Florida State’s No. 1 ranked School Library Media Program at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) is among 56 such programs accredited by the American Library Association around the country. Its master’s degree program is completely online, with students closely monitored and supported through technology, including employing Skype to observe interns in the field.

Graduate of the program Jodi Hooks was a Project Lead recipient and a master’s student at Florida State University studying Library and Information Studies. She was a educator for 16 years in Tarpon Springs, Florida as an ESE Teacher certified in K-12.  Jodi notes, “My favorite way to expose students to literature is through Teacher Read Alouds. I thoroughly enjoy reading aloud, changing my pitch & tone in character voices and watching the children’s faces as the story unfolds.”  The use of books and stories in the classroom was based on student needs–core subject curriculum, holidays, emotional, just for fun, etc. and varied depending on the time of the year.

While at FSU, Jodi was accepted into the honor society Phi Kappa Phi and also attended 2 graduate classes at the London Study Centre during the summer of 2008 – something she remembers as a truly eye-opening and spectacular time. Says Jodi of her time at SLIS, “I am thankful for FSU for creating a climate of connectivity and support.  During the program, I was teaching full-time and a single mom.  I never felt alone and still rely on my cohorts from my time at FSU.  It was validating to go through the program with my peers while having a high level of support from the caring professors.”

After receiving her graduate degree from FSU, Jodi accepted a position as a Library Media Specialist at Dunedin HIghland Middle School in Dunedin, Florida.  During this first year running her own library, she led a group of students to win Pinellas County district’s Battle of The Books competition.  In August 2011, Jodi accepted a position as a Library Media Specialist with DoDEA at Misawa Air Force Base in Misawa, Japan, and has never looked back.  Reflecting on her latest adventure in Japan, Jodi says, “As an educator, we all need to feel like we are making a difference in the lives of children and others in our community.  The strong sense of community at Misawa AFB is unlike anything I have ever experienced.  I am humbled by the sacrifices of military families that I observe on a daily basis.”

Florida State University’s School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) was ranked 13th in the nation, 5th in Youth Services and 11th in Digital Libraries in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 edition of “Best Graduate Schools” published in March, 2013. Read more about SLIS’s top-ranked programs at FSU News.

The Florida State University student chapter of the American Library Association (ALA) has won the 2012-2013 Runner-Up for the ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award. The news comes after receiving top honors last year as the ALA’s 2011-2012 Student Chapter of the Year.

“Despite it being a largely virtual group, our chapter has once again proven itself to be one of the two, top-ranked ALA chapters in the U.S.,” said faculty co-advisor Dr. Christie Koontz. The majority of students in the student chapter are online, distance students in the master’s program at FSU School of Library & Information Studies.

“This year we focused on expanding our connection with distance members through social media and connecting with the local community through volunteering,” said chapter president, Mary Turner. “Please join me in congratulating our board members: Timothy Kanke, LeAnna Kiggins, Jade Stagg, Mackenzie Lightfoot and Katrina Wood.”

The annual recognition is presented to one of the 57 national chapters in recognition of outstanding contributions to the American Library Association, to the chapter’s school and to the library and information studies profession.

“The committee was impressed by your chapter’s outreach to the complete student population, offering them both social and professional development activities online,” the ALA award committee said, in an email congratulating the chapter, “We thank you for your hard work and dedication.”

The FSU chapter will receive a certificate at a student reception being held at the American Library Association’s annual conference in Chicago, IL on the evening of Sunday, June 30.

The School of Library & Information Studies at The Florida State University proudly invites you to a presentation by Robert Wedgeworth, “Size Matters: iSchools & Other LIS Programs,” Wed., April 10. The event is co-sponsored by University Libraries and the Friends of the FSU Libraries.

RENOWNED LEADER. Highly recognized as a leading librarian, library educator and association executive in a career spanning almost 40 years, Wedgeworth’s accomplishments include (but are not limited to)

• Nominated by President Obama to the Museum and Library Services Board of the National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities (2010),
• President and CEO of the oldest and largest nongovernmental, nonprofit adult literacy organization in the U.S., ProLiteracy Worldwide (2002-2007),
• Member of the National Commission on Adult Literacy (2006-2008),
• University librarian at the second largest research library in the U.S., Professor of Library Administration and Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1993-1999),
• President of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) (1991-1997) following six years on its executive board,
• Dean of the School of Library Service at Columbia University (1985-1992),
• Executive director of the American Library Association (ALA) (1972-1985),
• Currently, a life member of the American Library Association, a file member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a member of the Board of Trustees of Wabash College, the Board of Trustees of the Newberry Library, and a member of the Poetry Foundation Board of Trustees.

ATTEND IN PERSON. Dr. Wedgeworth’s presentation will take place from 3-4 p.m., Room 206, Louis Shores Building, FSU campus, followed by a reception from 4-5 p.m. A map to the Shores Building is available at: http://map.campus.fsu.edu/index.aspx?LSB

ATTEND REMOTELY. To participate in Dr. Wedgeworth’s presentation from a remote location, join an online Blackboard Collaborate session before the event begins at:

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.E26640C458BD0C2E06F0ED7B74953E&sid=9452

VIEW A RECORDING. To watch an audio/video recording of the presentation in the future, visit:

https://sas.elluminate.com/mrtbl?suid=M.FB9A412B27C86DFD6D19D965C896BB&sid=9452

SLIS alumna Ginger Williams (MSLIS, ‘09), a reference librarian at Valdosta State University, received a promotion to assistant professor. In recognition of her accomplishments as an instructor during the past three years, she was also awarded credit toward tenure.

Williams’ specialization at the university’s Odum Library is also changing—from coordinating the embedded librarian program to assessing library systems and services.

In April, Williams will be presenting at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACLR) 2013 conference with fellow SLIS alumni Michelle Demeter and Karen Doster. Williams has published articles in Georgia Library Quarterly (2011) and Palmetto Practitioner (2013).

While at FSU in 2009, Williams won a full scholarship to attend the ACLR’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Preconference in Virginia. She was president of the ALA Student Chapter that year and received a graduate research assistantship in Special Collections at Strozier Library. Williams spent her final six months of MLIS study as an intern at the FSU London Study Centre library.

A paper by SLIS doctoral student Wonchan Choi has been selected by the juried Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group in Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI) 2013 Student Research Competition for their annual conference, Paris, April 27-May 2.

“What Makes Online Health Information Credible for Older Adults?: A Exploratory Study” examines cues to increases and decreases of the perceived credibility of health-related websites by older adults.

“Anyone can anonymously edit and reproduce health information on the Web,” Choi said, “The credulity of this information for our increasingly older adult population affects the overall quality of human life.”

“Our preliminary findings are informing our understanding of how older people judge health information online,” Choi said. “Further study can be useful in designing better health-related websites and in better educating older adults on how to find quality health information.”

SIGCHI is the international society for professionals, academics and students who are interested in human-technology & human-computer interaction.

“Clearly, our reputation in health informatics continues to gain momentum as we see our research show up in prestigious venues such as SIGCHI,” said Professor Kathleen Burnett, interim director of SLIS.

Florida’s iSchool. The School of Library & Information Studies at Florida State University has become one of the international leaders in the iSchool movement by examining the critical relationships between people, information, and technology. In keeping with the iSchool philosophy, our library and information studies, school media, information technology, and information communication and technology programs emphasize professions and activities which help others use and manage information in an age when information is a vital part of everyone’s lives.