SC&I faculty will present at the 2024 American Library Association (ALA) Conference & Exhibition, to be held June 27-July 2 in San Diego, California. Considered the world’s largest library event, the conference joins thousands of librarians and library staff, educators, authors, publishers, friends of libraries, trustees, special guests, and exhibitors.

ALA conference highlights include educational programming, discussions on timely issues, reflections on the ever-evolving role of libraries, and updates on relevant legislation and policies. Featured speakers include Kwame Alexander, Connie Chung, John and Anni Furniss, Max Greenfield, Taraji P. Henson, Maggie Nichols, Trevor Noah, Anika Noni Rose, and Ali Veshi.

NTT Lecturer in Library and Information Science Brenda Boyer’s article, “What I Had, What I Needed: First-Year Students Reflect on How Their High School Experience Prepared Them for College Research,” has been recognized as one of the 2023 Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) Top 20 instruction articles. The Top 20 Committee has been reviewing and selecting the best literature about library instruction since 1986; Boyer’s article will be published in the June issue of the LIRT News. Boyer will receive an award during the conference.

On Saturday, June 29, Associate Professor of Professional Practice Marc Aronson will host and present, “Jella Lepman’s Library of Dreams: The Legacy and Promise of International Youth Literature.” This project, guided by Aronson and his colleagues Annette Y. Goldsmith and David G. Jacobson, was created by Rutgers students and alumni based on an ALA grant. Later that day, Aronson will be signing his latest book, “Bite by Bite: American History Through Food, Feasts, and Side Dishes. Co-authored with Paul Freedman, this middle-grade illustrated nonfiction book explores the history of America through the lens of food. Teaching Professor Nancy Kranich will present, “Marked for Death? Challenges to the Humanities and Humanities Librarianship,” as well as "When the Humanities Met Civics,” a session about the changing role of the humanities. Associate Professor of Library and Information Science Charles Senteio will present, “Developing the Next Generation of Library Social Workers.”

On Sunday, June 30, Associate Teaching Professor of Library and Information Science Joyce Valenza will present on the RUSA President’s Panel and follow-up huddle relating to a book chapter she wrote at the session, “Back to the Future: Predictions from Library 2035.” She’ll also be sharing preliminary results from a research study on the pipeline issue relating to school library preparation programs during AASL’s ESLS (Educators of School Librarians Section) session.

Also on June 30, SC&I Distinguished alumna Nicole A. Cooke, Ph.D.’12, MLS’99, COM’97, will receive the 2024 Joseph W. Lippincott Award for distinguished service in the profession of librarianship. Cooke is the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and associate professor at the College of Information and Communications at the University of South Carolina.

Come visit SC&I on the exhibit floor at booth 331. Learn more about SC&I’s Library and Information Science Department, Master of Information (MI) program, Ph.D. program in Communication, Information, and Media.