North Carolina Central Univers ity

Number 5

Spring 2016

School of Library and Information

Sciences Newsletter

2

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

The past eleven years have been

productive and rewarding so it is with a

deep sense of gratitude that I write this last

letter as dean to alumni and friends. The

gratitude extends in several areas –

gratitude in being able to build on the past

of one of the most historically relevant

schools in the nation (I dare say the world –

in fact)! The contributions of all who have

gone before me, and particularly, Dr. An-

nette Phinazee, who is legendary and icon-

ic. To have served as the dean under whom

the School was first accredited (1975) and

upon whose shoulders she also stood, is a

debt that we can never repay to her. Grati-

tude for the support of organizations like

the Institute of Museum of Library and

Information Services (IMLS) who supported

this School with over 2 million dollars in

scholarship support and experiential expe-

riences of student travel to professional

conferences and meetings have been a

remarkable enterprise in which to have

been involved! Gratitude for the support of

faculty and staff for the 1,202 students

who graduated in the past eleven years

making a grand total over the history of the

program to 3,112 graduates.

During my tenure there have been

landmark celebrations – the 25th Serials

Conference sponsored by the School, the

75th Anniversary, and lectures by several

currently serving American Library Associa-

tion (ALA) Presidents – Michael Gorman

(2006), John Rettig (2008), Camilla Alire

(2009), Courtney Young, (2015) and visits

with students and faculty with other ALA

presidents. There have also been several

“firsts” for the School. The first Internship

for the JD/MLS program, established in

2015 with the largest and most prestigious

library in the world – the Law Library of

Congress! The first Study Abroad for stu-

dents to the Royal School of Library Studies

in Denmark (2006). The first Digital Librari-

anship course, subsequent concentration

and certificate program. Likewise, the first

Health Informatics course, concentration

and certificate program and the first Cer-

tificate in Information Policy Management.

Alumni who filled first Diversity Librarian

positions at UNC-Greensboro.

Collaboration efforts have been

significant, on the campus as well as exter-

nally. Grants for Diversity Scholars includ-

ed partnerships with public and academic

libraries in the state of North Carolina,

2006-2008, 2010, and a current grant, “

Education and Training for Improved Ac-

cess, Collaboration, and Professional Devel-

opment in Three Communities: The NCCU

School of Library and Information Sciences,

the Department of History and the NCCU

Art Museum with Practicums in the UNC-

CH Ackland Museum, the Nasher Museum

at Duke University and the North Carolina

Museum of Art.

The SLIS also enjoyed partnerships

on two grants with the School of Infor-

mation and Library Science at the Universi-

ty of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. San-

dra Hughes-Hassell served as PI on the

grant entitled, “ Building a Bridge to Litera-

cy for African-American Male Youth: A Call

to Action for the Library Community” and a

current grant entitled, “Project READY:

Reimagining Equity and Access for Diverse

Youth.”

As the only HBCU with a Library

and Information Science program, the SLIS

has long filled a substantive gap in library

education for all persons, minorities in par-

ticular. The mission has not been limited to

bridging the gap in the availability of practi-

tioners but to academicians as well. Provid-

ing both requires a dedication to research.

To that end, the SLIS created a Research

Committee in 2012, and the chair of that

committee, Dr. Joseph Meloche is provid-

ing leadership in encouraging and prepar-

ing students to participate in the NCCU

Annual Research Colloquium resulting in

the SLIS being awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

place in their division over the last three

years. Moreover, because of the dedica-

tion of students and faculty, there are sev-

eral of our alumni matriculating in Ph.D.

programs around the nation.

The SLIS faculty and alumni have

also been recognized by professional or-

ganizations for their contributions, leader-

ship and service to the profession. The

School has also figured prominently in ma-

jor rankings of the University. Finally, as a

tribute to the School, the dean has led

efforts to document the first seventy years

of the SLIS in the publication of a book on

the history and impact of the school on the

profession, not only in North Carolina, but

locally, nationally and internationally. I am

pleased to have been a part of these and

other efforts. Finally the document, the

North Carolina Central University School of

Library and Information Sciences: The First

Seventy-Five Years is currently under re-

view at the McFarland Press. This book,

hopefully will help tell at least a part of the

story of the contributions, growth, and

development of the North Carolina Central

University School of Library and Infor-

mation Sciences.

Dr. Irene Owens

3

SCHOOL NEWS

The Student Chapter of the

American Library Association (ALA) in

the School of Library and Information

Sciences (SLIS) at NCCU has been

active throughout the spring semester.

They have conducted a successful fund

-raising project by printing and selling

ALA themed t-shirts and have also

conducted a very successful book

drive. The book drive’s initial goal was

to collect double the 27 books

collected last year. They have far

surpassed this, amassing over 200

books that will be split between two

non-profit organizations. The first of

these is the Book Harvest Organization

in Durham, NC. Book Harvest is a non-

profit organization with the mission to

provide books to Triangle children in

need. The second donation site is

Nigeria – ALA’s Public Relations Officer,

Maurice Hines, will ensure that the

adult educational books donated are

sent to Nigeria. Finally, on April 28 the

Student Chapter of the ALA will have a

dinner with Dean Irene Owens at the

Queen of Sheba restaurant in Chapel

Hill. During the dinner, guests will

recognize Dean Owens for her

continued commitment and support of

the students, faculty, and staff of SLIS.

SLA: The NCCU Student

Chapter of the Special Libraries

Association (SLA) held a special

presentation with guest Speaker and

EPA Library Director Susan Forbes on

April 5th. Forbes spoke about the

work done at EPA library as well as

the internship opportunities that are

available for students in the School

of Library and Information Sciences.

The internship program at the

Environmental Protection Agency in

RTP allows master’s students to gain

experience in various aspects of

library services: reference, inter-

library loan, cataloging, serials and

literature searching in the sciences.

ASIS&T: The Student Chapter of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) held a tour of “Eagle General” simulation lab/hospital on March 10th. The tour highlighted the unique learning capabilities offered by this “robot hospital... with human patient simulators (like robots) in fully equipped rooms and wards --with robotic patients of different ages and sizes. The software and hardware medical control systems integrated there give students access to patient care through state-of-the-art technology.” The tour was led by Ms. Tina Scott and Ms. Angeline Baker, BSN, MBA, MHA, the coordinator for the NCCU Clinical Learning Resource Center. This opportunity allowed students to explore some of the technologies and services related to informatics.

STUDENT CHAPTERS OF LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS ACTIVE IN 2016

SLIS Technology

Committee

Update

Dr. Gabriel Peterson has

reported that the SLIS technology

committee is pleased to announce

that SLIS has recently seen the

installation of one state-of-the-art

interactive 80-inch and three 70-

inch Smart AQUOS touch screens

in the classrooms. This technology

can be used to enhance the on-

campus classroom experience,

and also makes it even easier to

coordinate and share content with

online students. Additionally, SLIS

is pleased that the nccuslis.org

website has been renovated and

made easier to navigate. Students

and alumni are encouraged to con-

tact the webmaster if they would

like to contribute to one of our

blogs or volunteer in other ways.

4

NCCU SLIS alumna Rebecca Vargha gave the third annual Special Libraries Association (SLA) Robert M. Ballard

lecture, sponsored by the Carolina's Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) chapter, at a program

on Saturday, April 23rd at the RENCI Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Her remarks were preceded by a short speech by Dr. Ismail

Abdullahi, who eloquently lauded the superlative accomplishments of Dr. Robert M. Ballard. Dr. Ballard was one of Dr.

Abdullahi's most influential teachers, and Dr. Abdullahi thanked Dr. Ballard for his guidance and outstanding pedagogic

skills. Dr. Ballard taught in the SLIS for 36 years and also acted as the Interim Dean from 2003 to 2005.

Following these comments, Ms. Vargha, spoke about “The Future of Our Profession in the Digital Age.” In this

lecture she shared her perspectives on digital information in today's environment and discussed what impact it has on a

wide variety of information-based professions. Ms. Vargha is the SILS Librarian for the University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science (SILS) and an NCCU SLIS alumna. She is also a past president of

SLA; immediate past chair of SLA's leadership management division; chair for SLA's Museums, Arts, and Humanities

Division; archivist for the North Carolina SLA Chapter; and a faculty adviser for the SLA Student Group at SILS.

SCNA/SCAA CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS THE FUTURE OF LIBRARY

AND INFORMATION SCIENCES

College Choice, an independent online publication, ranked NCCU as the 9th best of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) in the nation, citing the School of Library and Information Sciences which has helped produce more African-American librarians than any other institution in higher education as a major reason for its success.

In a similar finding, the prestigious U.S. News & World Reports listed NCCU as the 12th best HBCU in the nation for its 2016 report citing the uniqueness of NCCU’s Master of Library and Information Sciences program as being augmented by the partnership that exists between SLIS, NCCU’s School of Business, and NCCU’s School of Law that affords students the opportunity to obtain a dual JD/MLS degree as well as a dual MBA/MIS degree. Infoplease.com ranked NCCU as the 11th best HBCU in the nation for 2015. One last accolade was recently bestowed upon the

School of Library and Information Sciences by the website “BestMastersDegrees.com.” In the article, “30 Most Affordable Top Ranked Schools for an Online Master’s in Library Science Degree 2016,” the website lists NCCU's SLIS program as the third “top-ranked and most affordable online master’s in library science degree programs for 2016.”

THE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCES HELPS

KEEP NCCU HIGH IN NATIONAL RANKINGS

Image via College Choice

5

NCCU hosted its annual Research Symposium this semester and ten SLIS students entered this year’s competition. All contestants from SLIS chose to present posters rather than making a presentation. These posters reflected the high quality of the research that each person or team conducted. The University-wide contest was divided into three categories: Social Sciences, Humanities, and Sciences. The School of Library and Information Sciences’ contestants competed in the Humanities and other categories. The names, fields, and titles of all presenters and presentations are listed below. Dewayne Branch; Library Science; “The Power of

Special Library Design in Interdisciplinary Pipeline Development”

Shalini Acharya; Information Science; “The Use of Corrected Literature in Human Subjects Biomedical Research – A Controlled Bibliometric Analysis” (Advisor: Dr. Gabriel Peterson) Sindhura Gujjarlapudi, Abrar Khan, and

Courtney Miller; Information Science;

“Health Informatics Usability Study: An Efficient Knowledge Base System “ MIGREX” for Migraine Diagnosis” (Advisor: Dr. Deborah Swain) Lucy Brunner and Ruby Farrior; Information Science; “Usability Study: Smart Phone Usage among the Elderly” (Advisor: Dr. Deborah Swain) Susan Danaher and Ciera Fox; Information Science; “Usability Study: The Effectiveness of an Asian Restaurant Menu Design” (Advisor: Dr.

Deborah Swain) Maurice Hines; Library Science; “Ar-Razzaq Islamic

Center Oral History Project” Selected from these entries, were three projects – receiving 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! The winners are listed below. Congratulations to them all!

1st place - Sindhura Gujjarlapudi and Courtney Miller: "Health Informatics Usability Study: An Efficient Knowledge Base System 'MIGREX' for Migraine Diagnosis" (Advisor: Dr. Deborah Swain)

2nd place - Sarah Danaher and Ciera Fox: “Usability Study: The Effectiveness of an Asian Restaurant Menu Design” (Advisor: Dr. Deborah Swain) 3rd place - Lucille Brunner and Ruby Farrior: "Usability Study: Smartphone Usage among the Elderly" (Advisor: Dr. Deborah Swain)

SLIS STUDENTS EARN ACCOLADES AT NCCU’S ANNUAL RESEARCH

SYMPOSIUM

From Left to Right: Dr. Joseph Meloche, SLIS Student Viviette

White, and Dr. Patrick Roughen

6

On April 8th, 2016, twenty students from the

School of Library and Information Sciences were honored

for their academic achievements at the Sixty-Sixth Annual

Honors Convocation held in the McDougald-McLendon

Arena. The Keynote speaker at the event was Christopher

D. Lopez, the Program Manager and Executive Assistant to

the President & CEO at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund

(TMCF). The TMCF is the only national organization

representing the country’s 47 publicly-supported

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the

300,000 students matriculating on their campuses.

Participants were provided with a program

describing the process behind the convocation along with

its raison d'être. The program explained that, “North

Carolina Central University recognizes students with a

minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. The

University recognizes students in a number of categories,

from the Chancellor’s Award and University Award

recipients — the university’s top honors — to Deans’ Lists

and departmental academic honors. In addition, students

are recognized for distinctions in scholarly groups, honor

societies, and scholarships. The groups, societies, and

scholarships listed in this convocation program are those

submitted by deans, chairs, and directors of each respective

academic unit.”

The twenty students from SLIS that were

recognized for their achievements in making the Dean’s List

for Spring and Fall 2015 are as follows:

Shalini Acharya, Sierra Alley, April Blevins, Constance

Caddell, Sarah Danaher, Gauri Dave, Afua Ferdnance,

Manasa Reddy Gaddam, Sindhura Gujjarlapudi, Maurice

Hines, Jameka Little, Keelia McCaffrey, Tyron McLaughlin,

Brenda Mills, Crystal Mitchener, Keisha Parris, Bettina

Scales, Jillian Weaver, Sydney Wilson, and Ruddiyette

Yisak.

Congratulations to all the honorees!

SLIS STUDENTS HONORED AT NCCU’S SIXTY-SIXTH ANNUAL

HONORS CONVOCATION FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians Program awarded $569,583 to a research consortium that includes NCCU’s School of Library and Information Sciences, UNC’s School of Information and Library Science, and staff from the Wake County Public School system. The grant was awarded to UNC’s Dr. Sandra Hughes-Hassell for “Project READY: Reimagining Equity and Access for Diverse Youth.” The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the main federal source of funding for the approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums in the United States. Its mission is “to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement.” In addition to supplying

grants, the institute also assists with policy development and research with the aim of helping libraries and museums deliver services that help communities and individuals to flourish.

The aim of the project is to help school librarians become more “culturally competent educators.” The team will create, implement, and then evaluate a curriculum of professional development for both online and in-person learning. These materials will ultimately be distributed for free to libraries and schools nationwide.

Hughes-Hassell explained, “The curriculum will help school librarians and their collaborative partners better understand how race and culture affect learning, how they can implement culturally responsive teaching, and how they can

demonstrate their commitment to equity literacy. Through their transformed practice, we hope to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for K-12 youth of color, who, current research shows often feel like outsiders in library spaces.”

The project will begin in June 2016 and end in May 2019; however, there is no doubt that the materials and research produced by the project will continue to benefit communities across the country for many years to come. The grant builds upon work done in 2011 at the IMLS National Leadership Forum entitled “Building a Bridge to Literacy for African-American Male Youth: A Call to Action for the Library Community.”

UNC-CHAPEL HILL PARTNERS WITH SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND

INFORMATION SCIENCES ON PRESTIGIOUS IMLS GRANT

7

Aside from her role as a second-year MLS

candidate in the School of Library and

Information Sciences, Charmaine Bonner also

has become the Student Nonviolent

Coordinating Committee (SNCC) intern at the

John Hope Franklin Research Center for African

and African American History and Culture at

Duke University where she worked on the SNCC

Digital Gateway Project. Ms. Bonner explained

that “the project is a three-year Mellon

Foundation grant funded initiative charged with

creating a permanent digital home for the legacy

of the SNCC. My duties at the Franklin Research

Center were as follows: assisting the SNCC

Project team by locating materials in repositories

and contacting the repositories regarding use of

their material; transcribing oral histories in

preparation of audio visual segments for the

digital gateway project; identifying materials for

digitization and making note of conservation and

copyright concerns; researching, locating and

obtaining materials for the visiting scholars;

assisting in the development of donor

agreements and oral history release forms;

selecting content to be used in the audio visual

components of the project; and promoting the

collections within the Franklin Research Center.”

Ms. Bonner said that the internship has

been a “fabulous” experience. She also stated

that working with different departments within

the center as well as learning about how special

collections work and how to work with donors,

has given her a “well rounded experience for the

real world.” Ms. Bonner came to SLIS from

Michigan, and her specific related interests

include oral history, folklore, and genealogy.

SLIS Student, Charmaine Bonner, Becomes Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Intern at the John Hope Franklin Research Center

for African and African American History and Culture at Duke University

New SLIS Staff Member: Ms. Keondra Bailey, Executive Assistant to the Dean

We’d like to welcome Ms. Keondra Bailey to the SLIS team. Ms. Bailey is from Richmond, Virginia and joined the team in

January 2016. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BA in History. Prior to arriving at SLIS, Ms. Bailey

worked and volunteered at both state and academic libraries. Ms. Bailey’s research interests include 20th-century European

History, Archival Studies, American Historical Memory and Popular Culture, and Social and Cultural Web Phenomena.

8

FACULTY NEWS

Dr. Patrick Roughen has received a grant from the North Carolina Central University Faculty Senate Executive

Committee and Faculty Research & Professional Development Mini-Grant Selection Committee that will allow him to

attend “a series of courses provided by the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) as part of its

certificate program in competitive intelligence.” The courses will help to inform his upcoming class titled Business

Information Resources and Services (LSIS 5260). The program will help to ensure that the information taught in the

class is on the cutting edge of the information sciences. Speaking of his award, Dr. Roughen stated that “it is important

that our program, school, and university remain competitive; and, one way to do this is by providing courses which are

up-to-date, relevant, and innovative, but also by teaching students how to stay competitive in a dynamic and ever-

changing world.”

The upcoming course, Business Information Resources and Services, will cover the use and selection of

resources related to all aspects of business information as well as the needs and characteristics of typical users. The

knowledge he will gain from the SCIP certification will allow Dr. Roughen to better teach how competitive information

can be used both strategically and ethically.

DR. PATRICK ROUGHEN RECEIVES MINI-GRANT FROM FACULTY SENATE

FOR LSIS 5260, “BUSINESS INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES”

Dr. Meloche has

received a mini-grant for

his project, “Oral Histories

of NCCU International

Students.” Meloche has

produced a poster that “is

designed to collect the

oral histories of

international students

who attend North

Carolina Central

University (NCCU). It

includes samples from the

student’s histories and

accompanying visual

elements. A main goal of the project is to train graduate

students how to better

conduct oral histories.

The idea is that the

students will have

continuous involvement

in the process so that

the project can be a

continuing service

activity at NCCU.

DR. JOSEPH MELOCHE RECEIVES MINI-GRANT FROM NCCU

9

On October 21, 2015, Shamella Cromartie, chairperson elect of the North

Carolina Library Association (NCLA) presented Dr. Ismail Abdullahi, professor at the

School of Library and Information Sciences at NCCU, with the “Roadbuilder’s” award

during the Round Table for Ethnic Minority Concerns. The award was presented for

“significant contributions to the field of librarianship education and for serving as a role

model for ethnic minority librarians.” Dr. Abdullahi will also serve as keynote speaker at

the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Building

Strong Library Association (BSLA) Regional Workshop for Francophone Countries in Africa

sponsored by the Association of Librarians, Archivist, Documentalists and Museum

Curators of Cameroon (ABADCAM) in May 2016. Congratulations also to Dr. Abdullahi

who, on July 1, 2016, will be promoted to full Professor.

DR. ISMAIL ABDULLAHI RECEIVES AWARD FROM THE NORTH

CAROLINA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Dr. Patrick Roughen has been

selected to present a paper at the

Children’s Literature Association’s

2016 conference (ChLA 2016) about

the relationship between Maurice

Sendak (author of “Where the Wild

Things Are”) and animated film. The

talk entitled, “Intellectual Property and

the Artist's Creative Vision: Maurice

Sendak and Animation.” ChLA 2016 will

be hosted by Ohio State University and

is sponsored by the Department of

Teaching and Learning in the College of

Education and Human Ecology. The

conference will take place June 9th to

June 11th. Other featured presenters

will include Gene Luen Yang, Dr.

Charles Hatfield, and Dr. Joe Sutliff

Sanders.

Dr. Roughen’s presentation

will contain “insights drawn from an

interview with the author, recorded a

few months before Sendak passed

away,” and will give special attention

to Sendak’s strong sense of the

integrity and continuity of the artist’s

creative vision, as well as his zealous

regard for his intellectual property.

Sendak was associated with a number

of animation projects throughout his

career such as “Really Rosie” (1975)

and “Seven Little Monsters” (2000-

2003). Sendak’s work was also the

basis for one of John Lasseter’s (of

Walt Disney) earliest experiments in

computer animation.

DR. PATRICK ROUGHEN TO GIVE PRESENTATION FOR

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ASSOCIATION

10

We are honored to extend our

congratulations to Dr. Kim Pamela

Mayo! Dr. Mayo, has been nominated

for the prestigious title of “Teacher of

the Year” at Riverside High School. Dr.

Mayo’s nomination comes in addition

to her many accomplishments which

include having served as the chair of

Riverside High School’s media/

technology advisory committee, two-

term Chair of Riverside’s school

improvement team, Chair of

Riverside’s accreditation committee,

and on the faculty search committee in

the School of Library and Information

Sciences at NCCU. She has, in fact,

already previously won the award in

2007. Her second nomination is

therefore a further reflection of her

hard work, dedication, intelligence,

and the spirit of excellence that we

strive to nurture at the School of

Library and Information Sciences.

In addition to serving as the

School Media Coordinator at Riverside

High School in Durham, North Carolina,

Dr. Mayo serves as an adjunct

professor at the School of Library and

Information Sciences, where she

teaches Children’s Resources &

Services, Survey of Children’s

Literature, Adolescent Resources &

Services, and a School Media

Practicum.

The extent to which she is

deserving of the award is apparent in

the reactions of her peers who, among

other accolades, lauded her saying,

“Kim is constantly helping teachers,

students, and staff. She goes the extra

mile (staying late, getting in early,

coming in during the summer)

whenever extra help is needed without

any extra pay.” Further praise

continued, “Dr. Mayo has a pleasant

disposition with all, even when

demands are made that most people

would simply just not do. She has been

a faithful Riverside Pirate for over 20

years and is a cornerstone of the

Riverside family tradition.”

Responding to this news,

when it was given to her by Assistant

Principle Chaundra Clay, Dr. Mayo

humbly replied “I am honored to even

be nominated, given the number of

amazing and dedicated colleagues here

at Riverside!”

Dr. Mayo earned her Ed.D.

from the University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill in 2007, her MLS from

North Carolina Central University in

1991 (graduating Cum Laude), and her

BA in English Literature and Secondary

Education from Hofstra University in

1982. Her other accomplishments

include being a member of a

delegation to Russia as part of an

educator exchange with Durham’s

sister cities (Moscow and Kostroma)

where she presented to Russian

government officials, library

professionals, and other dignitaries.

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SLIS GRADUATE AND

EDUCATOR, DR. KIM MAYO, NOMINATED FOR PRESTIGIOUS

TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Dr. EunYoung Yoo-Lee,

Dr. Gabriel Peterson,

and SLIS Alumna

Tamara Rhodes (MLS

‘13)

Published in Reference

Services Review

Dr. EunYoung Yoo-Lee (Associate Professor), Dr. Gabriel Peterson (Associate

Professor) and Ms. Tamara Rhodes’ research entitled, "Hispanics and public libraries: Assessing their health information seeking behaviors in the e-health environment" has been accepted to be published in the special issue "Health Literacy and Public Libraries" in Reference Services Review. This is a great example of research collaboration between faculty and a student.

Tamara has been involved in this research since she worked as a graduate assistant to Dr. Yoo-Lee. Dr. Peterson has also worked with Dr. Yoo-Lee on this project since 2013 in terms of the questionnaire review and data collection. Before this publication, the preliminary results of the research were presented at the North Carolina Library Association (NCLA) Conference in 2013 and Association for Library and

Information Science Education (ALISE) in 2014. Tamara Rhodes was an IMLS Diversity Scholar when she attended our MLS program and is currently an Assistant Librarian at University of California San Diego libraries.

11

FEATURES

On April 9, 2015, the School of

Library and Information Sciences

celebrated its 75th Anniversary. The

event was marked by a program

featuring a lecture by Courtney L.

Young, president of the American

Library Association (ALA). Young

served as president of the American

Library Association (ALA) for the 2014-

2015 term. She earned her BA from

the College of Wooster in English in

1996 and her MLS in 1997 from

Simmons College. She serves at Penn

State, Greater Allegheny campus as

head librarian and professor of

Women’s studies. She has also worked

at Ohio State, Michigan State, and

other Penn State campuses.

Young has been honored

especially for her work focusing on

issues surrounding diversity in

librarianship. It was for this work that

she was named a Library Journal

“Mover and Shaker” in 2011:

“Young is committed ‘to

fostering diversity of all types,’

says nominator Laurel Bliss, a

San Diego State University

fine arts librarian: ‘racial,

ethnic, gender, sexual

orientation, disability, religion,

and age.’ To that end, she led

a multiyear project to

evaluate diversity in the

libraries’ collections and

services, developing metrics

for collection development

assessment, tracking the

diversity of collections, and

making librarians accountable

for diversity in collections and

programming.”

She continued working on this

theme in her quest to become

president of the ALA, pointing out in

her campaign that “the profession

doesn’t always look like the

communities we serve. ALA should do

more to help the profession

be representative of the communities

we serve.” Towards this end, Young

focused on continuing work with the

Special Presidential Task Force on

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. She

collaborated with other members “to

improve our knowledge of and access

to diversity materials from across the

Association.”

Prior to her work as President of the

ALA, Young held many important

positions within the ALA: she was a

member of the ALA Executive Board

from 2009-2012; the Awards

Committee from 2012-2014; the

Planning and Budget Assembly from

2012-2014; the Fundraising Committee

from 2012-2013; the Resolutions

Committee from 2008-2009; and the

ALA Task Force on Electronic Member

Participation from 2007-2009. Her

leadership roles are almost as

numerous: from 2009-2010 she served

as the president of the New Members

Round Table (and served as councilor

for the same period from 2005-2008);

from 2003-2004 she served as the

Diversity Committee chair; and from

2004-2005 she served as the Student

Chapter of the Year chair.

The 75th anniversary is a

reminder of what is a long and

venerable history for the School of

Library and Information Sciences. The

School (along with the School of

Library and Information Sciences’

Library) was founded in 1939, and was

formally organized as a professional

THE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION

SCIENCES CELEBRATES ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Courtney Young, ALA President, 2014-15

12

school two years later. The earliest part-time faculty for the

program was Parepa Watson - her assistant librarian was Mar-

jorie Shepard, the daughter of NCCU's founder, Dr. James E.

Shepard. Though the undergraduate program for Library Sci-

ence was discontinued in 1943, a master’s program was begun

in 1950 and the first Master of Library Science (MLS) degree

was awarded the next year. The School reached a major mile-

stone in 1975 when it was accredited by the ALA under the

leadership of Dean Annette Lewis Phinazee (1970-1983). It

has maintained its accredited status since that date.

In the next decades several additions were made to

the degree programs offered. The School began offering a

joint degree in law librarianship and legal information systems

in 1988 and an interdisciplinary program in information sci-

ence leading to the Master of Information Science (MIS) de-

gree in 1990.

Today, the School offers more options, such as con-

centrations in Digital Librarianship, Health Informatics, and a

study abroad program to the Royal School of Library and Infor-

mation Studies in Denmark. The School also offers a joint Mas-

ter of Business Administration/Master of Library Science

(MBA/MIS) degree.

The SLIS’ Library is a member of the Triangle Research

Library Network (TRLN), and through this network resources

are shared among the regional research libraries at Duke Uni-

versity, North Carolina State University, and the University of

North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Moreover, the library functions

as a teaching library, allowing SLIS graduate assistants to gain

hands-on experience in cataloging, reference services, and

strategic planning. Collections of note in the library include the

William Tucker Collection, which is comprised of children’s

materials, works by African-American authors and illustrators,

and the Black Librarians Collection, which contains personal

papers donated to SLIS by African-American librarians.

Program participants included Dr. (and Dean) Irene

Owens, who was appointed Dean of the School of Library and

Information Sciences in 2005. She has earned numerous

awards and distinctions in her career, including the 2011 Na-

tional Council of Negro Women, Inc. Award for Distinguished

Professional Achievement, and was selected in 2013 to attend

the “Inner Strengths of Successful Leaders” program at Har-

vard University. She was recently appointed to the Committee

on Accreditation of the American Library Association (July 1,

2014 – June 30, 2016). Other participants included Dr. Ismail

Abdullahi who has taught at SLIS since 2005. He is a distin-

guished member of the American Library Association (ALA)

and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).

He has acted as chairperson for numerous committees in both

associations, and has authored the widely used Global Library

and Information Science: A Textbook for Students and Educa-

tors. Dr. Tau Kadhi, the Associate Provost for Academic Pro-

gramming and Undergraduate Research at NCCU brought

greetings on behalf of the Provost and Chancellor of the Uni-

versity, Dr. Debra Saunders-White. Dr. Ira T. Wiggins, tenor

saxophonist and flutist and Director of Jazz Studies at NCCU

provided special music in honor of the 75th Anniversary cele-

bration.

A number of prominent individuals recognized the

School of Library and Information Sciences on its 75th Anniver-

sary. Karen L. O’Brian, Director of the ALA Office for Accredita-

tion, wrote that “as the only school within an HBCU to have an

ALA-accredited program, the occasion is especially significant

to the library and information services field.” She also praised

Dr. Irene Owens for her service as Dean, thanking her and

NCCU colleague Dr. Pauletta Brown Bracy for their “steadfast

service so graciously given to accreditation for continuous im-

provement in education for the profession.”

Dr. Debra Saunders-White, Chancellor, North Carolina

Central University, noted that in its 75 years the School has

“served as a true gateway to opportunity for alumni from a

diverse range of ethnicities,” and that the School “has been a

nationally ranked program for NCCU for several years.”

Cora Cole-McFadden, Mayor Pro-Tempore of the City

of Durham wrote that, “it is with a great sense of gratitude

that I salute Dr. Irene Owens and her leadership team for the

stellar contributions made in educating fellow Eagles as librari-

ans and information professionals who are recognized in the

city, the state, the nation, and internationally among the best

prepared for their careers.”

Finally, Dr. Gary Marchionini, Dean and Cary C.

Boshamer Distinguished Professor, at the University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Sci-

ence addressed the Dean, writing that, “the success of SLIS

over the past 75 years is a testament to the wisdom of North

Carolina citizens to support high-quality education as well as

to the leadership of [Dean Owens] and former deans in shap-

ing programs that lead our field forward.” It has been a re-

markable accomplishment for the School of Library and Infor-

mation Sciences to grow and prosper in the way it has over the

last 75 years. Students and colleagues from all the Library and

Information Science programs in North Carolina and South

Carolina as well as other universities, alumni, and friends

shared in this special occasion.

...continued from page 11, 75th Anniversary.

13

The North Carolina Central University’s School of

Library and Information Sciences hosted the Twenty-Fifth

North Carolina Serials Conference on March 21, 2016 at

The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education

located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The theme of the

conference was “NC Serials Conference at 25: The Age of

Discovery.”

Dorothea Salo, Faculty Associate at the

School of Library & Information Studies, University of

Wisconsin-Madison, delivered the keynote address

titled, “What Happens When It’s All on the

Internet?.” Salo addressed the issue of scholarly

publishing and open access. We as librarians know

that everything is not on the internet because as Salo

stated, “lots of stuff is still analog-only, what is digital

may not be online and what’s online, ESPECIALLY if

its academic scholarship, is probably behind a

paywall.” She also feels that librarians have a fear of

job displacement and doubt about moving away from

the, “personal-shopper-border-guard life toward a

more open life.” Salo believes that there will still be

“PLENTY” of work for librarians to do in fulfilling their

career goals. Ms. Salo’s complete presentation is

available on the conference website.

Other sessions included topics on visualizing

collections data, handling demand-driven acquisitions,

making the unseen seen, the power of EDS, useful

collection Metadata, taming the E-Chaos through standards

and best practices, using CORAL ERM for serials acquisitions

management, library roles in supporting creation of serials

and is this a quality journal to publish in? A panel

discussion on, “Serials: The Last 25 years and Looking

Forward to the Next 25” was also held. The closing session

was led by Rob Ross, Executive Director of NC LIVE entitled

“Discovery from the Outside In”.

A special 25th Anniversary Celebration was held

during lunch honoring the founder, Dr. Benjamin F. Speller,

Jr. former Dean of the School of Library and Information

Sciences, the first conference coordinator, Duncan Smith,

Product Manager at Novelist/EBSCO Publishing, and two

founding planning committee members, Evelyn Council,

Fayetteville State University retiree and Eleanor Cook, East

Carolina University. Three of the honorees received

certificates of appreciation.

A poster commemorating the 25th NC Serials

Conference Anniversary was designed by Mrs. Virginia

Purefoy Jones and two Graduate Library Assistants, Alicia

Melton (MLS ‘2016) and Keisha Parris (MLS ‘2015). Ms.

Keondra Bailey, Executive Assistant to the Dean also

assisted in updating the poster. A Wordle using phrases

from the conference themes was created by Mrs. Purefoy

Jones and Keisha Parris.

SLIS SPONSORS TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL NORTH

CAROLINA SERIALS CONFERENCE

Honorees Left to Right: Evelyn Council, Eleanor Cook, Benjamin F.

Speller, Jr., and Duncan Smith

14

...continued from page 13, 25th Annual NCSC.

Save the Date: 26th North Carolina Serials Conference will be held March 31, 2017 at the William and

Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Left to Right: Ms. Vanessa Lennon, Assistant to the Third Coordinator; Mrs. Virginia

Purefoy Jones, Third Coordinator and SLIS Librarian; and Mrs. Jamillah Scott-

Branch, Head, Reference Services, James E. Shepard Memorial Library and SLIS

Alumni President

Dean Irene Owens and Mrs. Virginia Purefoy Jones with the NCSC

Wordle.

This year’s conference introduced

two new posters designed for the

25th anniversary. The first poster

presented the NC Serials

Conference’s history and

showcased themes from the

conference’s inception in 1990 to

the 25th Annual in 2016. Also

listed were conference sponsors

and a list of the organizations and

institutions represented at the

conference.

The second poster introduced at this

year’s conference was a Wordle

highlighting the conference themes

in a colorful display.

15

Dr. Mae Rodney graduated from NCCU's School of

Library and Information Sciences in 1969. and was the first

African-American to receive a Ph.D. in Library Science from

UNC-Chapel Hill. She recently retired from leading the C. G.

O'Kelley Library at Winston-Salem State University, where

she served for 32 years. Her contributions are manifold and

include fostering creativity, updating the library to mesh

with the latest technologies, developing partnerships

between librarians and faculty, and innumerable other

contributions, some of which are discussed below. Among

her positions prior to her work at the C. G. O'Kelley Library,

Dr. Rodney served as the head reference librarian at NCCU.

Ethan Margolis, Student Assistant to the Dean for

Communications, interviewed her via email on April 28,

2016.

Ethan Margolis: As the leader of the C. G. O’Kelley Library, how did you foster an environment of creativity that helped the library adapt so well to change? Dr. Rodney: There were multiple strategies utilized: I encouraged individuals to be involved in the upcoming changes through planning and training. Training became an integral aspect of the library program. Created a culture of change where new ideas were introduced annually. Selected new employees who wanted to grow within the profession, and use as many of their ideas as possible. Kept the community (staff, faculty, students and alumni) informed about the changes. Kept students' needs and the expectation for them to succeed in the forefront. EM: In the previous year’s SLIS Newsletter it was written that you began a transformation of WSSU’s library services into a totally automated and technology-based system of functioning in 1987. What did this entail? How did you come to the decision to begin such a large shift?

Dr. Rodney: Transforming O’Kelly Library into a technology-based enterprise was necessary because nation-wide that was the direction of academic library services. In addition, within the North Carolina University library system, technology was being introduced, and upgrades were made within each library, which resulted in a state network being created. The WSSU strategies used included:

having a goal to have the best and most reliable technology on campus in the library; incorporating mainstream technology advances; using a large chunk of money annually to enhance technology and access; adhering to the goal to give students access to the information that they required, and offering a learning environment comparable to other libraries within the region. I also recognized that technology had to be embraced to keep students in the library, and hiring and maintaining a staff that was technology savvy and staff who were committed to assisting students. EM: How did you accomplish the task of maintaining a strong partnership between faculty and librarians? Dr. Rodney: A strong partnership was established with the faculty by recognizing that they were the agents who required students to use the resources and acknowledged that faculty needed to be informed about how to use the new library technology and software. Librarians were given the opportunity to share their knowledge with faculty during faculty luncheons which were held about 4 years in a row. (Librarians made presentations regarding the services that they could provide.) Librarians were required to meet with faculty either individually or within departmental meetings to share information about new resources or library services; and statistics were collected monthly on their contact with faculty. Librarians were also provided workshops on how to connect with faculty and how to improve their presentation skills, which gave

INTERVIEW WITH DR. MAE RODNEY, RETIRED DIRECTOR

OF LIBRARY SERVICES AT WINSTON-SALEM STATE

UNIVERSITY AND SLIS ALUMNA

16

...continued from page 15, Dr. Mae Rodney.

them new strategies to present to faculty and the confidence needed to make the contacts. Librarians were expected to con-stantly provide instruction ses-sions within classes. To accom-plish this goal, librarians called faculty members to schedule clas-ses as necessary. The staff also had the opportunity to share information with new faculty members during university-sponsored orientation sessions.

EM: Your book, Friends Inviting Friends: Twenty-Five Years of Friend-Raising, is a major accom-plishment. How does “friend-raising” differ from traditional fund-raising?

Dr. Rodney: Friends Inviting Friends was a fund-raising method which recognized that the library did not have a direct relationship with the alumni to launch a fund-raising effort. It was necessary to build a database of names and addresses of individuals who would support the library. To build the database and an audi-ence, the WSSU Friends of the Li-brary and the library staff had to identify individuals who would attend events and make a contri-bution. When friends invited their colleagues that increased the au-dience, the reach of the organiza-tion, and the possibility of success. The important component of the concept was that friends would invite their friends to attend events - this recognized that indi-

viduals attended events with their friends. EM: How did your work as Head Reference Librarian at NCCU help prepare you for your work at WSSU?

Dr. Rodney: My NCCU work expe-rience (serials, curriculum materi-als center, reference, inter-library loan, and library instruction) gave me a broad view of library ser-vices and the recognition that one service was not the foundation for

quality library services. I recog-nized that current resources and a staff with a diverse knowledge-base were important in research, instruction, and learning.

EM: What role(s) do you see the academic library providing in the next 20 years? Will they be sig-nificantly different from the roles they play today?

Dr. Rodney: The role of the aca-demic library in 20 years is not clear at all. The factors that cloud the picture include:

How will the next generation of users view the library and how will they use technology to locate information? Will the library be part of their learning process?

Will faculty members incorpo-rate new ways to engage learners in how to use infor-mation within the learning process? Faculty will need to move beyond writing the standard research paper.

Will learning be so textbook or test focused that exploring information will be lost?

Will librarians be innovative enough in their outreach efforts to pull faculty and learners into the facility to get them to explore the services, collections and resources?

Will the technology utilized become the most important aspect of the conversation in-stead of how to effectively lo-cate, use, and transform infor-mation?

What areas/subjects will li-brary school education/curriculum emphasize?

Will the role of information literacy in life-long learning be strengthened so that individu-als will appreciate how to use information to make intelli-gent decisions?

Dr. Mae Rodney is the former Director of C.G. O’Kelley Library on the campus of Winston-Salem State University. Dr. Rodney will be honored for her achievements and contributions to the profession at this year’s SLIS Awarding of Degrees Ceremony on May 13th.

17

ALUMNI NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS

Mr. Clayton Mack, a SLIS

alumnus, has helped to lead the North

Carolina Central University’s Quiz

Bowl team to the final four. The

accomplishment secured a $20,000

grant for the University. Mr. Mack

spent several months helping to

prepare the team for the tournament,

which began on April 2nd and took

place in Torrance, California.

NCCU was eliminated from

the tournament in the semifinal

round, losing to Chicago State

University by a score of 385-375, but

not before adding to the fantastic

record of teams past. The NCCU quiz

bowl team had previously advanced to

the final four six times (1993, 1997,

2006, 2009, 2010, and 2014), and,

including this year’s

winnings, they have

earned a staggering

total of $234,500.

Zuri M.

Gurganious, a

geography major, was

named one of the

tournament all-stars –

an honor that netted

another $1,000 grant

for the team. Mr. Mack

coached alongside of Mr.

Christopher A. Graves, and

together with Dr. Janice S.

Dargan who advised the team, they

have turned in yet another impressive

result for NCCU.

NCCU ALUMNUS LEADS NCCU TEAM TO THE FINAL FOUR AT THE

HONDA NATIONAL CAMPUS ALL-STAR CHALLENGE QUIZ BOWL

Front Row: Damian J. Medearis Back Row l to r: Emani J.

Mills, Captain; Zuri M. Gurganious; Joshua R. Strayhorn;

Jelaina R. Shipman

SLIS Alumnus Awarded American Library Association's Inaugural Ernest A. DiMattia Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession

SLIS alumnus Kelvin Watson was recently awarded with the American Library Association's inaugural Ernest A. DiMattia Award

for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession. Mr. Watson is the Queens Library’s Chief Innovation and Technology Officer. His

duties in the position include upkeep of the library system's technology, but his efforts have extended far beyond that. Watson said that

he considers himself a “21st century librarian,” and that his efforts have been directed at "thinking of new ways to deliver those new infor-

mation resources to tablets, mobile hot-spots and different electronic programs and services." Under Watson's leadership, the library

system premiered smartphone and tablet applications that provide access to the library's physical and electronic resources for patrons.

Siobahn Day (MIS, '09) started as a PhD student in Computer Science at North Carolina Agricultural and

Technical State (NCA&T) University last fall. She is interested in doing research in Artificial Immunity Systems specifically

focusing on author anonymity. Ms. Day was honored with the 2016 "Student Researcher Award" in her college at AT&T

on May 4, 2016. Also, her first publication was just printed in the Proceedings of the 27th Modern Artificial Intelligence

and Cognitive Science (MAICS) Conference (April, 2016) as a co-author of "Towards the Development of a Cyber Analysis

& Advisement Tool (CAAT) for Mitigating De-Anonymization Attacks." Congratulations to one of our alumni successfully

going on for another degree.

SIOBAHN DAY BEGINS DOCTORAL DEGREE

18

SLIS Alumna (1996) and Ph.D. student at the University

of North Carolina’s School of Information and Library Science,

Nina Exner, recently published a new article entitled, “Trying to

Measure Success: A Mid-size Academic Library Grapples with

Assessing a Popular Tablet Loan Project” in the 2015 edition of

Library Technology Reports (vol. 51, no. 7). She and her co-

authors, Stephen Bollinger and Octavious Spruill, took it upon

themselves to study the effectiveness of a pilot program

undertaken by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State

University's F. D. Bluford Library. In the program iPads were lent

to both students and faculty. They employed Kaplan and

Norton’s Balanced Scorecard evaluation to determine, in a real

world scenario, if the program had been effective and should be

continued. Their results were not entirely decisive, as,

depending on the funding that the library will receive, a case

could be made for both discontinuing the program or for

continuing to fund it. The article is an excellent example of using

scholarly methodology to help assess what the optimal actions

of a real-world library should look like.

NINA EXNER, SLIS ALUMNA, PUBLISHES “TRYING

TO MEASURE SUCCESS: A MID-SIZE ACADEMIC

LIBRARY GRAPPLES WITH ASSESSING A

POPULAR TABLET LOAN PROJECT”

SLIS alumna Ronnika Williams

(Class of 2014) has recently published her

well-received book, Adventures of

Alleykats: Historical Sleuths: The Missing

President. It has received excellent reviews

from readers. One reported that “'The

Missing President' was indeed the perfect

purchase. I love that the characters are

diverse and have unique personalities, yet

all share an eager desire to learn and

discover the unknown.” Ms. Williams was

also a second place winner in the NCCU

Research Colloquium in 2014.

RONNIKA WILLIAMS

PUBLISHES BOOK SLIS alumnus Alan

Bailey recently published a

successful guide to building a

core collection for

preschoolers. The book,

which came out in 2014, is

entitled Building a Core Print

Collection for Preschoolers. It

is a guided annotated

bibliography that covers

books of all types that would

be valuable for a library to

purchase for its preschool-

aged patrons. He has hand-

picked over 200 titles, and thoroughly describes each – even

going so far as to provide reviews from scholarly journals for

many of them.

ALAN BAILEY PUBLISHES BUILDING A CORE

PRINT COLLECTION FOR PRESCHOOLERS

19

SLIS Alumnus, Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, published a collection of essays

entitled New Life for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This book

explores the challenges that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

face, while, at the same time, highlighting strategies for success to ensure that

HBCUs will continue to play a crucial role in the education of all Americans. Dr.

Newkirk has previously written the historical monograph, Lynching in North

Carolina in 2008, in addition to a number of articles. Most prominent among these

are “That Spirit Must be Broken: The Mutilation of Joseph Needleman and North

Carolina’s Effort to Prosecute Lynch Mob Participants During the 1920s,” Southern

Jewish History (Vol. 13, 2010), and “Washed Down in Blood: Murder on the

Schooner Harry A. Berwind,” North Carolina Historical Review (Vol. 91, no. 1,

January 2014).

DR. VANN R. NEWKIRK PUBLISHES NEW BOOK

Cynthia Ham-Oliver, a 2010 SLIS alumna, was part of the editorial team that published the

successful book, In the Eye of the Muses: Selections from the Clark Atlanta University Art Collection.

Cynthia graduated from NCCU with honors, and subsequently was accepted into Florida State

University’s Post-Masters Library Specialist online program in digital media. She is currently the

assistant curator of collections at Clark Atlanta University Art Gallery where she helped write In the

Eye of the Muses.

CYNTHIA HAM-OLIVER PART OF EDITORIAL TEAM THAT AUTHORS SUCCESSFUL

BOOK, “IN THE EYE OF MUSES: SELECTIONS FROM THE CLARK ATLANTA

UNIVERSITY ART COLLECTION”

On March 30, 2016, SLIS alumnus

Orolando Duffus was honored for his

service and accomplishments as Resident

Diversity Librarian at UNC-Greenboro’s

(UNCG) Jackson Library. Duffus began

serving as Resident Diversity Librarian in

2014, and during his term has overseen

the creation of an array of initiatives aimed

at promoting multicultural engagement.

He has received numerous awards such as

the International Federation of Librarians

(IFLA) 2016 Congress Fellowship, allowing

him to attend the 2016 IFLA World Library and Information

Congress in Columbus, Ohio. In 2015, he served as a co-presenter

on a panel entitled, “Diversity in a Flash: A

Lightning Showcase of Residency Diversity

Initiatives,” at the American Library

Association’s (ALA) Annual Conference in San

Francisco. His later poster session, “The Library

as an Incubator of Anti-Discrimination and

Multicultural Engagement,” won first place

during the ALA Diversity and Outreach Fair. On

campus, Mr. Duffus has organized original

programs such as the Diversity and Global

Engagement Expo, a program designed to

highlight and showcase cultural exchange and

intelligence throughout the UNCG campus. Mr. Duffus will serve

as Resident Diversity Librarian through June 2016.

OROLANDO DUFFUS (MLS ‘13) HONORED AT UNC GREENSBORO

20

21

CONTRIBUTORS

Chancellor's Circle

($1 million and above)

Institute of Museum and

Library Services (IMLS)

Ambassadors ($10,000 -

$49,999)

H.W. Wilson Company

Dean's Club ($1,000-$9,999)

Mrs. Ellen B. Arney

Mr. Gregory L. Battle

Mrs. Dorothy W. Campbell

Mrs. Marion G. Miles

Dr. Irene Owens

Ms. Hazel A. Sanders

Triangle Community

Foundation, Inc.

Affiliates ($500-$999)

Mrs. Marchyco J . Harrell

Mrs. Myrtle J. McNeill

Dr. Deborah E. Swain

Mr. Bobby Wynn

Associates ($250-$499)

Dr. Robert E. Burgin

Carolinas HealthCare System

Mrs. Lavonda G. Gillespie

Ms. Gloria K. Keyes

Dr. Mae L. Rodney

Mrs. Eliza S. Robertson

Mrs. Rosa W. Small

Supporters (Up to $250)

Dr. Ismail H. Abdullahi

ASIS&T Carolinas

Ms. Anne Berkley

Mr. Kyle Brady

Mr. Derek Brinson

Ms. Mary K. Chwialkowski

Ms. Melanie B. Collins

Mr. Harry L. Cooke

Mr. Jamal L Cromity

Ms. Siobhan Day

Ms. Emily D. Davis

Ms. Darrah Degnan

Ms. Ellen E. Dickey

Ms. Nicole Duggins

Ms. Latonya M. Everett

Mrs. Denise A. Friedrich

Ms. Stella Harrell

Ms. Sophia E. Harrison

Mr. and Mrs. William Harvey

Ms. Virginia Purefoy Jones

Mr. Walter L. and Mrs. Charlie

B. Lackey

Ms. Thelma Little

Dr. Kim P. Mayo

Dr. Joseph A. Meloche

Ms. Keyunda Miller

Mrs. Burma J. Paige-Stokes

Ms. Mattie Perry-Johnson

Ms. Verna C. Robinson

Ms. Eugenia R. Rogers

Dr. Patrick F. Roughen

Mrs. Norma McCoy Royal

Ms. Carla Sarratt

Mrs. Doris J. Tomlinson

Ms. Barbara A. White

We would like to thank the following people and organizations for their support of the North

Carolina Central University School of Library and Information Sciences.

22

FACULTY AND STAFF Owens, Irene – Dean and Professor

B.S., Barber Scotia College; M.L.S., University of Maryland;

M.A.R.S., Howard University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill

Abdullahi, Ismail – Associate Professor

M.L.S., North Carolina Central University; Ph.D., University of

Pittsburgh

Amaniampong, Gyesi – Adjunct

M.S., Dresden University of Technology; Ph.D., University of

Cambridge

Bracy, Pauletta B. – Professor

B.A., Fisk University; M.L.S., University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D.,

University of Michigan

Chapman, Joyce –Adjunct

B.A. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.S.I.S.,

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Cogdell, Edna—Adjunct

M.L.I.S., North Carolina Central University; Ed.D., Fayetteville

State University

Green, Ravonne—Adjunct

Jones, Virginia Purefoy – Librarian

B.A., M.L.S., North Carolina Central University

Mayo, Kim – Adjunct

B.A., Hofstra University; M.L.S., North Carolina Central

University; Ed.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Meloche, Joseph–Assistant Professor

B.A. – Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada, MLS – University of

Toronto, Ph.D. – University of Wollengong, NSW, Australia

Montgomery, Barbara J. – Adjunct

Ph.D. University of South Carolina

Morgan, Chad – Visiting Assistant Professor

B.A., University of Florida; M.A., Ph.D., University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill

Orblych, Michael Teague—Adjunct

Ozoh, Ruphina – Adjunct

Ph.D., Capella University; M.S.L.S, Clark Atlanta University; B.A.,

University of Nigeria

Payton-Johnson, Lori – Adjunct

Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill

Peterson, Gabriel – Associate Professor

B.S., New Mexico State University; M.S., University of Texas at

San Antonio; Ph.D., University of Missouri at Columbia

Roughen, Patrick – Assistant Professor

B.S., Armstrong State University, MLIS – Valdosta State

University, J.D. University of Georgia Law School, Ph.D.

University of South Carolina;

Swain, Deborah E. – Associate Professor

B.A., Duke University; M.A., Ph.D., University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill

Terrell, Thomas – Adjunct

B.A., Florida Technological University; M.A., Ed.D., University of

Central Florida

Yoo, Eun-Young – Associate Professor

B.A., M.A., Sogang University., Seoul, Korea; Ph.D. University of

Wisconsin-Madison

23

BRIEF HISTORY—SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCES

The School of Library and Information Sciences of North Carolina Central University was authorized by the State Legisla-

ture in 1939 when the charter of the then North Carolina College for Negroes was amended for the purpose of allowing the estab-

lishment of graduate and professional programs at the College. That amendment established the program in library education and

the mission of educating African American librarians for the state of North Carolina.

In the fall of 1939, the College offered a course of study through the Department of Library Science. The School of Library

Science was organized as a professional school in 1941. Three programs were offered during the first two years of the operation of

the School of Library Science. The professional program for the Bachelor of Library Science (B.L.S.) degree was established for per-

sons holding a baccalaureate degree at the time of entrance, and undergraduate majors and minors were offered through the Col-

lege of Arts and Sciences.

The undergraduate major was discontinued in 1943. Ten years later, in 1953, the School awarded its final B.L.S. degree.

The master's program in Library Science was initiated in 1950, with the first Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) degree being award-

ed in 1951. The master's program in Library Science was originally accredited by the American Library Association in 1975. The

name of the school was changed to the School of Library and Information Sciences in 1984. In January, 1989, the School began

offering a joint degree program in law librarianship and legal information systems. Beginning with the 1990-91 academic year, the

School now offers an interdisciplinary program in Information Science leading to the Master of Information Science (M.I.S.) degree.

The SLIS also offers a Joint Degree Program with the School of Business (M.B.A./M.I.S.)

The first part-time faculty for the program was Parepa Watson, Librarian for the Shepard Library, and Assistant Librarian,

Marjorie Shepard, the daughter of founder, Dr. James E. Shepard. The first course was a general one in school librarianship. In 1939

Mary Peacock Douglas, State Library Advisor, came to the school and organized a program for school librarians, forming the nucle-

us of the School of Library and Information Science. That same year North Carolina College for Negroes received authorization from

the North Carolina General Assembly to establish a Department. By 1941, the school began operating as a professional school. The

faculty continued to grow, but most notably during the 1970s and then started peaking again at the turn of the century with the

continuing trend remaining. The Deans of the School are as follows:

Susan Grey Akers 1941-1946

Dorothy Williams 1946-1947

Benjamin F. Smith 1947-1949

Daniel Eric Moore 1949-1963

Evelyn B. Pope 1963-1970

Annette Phinazee 1970-1983

Benjamin F. Speller 1983-2003

Robert Ballard 2003-2005 (Acting Interim)

Irene Owens 2005-Present

24

Editorial Staff:

Dr. Irene Owens, Dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences

Mr. Ethan Margolis, Dean’s Graduate Assistant for Communications

Ms. Keondra Bailey, Executive Assistant to the Dean

Mrs. Virginia Purefoy Jones, University Librarian for the School of Library and Information Sciences