table.
Robin Rice MA’91 has co-authored a paper in the International Journal of Digital Curation, “A Country-level Case Study: On the Evolution of UK Institutional Research Data Services.” Rice serves as Data Librarian & Head of Research Data Support at University of Edinburgh.
Mike Thomas MA’91 has retired after 34 years as an Adult Services Librarian, 28 with the Neenah Public Library.
Kris Stacy-Bates MA’97 has been promoted to Professor at Iowa State University, where she serves as a Research Services Librarian in the ISU Library.
Stacy Schultz MA’02 is now a Reading Specialist in the School District of Janesville.
Rebekah Irwin MA’03 was appointed Dean of the Library at Middlebury College in Vermont, after serving in the role of Director and Curator, Special Collections and Archives since 2011.
Deborah Copperud MA’07 launched Read Minnesota Books (readminnesotabooks.com), a podcast and newsletter that features author interviews, publishing news, and book recommendations from the North Star State.
Kelly Giles MA’07 was promoted to full Professor at James Madison University in 2025, where she has worked as the Applied Sciences Librarian since 2008. She recently published an article titled “Find the Time: Creating a card game to showcase special collections and celebrate institutional history” in the Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement. (https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jloe.v5.1863)
Jillian Aschliman MA’12 was elected as Vice President of the Iowa Library Association. She will assume the role of President in 2027.
Kendra Bouda MA’13 joined the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Nomenclature Committee for a two-year term beginning October 1, 2025. The committee reviews proposed terminology and integrates new terms into Nomenclature for Museum Cataloging—a “structured and controlled list of object terms organized in a classification system to provide a basis for indexing and cataloging collections of human-made objects.”
Joe Orman MA’22 was elected as Chair of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) Clerkship Administrator’s (CA) Advisory Council. The CDIM CA Advisory Council Chair acts as a non-voting member of the AAIM Governance Board and liaises between Clerkship Administrators and AAIM at large, providing guidance on academic medicine in Internal Medicine nationally.
Austin Lin MS’23 was hired as a Product Designer at ActionTec Electronics.
Alia Jones MA’25 was elected to the Board of Directors for the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) in April 2025 and started service in Summer 2025. She will serve on this board until Summer 2028.
Vijayram Patel MS’25 was hired as a Software Engineer at Amazon.
Victoria Stewart MA’25 is now the head university archivist at University of Wisconsin-Stout.
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