School DrexelatTheCollege of Information Science and Technology

INFOSPHERE

The at Drexel’s Newsletter iSchool

NUMBER 51 SUMMER 2008

2009 Edition of “America’s Best Colleges”

Drexel University was ranked sixth among national universities on the U.S.News & World Report’s “Schools To Watch” list. The university also jumped 19 positions in the publication’s national rankings, and is now rated 89th among the “Best National Universities.”

In Memoriam The Drexel community mourns the loss of Jane Bryan, Drexel Director of Libraries.

She passed away December 15, 2008. Bryan earned her MS from the iSchool in 1967, and returned to Drexel as director of libraries in September 2005. Prior to her position at the University, she served as Associate University Librarian at Princeton University,

and worked at the University of Pennsylvania Library for more than 30 years. Her marked dedication to librarianship and her passion for her work will be remembered by library communities throughout the region.

Toni Carbo at the HelmUniversity of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Toni Carbo has been named the iSchool’s Sacramento Campus Program Leader. Effective June 1, 2009, Carbo will work closely with Philadelphia and California faculty to implement Sacramento programs, to establish external contacts, and will have an active role in student advising.

Carbo brings more than 45 years of experience in the information field to Drexel’s Master of Science in Library and Information Science (MS) and Master of Sci-

ence in Information Systems (MSIS) pro-grams. She earned two graduate degrees from the iSchool: an MS in 1973 and a PhD in 1977. She was selected by Drexel as one of the 100 most distinguished of its 100,000 alumni and was awarded the Uni-

versity’s Centennial Medal. Carbo returns to Drexel after 22 years at the University of Pittsburgh, where she served as dean for 16 years.

The iSchool participated in the 2008 California Library Association Conference and Exhibition in San Jose, and was also represented at the 2008 California School Library Association Conference in Sacramento.

California Library Conferences

In January 2009, Drexel University’s Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies opened its doors. The new center is currently offering two iSchool degrees to California students: the Master of Science in Information Systems and Master of Science in Library and Information Science.

iSchool Named Among Most Innovative

The iSchool at Drexel, College of Information Science and Technology, has been selected one of the 56 “most innovative” IT schools in the nation by Computerworld.

Classes Commence in SacramentoSacramento Launch

NUMBER 52 WINTER 2009

All Sacramento classrooms offer state-of-the-art equipment

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When it comes to the curriculum at the iSchool, the only constant is change. We educate students in sub-jects that are continually evolving and adapting to the newest innovations and discoveries in the information field, and to ensure we are preparing our students for life beyond the iSchool, we must adjust accordingly. Recently, we have made some significant additions to our graduate curriculum, further enhancing the educational experience.

During the fall 2008 term, the iSchool added optional concentrations to its Master of Science in Library and Information Science (MS) program. Previously, we had offered a concentration in School Library Media, which prepares students to work in K-12 school library programs. Last fall, we launched four new concentrations. The first of these is Library and Information Services, which provides students with the background needed to work in academic, public and special libraries. A second concentration focuses on a specific user group: youth. The Youth Services concentration is geared toward services for children and young adults in public libraries. Digital Libraries, the third option, prepares students to work with digital resources in a variety of settings. Finally, Competitive Intelligence and Knowledge Management teaches students the skills they will use when working in special libraries in organizations that need to draw upon the knowledge of staff and monitor the activities of competitors. This concentration is also applicable for students interested in working in public or academic libraries.

Based on student demand, the iSchool is also launching new course options in archives. The first of these was added last fall. A second archives course was be launched during the winter term, and a third in the spring. Previously, students interested in archives study took courses through Temple University, but demand was greater than seats available. Student response to our new course options has been extremely positive, and we look forward to even more archives course offerings in the future.

Finally, one of our most interactive teaching tools, the Internet Public Library (IPL), was expanded last fall with the addition of the Librarians’ Internet Index (LII). The IPL is a research and teaching tool being used in a variety of courses, from Information Resources and Services II to Digital Reference to Digital Libraries. The IPL offers students hands-on experience with real digital library and digital reference services. The addition of the LII offers IPL users 20,000 more digital library records conveniently available at www.ipl.org.

As we move forward as a College, we are constantly monitoring our environment to identify enhancements and ways in which we can improve our programs, and we look forward to sharing even more changes with you in the future.

Eileen Abels, PhDMaster’s Program Director

Staff NewsProject Manager Marie Fazio was among 50 individuals and 16 teams nominated for the 2008 President’s Award for Staff. Fazio was nominated by iSchool doctoral students for the time, energy and commitment she brings to the program. In addition to being the PhD program’s point person, Fazio coordinates the doctoral retreat, doctoral admissions, and administration of the doctoral program. She also provides support for the doctoral committee and the grant preparation process. The President’s Awards acknowledge innovation and excellence that help achieve the mission, strategic plan and goals of Drexel University.

iSchool alumnus Adam Feldman (MS, ’06) recently joined college staff as the new Reference Services Manager for the Internet Public Library (IPL). Feldman is responsible for overall coordination of the IPL’s online reference service, including overseeing daily management of the service, and monitoring and evaluating the performance of students and volunteers in the IPL reference question answering service both locally and remotely. Feldman brings seven years of library experience to the iSchool, and most recently served as Reference and Public Services Librarian at the AIDS Library at Philadelphia FIGHT.

Employees of the Term

Dr. Brenda Sheridan, Director of College Relations, iSchool Employee of the Term, Summer 2008

Dr. Katherine W. McCain, Professor, iSchool Employee of the Term, Spring 2008

In association with the Eastern Technology Council, the iSchool presented Larry Alexander, PhD, with the 2008 Legend Award for Lifetime Achievement at November’s Enterprise Awards Gala. As a leader in research and development in advanced information systems technology for more than 40 years, Alexander has impacted the creation of technologies that have proven beneficial to corporations and agencies worldwide.

Hedra Packman, Director of Library Services at the Free Library of Philadelphia, received the 2008 Drexel University/Free Library of Philadelphia Children’s Literature Citation. Packman was honored for her work on the award-winning LEAP After-School Program.

iSchool Sponsored Awards

Marie Fazio with iSchool doctoral students

Larry Alexander (top left) accepts the award from Dean Fenske.

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Dean’s List

Bryan Aller Richard BukowczykEbonie ButlerGarrett FailsChristopher GraboskyStephen Gyarmati Jibin JohnTyler LanzSusan LaspadaAndrew LevinNeal MagnottaSandeep MalikMatthew MannixJohn Misczak Jessica Murphy Martha PalacioDavid ParilloPurvi PatelMatthew PerroneBryan QuigleyAkshay SinghNilesh TailorJamie ThomsonJared Yost Christina Zellman

Student NewsiSchool students Christine Gingerich, Kristen Hayduk, Martha Palacio and Jamie Thomson attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, a program hosted by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.

Information Systems student Geetika Gupta was one of three Drexel students to win the Baden-Wurttemberg Scholarship, which provides financial assistance during a study abroad term at the University of Mannheim in Germany.

The iSchool thanks our 2008/09 undergraduate mentors. Undergraduate mentors provide support to prospective, incoming and current students at the iSchool. Mentors represent the iSchool at open houses and at various Drexel activities, keep students up-to-date about University resources, and can provide advice about classes, professors and co-op opportunities when requested.

Mike Beck, Information Technology

Paul Bonnevie, Information Systems

Sam Chenkin, Information Systems (BS/MS)

Geetika Gupta, Information Systems (BS/MS)

Kristen Hayduk, Information Systems

Matt Mannix, Information Technology

John Misczak, Information Technology

Dan Mosher, Information Systems

Purvi Patel, Information Systems

Bradley Ruhling, Information Systems

Blase Sinopoli, Information Systems

Jamie Thomson, Information Systems (BS/MS)

Fall 2008 Networking Event for Seniors and Recent Alumni, The Hub at the Cira Centre, Philadelphia (above and top photo below)

The iSchool at Drexel congratulates the following undergraduate students whose Term Grade Point Average of 3.6 or higher for Summer 2008 qualified them for the Dean’s List.

*

Are you iSchool?

Find the iSchool undergraduate degree program that best suits your interests through our newest interactive online feature, Are you iSchool? Take the test at www.ischool.drexel.edu!

iSchool students earn the highest average

gross six-month co-op

salaries at Drexel University: $17,082

Undergraduate Mentors

Drexel’s Fall Undergraduate Open House (left to right: Kristen Hayduk, John Misczak, Purvi Patel, and Matt Mannix)

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Connecting On-Campus and Online Students to the iSchool

Last fall, the iSchool launched its Graduate Mentor Program. Graduate mentors assist online and on-campus students and prospective students transition to life at Drexel, recommend courses, professors and educational opportunities, and help maintain a sense of community. This year’s graduate mentors are:

Doctoral Dissertation Defenses

Davis Zhou “Semantics-based Language Models for Information Retrieval and Text Mining,” Fall 2008.

Xiaoning Sun “Why Gender Matters in CMC: Gender Differences in Remote Trust and Performance with Initial Social Activities,” Fall 2008.

Deborah LaBelle “The Influence of Social Motivations on Performance and Trust in Semi-virtual Teams,” Fall 2008.

Mary Lisa Morton “Use and Acceptance of an Electronic Health Record: Factors Affecting Physician Attitudes,” Summer 2008.

Yunan Chen “Context-Centered Design: Bridging the Gap Between Understanding and Designing,” Summer 2008.

Top to bottom:

Adam Gladsden, MSISJillian Ketterer, MS(LIS) Dan Speirs, MSISCathy Ogur, MS(LIS) Daniel James Thornton, MS(LIS)David Kruidener, MS(LIS) Kate Wolfrom, MS(LIS) Stephanie Holt, MS(LIS)

Student NewsAndrew Cano, Kimberly Ladson, Richard N. Ma and Jamie Young all received the American Library Association’s Spectrum Scholarship. The iSchool matched each $5,000 scholarship.

This year, four iSchool doctoral students received IMLS Fellowships for Doctoral Studies. Tom Casteel, Catherine Hall, Robin Naughton and Haozhen Zhao received fellowships, funded by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

iSchool doctoral student Don Pellegrino led the submission from a joint team of researchers from Drexel and Penn State University, which won the “Grand Challenge Award: Data Integration” of the 2008 VAST Challenge. The team participated in the VisWeek-Vast Symposium in October.

Doctoral student Sofia Jeon Athenikos received a student poster award for her poster “The WikiPhil Portal: Extraction, Analysis, and Visualization of Philosophical Connections Using Wikipedia” at the Fall 2008 Northeast Database & Information Retrieval Day. Her paper from the same project, co-authored by Dr. Xia Lin, was presented at the 2008 Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science.

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Awards and Honors

Dr. Eileen Abels, professor, was selected as the 2008 Thomson ISI Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award. This prestigious award recognizes “the unique teaching contribution of an individual as a teacher of information science.”

Assistant Teaching Professor Belinha De Abreu completed her advancement to PhD candidacy and dissertation defense.

Dr. Susan Gasson, associate professor, Received the 2008 Information Technology & People Outstanding Paper Award from the Emerald Literati Network for her co-authored paper, “IT-based Knowledge Management to Support Organizational Learning: Visa Application Screening at the INS.”

Dr. Alison M. Lewis, assistant teaching professor, was honored as a Drexel

University Outstanding Online Instructor at the University’s 2008 National Distance Learning Week Awards Ceremony.

The poster, Mapping the Universe, won a semifinalist honor award from the 2008 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge in the category of Informational/Explanatory Graphics. It was created by the College’s Dr. Chaomei Chen; Jian Zhang, iSchool doctoral student; Dr. Michael S. Vogeley, Danny Pan and John Parejko from the Department of Physics at Drexel University; and Drs. J. Richard Gott and Mario Juric from Princeton University.

New FacultyAssociate Teaching Professor Dr. Susan Davis comes to the iSchool after four years as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, and has more than 30 years of experience in a variety of archives positions,as a manager of archival programs in research libraries and state archives and within professional archival associations. She is a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists.

Dr. Jung-ran Park, as a principal investigator (PI), received a $224,386 research grant for her project,“Modeling Interpersonal Discourse for Digital Information Service: Evaluation of the Question Answering Service of the Internet Public Library.” Park was elected Chair of Cataloging and Classification Research Discussion Group, Cataloging and Classification Section, American Library Association for the term 2008-2009, and has accepted an invitation to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Library Metadata published by Haworth Press.

Dr. Michael Khoo, as co-PI, submitted a successful IMLS grant application entitled “Cultivating Digital Librarianship Faculty: Tomorrow’s Leaders in Research and Curriculum Development,” with colleagues Lynn Westbrook (PI), Gary Geisler (co-PI), and Luis Revilla (co-PI) of the iSchool at the University of Texas, Austin.

Other Grants

Dr. Gregory Hislop, associate professor, received a $105,000 grant from the NSF National Science Digital Library program.

Appointments

Dr. Denise Agosto, associate professor, has been appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Information Technology Education (JITE).

Dr. Delia Neuman, associate professor and Director of the School Library Media Program, accepted an invitation to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Computing in Higher Education.

Dr. Il-Yeol Song, professor, has been appointed as a joint Full Professor of the Division of Computer Science, in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer

Science Department, KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), Korea.

New Faculty: Vanessa J. Irvin Morris, Susan Davis, Michelle Rogers

Assistant Teaching Professor Vanessa J. Irvin Morris joins the iSchool after more than 20 years’ experience serving academic, special, and public libraries. Her research interests include: sociocultural anthropology of urban and rural libraries; reading interests and social epistemologies of inner-city adolescents; multicultural literature, especially pertaining to picture books and storytelling; and cultural competency practices for urban public service librarians.

Assistant Professor Dr. Michelle Rogers previously worked applying scenario-based usability testing and cognitive work analysis to study how electronic medical records impact patient safety and clinicians’ workflow for the Department of Veteran Affairs Getting at Patient Safety Center. Her current research focuses on the impact of clinical information systems on the work processes of healthcare practitioners.

New Adjunct Faculty

H. James Hackenberg, MBA. Health Insurance Specialist, Department of Health and Human Services. Course: INFO 515, Action Research and Statistics

Martha K. Heyman, MLIS, MBA. Global Director, Taxonomy Services, Dow Jones & Company. Course: INFO 640, Managing Information Organizations.

Peter O. Okenyi, PhD, CISM, CISSP.Information Security Management, SWH IT Security Group, HSBC Technologies, Inc. Course: INFO 215, Social Aspects of Information Systems.

Subbiah Venkatachalam, MS, MBA. Business Process Engineering Specialist V, Siemens Medical Solutions. Course: INFO 333, Introduction to Information Security.

Institute of Museum and Library Services Research Grants

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Gifts of Real Estate inSupport of the iSchool

Historically, real estate has proven to be among the best long-term investments, with ownership taking form as personal residences, vacation homes, investment properties, and income-producing real estate limited partnerships, among others. Real estate goals vary, from generating or deferring income, to positioning it for the next generation, to reducing the administrative burdens of ownership. Charitable solutions exist for all of these situations; finding the right fit is a matter of gathering information and prioritizing goals.

For many, the specter of capital gains taxes means delaying action in pursuit of some of the goals associated with converting the growth asset into one that produces income; the same is true if tax deductions that reduce current income taxes are desired.

Donation of home example: Mrs. Jones, a widow, owns a home valued at $250,000. She would like to make a significant gift to support the iSchool, but, though she is well provided for, is hesitant to contribute cash or stock. After speaking with a member of our staff and her advisors, she discovers she can make a gift of remainder interest in her home and continue to live there.

Donation of property in return for income example: Mr. and Mrs. Owens create a charitable remainder unitrust, funding it with debt-free property worth $500,000. Once the trust sells the property, they will be paid income for the rest of their lives.

In both cases, parties received significant tax savings and a wonderful gift was made to support our work, and solutions to planning challenges were identified. Charitable gifts of real estate provide a variety of exciting opportunities to benefit donors, their families and charitable causes. There are many ways to arrange such gifts tailored to your specific needs. Call (215) 895-1882, e-mail Steve Miller at Drexel’s Office of Gift Planning at som25@drexel.edu, or visit the gift planning Web site at www.drexel.plannedgifts.org for more information.

DONOR PROFILE: David and Joanne Witiak

Education is one of life’s greatest gifts. This much, David and Joanne Witiak know to be true. Between them, they have degrees from five institutions, with Joanne (‘79) holding an MS from the iSchool. They have extended their gratitude to the institutions from which they graduated, and through the David and Joanne L. Witiak Endowed Scholarship, they have provided iSchool students with the gift of knowledge for more than a decade.

Joanne began her career as a chemist at Rohm and Haas, but in the mid-1970s, decided to move out of the lab and into the relatively new field of chemical information and computer searching. To enhance her knowledge, she chose to work toward her master’s degree at the iSchool, expanding her skills in information science and retrieval.

“I found information retrieval was an area I was incredibly well suited for,” said Joanne. “Now, I was using chemical knowledge combined with this new field and for meit was wonderful, and so exciting to be a

part of a field that was still changing and developing.”

She remained at Rohm and Haas, eventually working as Manager of the Search Service Group. David also held a position at the company as a chemist. In the early 1990s, the Witiaks hosted two Russian exchange students, both of whom studied at Drexel, fanning the flame of commitment to the school. Though the couple had contributed to the College previously, it was at this time they decided to begin to fund the scholarship.

Through the David and Joanne L. Witiak Endowed Scholarship, the couple aims to support a student with a broad interest in information science. It provides financial assistance to an undergraduate student throughout his or her education, as long as he or she maintains a 3.0 GPA.

“It is our education that has contributed to our success,” said Joanne. “We recognize the significant value of education, and the importance of our support.”

For more information about making

a gift to the iSchool, contact

Mary Ann Conway, Director of Development,

at mconway@drexel.edu or 215.895.6904.

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Alumni Honors

Carol Smith, MS/MSIS ‘06, Assistant Professor and Business Librarian at the James C. Kirkpatrick Library of the University of Central Missouri, received the 2008 Outstanding New Librarian Award from the Missouri Library Association. This award “recognizes a librarian who has made a significant contribution to the improvement and advancement of library and information services.” Daniel Overfield, MS ‘05, Carol Smith, MS/MSIS ’06, and Helen Snowden, MS ’08, were named 2009 ALA Emerging Leaders.

Darlene Davis, MS ’07, was honored by the Township of Lower Merion as the 2007 Outstanding Libraries Employee. Davis is the Coordinator of Youth Services for Lower Merion Library System and also serves as the

Ludington Library’s Children’s Librarian. Also recognized by the township was M. Jean Knapp (above), MS ’74, who was named 2007 Outstanding General Manager. Knapp is head librarian at Bala Cynwyd Library

Christina Meola Ergunay, MS ’08, is Journalism and Digital Resource Librarian for Columbia University Libraries.

Matthew Kopecky, BS ’04, product manager at Sparta Systems Inc., published his article, “Creating a Culture of Quality in the Food Industry,” in Quality Digest.

Eric Lease Morgan, MS ’87, Head of the Digital Access and Information Architecture Depart-ment for University Li-braries of Notre Dame, authored “MyLibrary: A Digital Library Frame-work and Toolbox” in the

Alumni Achievements

New Graduates, New Jobs, Let Us Know!

The Career Services Office would like to know about your job after graduation.

Please e-mail jennifer.lally@ischool.drexel.edu with your name, place of employment and start date.

Please send iSchool alumni news and

achievements to brenda.sheridan@ischool.drexel.edu

September 2008 issue of Information Technology and Libraries. Morgan is also guest editor of “Open Source Software in Libraries,” ASIS&T Bulletin, December issue.

Christine Payne, MS ’00, was named Delaware’s 2008 Library Media Specialist of the Year. Payne is the Library Media Specialist for the Olive B. Loss (OBL) Elementary School in Bear, DE. She hosts summer library programs at OBL and works with the Delaware Department of Education on educational courses for teachers. Doug Rauschenberger, MS ’75, the retired director of the Haddonfield Public Library, co-authored the book Haddonfield, published by Arcadia Publishing. The book features a pictorial history of Haddonfield, NJ.

Alicia Sell, MS ’08, a library and archivist at the Roanoke Public Libraries, presented a lecture on genealogy research, sponsored by the Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association and the Grayson County Virginia Heritage Foundation.

J. Jeffrey Sernell, MS ’04, has been appointed associate vice president for information technology at The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

Ashton Thorogood, MSIS ’96, Enterprise Architecture Team Lead at SIG, co-presented the workshop “SOA and Domain Modeling” on October 5 during the Enterprise Architect Summit 2008 held in Phoenix, AZ.

Dani Vaughn-Tucker, MS ’07, is the archivist and reference librarian at Misericordia University’s Mary Kintz Bevevino Library located in Dallas, PA. She is responsible for maintaining the University’s history, and as a representative to the Back Mountain Historical Association, will be responsible for maintaining the Back Mountain community history.

Karen Vigneault, MS ’08, gave the commencement address at Grossmont College, a community college in El Cajon, CA. She is a member of the Kumeyaay tribe, and a recognized proponent of American Indian rights.

Karen Winkle, MS ’06, is the cataloger at the Hunt Library at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. She was previously the librarian at Stetson University’s DuPont–Ball Library and ITT Technical Institute.

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Permit # 144 March 17-21 Winter Term Examinations

March 30 Spring Term Classes Begin

April 23 Research Day

April 12-18 National Library Week — Library Panel Series

May 1 Pennsylvania FAFSA Deadline

May 1-2 Alumni Weekend

May 25 Memorial Day (University Holiday)

Calendar June 9-12 Spring Term Examinations

June 13 Commencement

June 22 Summer term Classes Begin

July 3 Observance of Independence Day (University Holiday)

July 9 - July 15 ALA Annual Conference 2009 Chicago, IL