Checked your myIllini portal today? 📬 🔸 Here’s a preview of life at the #iSchoolUI 🔹

#iSchoolUI PhD student Muhammad Hassan and Assoc. Prof. Masooda Bashir received the Distinguished Paper Award at the Workshop on Security and Privacy in Standardized IoT for their paper on developer experiences with the Matter smart home standard.   Congrats, Muhammad and Masooda! ▶️ bit.ly/4uez2XN

During Orange & Blue Days, we are proud to rally our community around a mission that reflects both our values & our impact: supporting the CUC Fab Lab & expanding scholarship opportunities for local youth to attend summer camp. Make a gift today 🌟https://go.ischool.illinois.edu/orange-blue

Ending with profound appreciation for Tad Schroeder, the @ischoolui.bsky.social's facilities director—Tad has now *twice* taken overnight trips to haul thousands of pounds of equipment with me & is @skeuomorphpress.org’s most stalwart advocate—he’d say it’s just his job but it’s so far over & above

This year’s Gryphon Lecture featured Wayne A. Wiegand presenting “Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Missing Stories in American Library History.” Thank you to everyone who attended in person and online.

#iSchoolUI PhD students and faculty will present their research at the Technocracy Conference, hosted by the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, on March 5-6. More on their presentations here ▶️ bit.ly/4smtZ5E

Join us on Wednesday, March 4, for the 2025-26 Gryphon Lecture presented by Wayne A. Wiegand, the “Dean of American Library Historians.” Register for the hybrid event ▶️ bit.ly/3OoCTBe

All are welcome to attend tomorrow’s “The AI Disruption” talk! Rosina Weber, professor of information science and computer science at Drexel University, will present "XAI is in Trouble, but are LLMs?" ▶️ bit.ly/4b3FFTW

This year, the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its summer camps, which provide youth with unique, hands-on learning experiences. Learn more about the summer camps and how they exemplify the Fab Lab's community-oriented spirit. 🎨▶️ bit.ly/4b7SLkl

A HAVI award from Schmidt Sciences will support a multi-institutional collaboration, “AI for Cultural and Historical Reasoning.” At #ILLINOIS, #iSchoolUI Professor and PI @tedunderwood.com will help build models that better represent past historical periods. ▶️ bit.ly/4qYwmuz

All are welcome to attend tomorrow’s “The AI Disruption” talk! Jonathan Chen, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, will present “AI in Medicine - Integrated Intelligence or Illusory Imitations?" ▶️ bit.ly/4tUGbMM

#iSchoolUI Associate Professor Sarah Park Dahlen will present “Asian American Youth Literature: Immigration, Imagination, and the Library” at @uisedu.bsky.social tomorrow as part of its Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series. More details here ▶️ bit.ly/3ZRnSKL

#iSchoolUI Professor Dong Wang and PhD student Ruohan Zong will present their research at the 19th ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining (#WSDM26), which will be held from February 22–26 in Boise, Idaho. ▶️ bit.ly/40smWMV

A new NSF award supports “REDTEAM,” a project led by #iSchoolUI Director of Research & Technology Innovation Anita Nikolich & Teaching Associate Professor David Dubin that uses structured role-playing games to model threats to academic research. ▶️ bit.ly/46jefrU

Join us on Wednesday, March 4, for the 2025-26 Gryphon Lecture presented by Wayne A. Wiegand, the “Dean of American Library Historians.” Register for the hybrid event ▶️ bit.ly/3OoCTBe

We are pleased to provide open access to the latest issue of Library Trends 74 (3), which examines the intersection of technological hype and practical reality in librarianship through the lens of data literacy. ▶️ bit.ly/3OjePjd

Mark your calendars for Orange & Blue Days!   This year, your gift could support summer camp scholarships for local youth at the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab.   Help young makers explore coding, robotics, and design 🔸 go.ischool.illinois.edu/orange-blue

Join the #iSchoolUI’s MarCom team! We are seeking an assistant director for communications and content strategy, who will oversee production of our magazine and promotional materials, write news and feature stories, and manage media relations. Apply by March 6 ▶️ bit.ly/40lQfk8

In his role with the University of Illinois Alumni Association, Sid Patil (MSIM '24) turns data into connections with alumni and students using the human-centered thinking he developed through his studies in the #iSchoolUI. Read about Sid ▶️ bit.ly/4azmVeN

Thanks for coming to last week’s documentary screening of “Are You A Librarian?: The Untold Story of Black Librarians”! #ICYMI, you can watch the Q&A recording here ▶️ bit.ly/4c2NUSA

Sponsored by the #iSchoolUI & @sagepub.com, the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award acknowledges those who have furthered the cause of intellectual freedom. If you know someone who would be a good candidate, nominate them by April 14! ▶️ bit.ly/405D9Yb

As part of International Love Data Week, #iSchoolUI Professor Anita Say Chan will be speaking at @illinoisstateu.bsky.social today at 2:00 p.m. about her latest book, “Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future.”   More details here ▶️ bit.ly/4qw7Mko

A Chicagoan, #iSchoolUI BSIS student Devon Reynolds always saw his future in tech. He discovered the BSIS program during his senior year of high school and was drawn to its challenging coursework. Learn how he landed a role in global tech ▶️ bit.ly/3Mzuoma

#iSchoolUI MSLIS student and ALA Spectrum Scholar Mariana Guerrero is motivated to make a difference through public libraries, especially in children’s services and expanding access for underserved audiences. Read more about Mariana ▶️ bit.ly/4aGWg0O

All are welcome to attend tomorrow’s “The AI Disruption” talk! Nataliya Kosmyna, research scientist at MIT Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group, will present "GenAI: Friend or Foe to Your Brain." ▶️ bit.ly/4alklsH

Thanks to Ben Blount and everyone who came to the Making an Artist’s Book workshop at the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab last week. We hope you had fun making your creations! ✂📃

Join the #iSchoolUI for a special screening of “Are You A Librarian?: The Untold Story of Black Librarians.” It will be followed by a Q&A panel with Interim Dean Emily Knox, Rodney Freeman (director), and Asia Harris (writer). Register here ▶️ bit.ly/4qR9oGn

We are saddened to share that #iSchoolUI PhD student Fobazi Ettarh has passed away.   On behalf of our community, we send our condolences to her family and everyone who knew her.   Read about Fobazi’s life and significant contributions to the field of LIS ▶️ bit.ly/4tnjXTj

Join the #iSchoolUI! We invite applications for two full-time non-tenure track, open rank, specialized faculty positions. Submit your application by March 3 ▶️ bit.ly/4c7O0bm

For #iSchoolUI BSIS+DS student and undergraduate ambassador Alex Soja, studying abroad in Japan was “one of the most meaningful experiences” of his life, where he got to live independently in Tokyo and fully immerse himself in the culture. Read more ▶️ bit.ly/4bz976d

Join CIRSS for tomorrow’s “The AI Disruption” talk! #iSchoolUI Assistant Professor @yueguo50.bsky.social will present "Fluent but not Understandable: The Limits of LLMs in Health Communication." ▶️ bit.ly/4bEKxkB

Join the #iSchoolUI for a special screening of “Are You A Librarian?: The Untold Story of Black Librarians.” It will be followed by a Q&A panel with Interim Dean Emily Knox, Rodney Freeman (director), and Asia Harris (writer). Register here ▶️ bit.ly/4qR9oGn

Join Library Trends on February 3, at 11:00 a.m., for a webinar on library services for people living with dementia and their caregivers.   For those who aren't able to attend, a recording will be made available ▶️ bit.ly/4tlB3kH

Today, we remember Gregory B. Newby, former #iSchoolUI assistant professor. At #ILLINOIS, he co-founded Prairienet and helped pioneer the iSchool’s online MSLIS program (Leep). Read more about his legacy ▶️ bit.ly/3NGf5Zj

Join us for a Digital Humanities Brown-Bag Lunch Roundtable on “The Virality of Racial Terror in U.S. Newspapers, 1863–1921.” 📅 Friday, Feb. 6 | 🕦 11:30 AM–1 PM
 📍 The Corner, Main Library (Room 220) Open to all. ▶️ bit.ly/4toC5we

🔸The #iSchoolUI Alumni Association (ISAA) is seeking nominations for its 2026 alumni awards.   Three alumni awards are given annually at the alumni reception held during the American Library Association Conference.   🔹Nominate an alum by April 1 ▶️ bit.ly/4bHNzEL

Join Library Trends on February 3, at 11:00 a.m., for a webinar on library services for people living with dementia and their caregivers.   For those who aren't able to attend, a recording will be made available ▶️ bit.ly/4tlB3kH

Iftikhar Haider has joined the academic affairs team as assistant director for experiential learning, where he will collaborate directly with faculty, staff, students, and external partners to facilitate successful experiential learning in our programs. ▶️ bit.ly/4t2Dkkn

Happy birthday to Professor Emerita Linda Smith! 🎉 Learn why she is a 'Renaissance scholar of Library and Information Science' in Library Trends 71 (1): A Festschrift in Honor of Linda C. Smith ▶️ bit.ly/3NzGyvF

#iSchoolUI PhD student Mubarak Raji has been selected as an IAPP Westin Scholar Award honoree for the 2025-26 academic year. The award was created to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection. ▶️ bit.ly/4sZ4ZTp

Join The Political Librarian tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. CST for a webinar with PhD student Evan M. Allgood and Assistant Professor Travis L. Wagner. They will discuss what federal directives targeting DEI mean for libraries, archives, and public memory. Watch live ▶️ bit.ly/3NE9pin

With a background in consulting and project management, #iSchoolUI MSIM student Sneha Vyas is learning new skills to “turn information into smart decisions and see the impact in action.” Read about Sneha’s MSIM experience ▶️ bit.ly/45s7ofj

We are pleased to announce that #iSchoolUI Professor Dong Wang has been appointed associate dean for research, where he will provide leadership in the support, integration, communication, and administration of the School’s research and scholarship endeavors. Congratulations, Dong! ▶️ bit.ly/4qwMYKn

We are proud to recognize the 2025 academic milestones of our #iSchoolUI PhD students.   Join us in celebrating those who successfully passed their field, preliminary, and final examinations last year 🎉   See the full list ▶️ bit.ly/49x6IHN

Join CIRSS next week for their first "The AI Disruption" talk of the spring semester! Sarah Lawsky, law professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, will present “Computational Law, Transparency, and Accountability: The Case of Direct File." ▶️ bit.ly/4r4ussE

#iSchoolUI PhD student Ebubechukwu Uba has been invited to present at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) conference, Net Inclusion 2026, which will be held on February 3-5 in Chicago. She will discuss her work with her nonprofit StepUp Academy. ▶️ bit.ly/4qHnI4f

#iSchoolUI Interim Dean and Professor @ejmknox.bsky.social has authored the 2nd ed. of her book, “Book Banning in 21st Century America.” Recently released by @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social, it examines 25 cases of book challenges in schools and public libraries across the US. ▶️ bit.ly/4aZTcgZ

Big news for cybersecurity at #ILLINOIS: The NSF has extended the Illinois Cyber Security Scholarship Program. Led by #iSchoolUI Associate Professor Masooda Bashir, the program supports students preparing for cybersecurity careers in government service. ▶️ bit.ly/49vF521

Thinking about applying to the #iSchoolUI’s MS in Information Management program for Fall 2026? The application deadline is 🔸January 30🔹, and we’re here to help you every step of the way. Join our webinars to learn more! Register today! ▶️ bit.ly/4o2HR2u

“The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books” has announced the 2025 Blue Ribbon awards, its annual selection of best works in children’s and young adult literature across the categories of Picture Books, Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, and Poetry. Read more📚▶️ bit.ly/3LzoQrk