Faculty Spotlight – August 2021

• August 26th, 2021
• by Steven Yates
• in SLIS News

Dr. Bharat Mehra had a number of publications debut this month:

Elena Lopez, Bharat Mehra, and Margaret Capse edited a book entitled A Librarian’s Guide to Engaging Families in Learning that was published by Libraries Unlimited (Santa Barbara, CA) in August 2021. Bharat Mehra and Scott Sikes published two chapters in the book entitled “Research Paradigms for Engaging Families in Public Libraries” and “Information Needs of Rural Libraries: A Social Justice Imperative.” Read more about this title here.

Rong Tang, Bharat Mehra, Jia Tina Du, and Yuxiang Chris Zhao published their “Paradigm Shift in the Field of Information Special Issue Editorial” in the Journal of the Association of Information Science and Technology. Access the editorial here.

Bharat Mehra published an article entitled “Social Justice Design and Implementation: Innovative Pedagogies to Transform LIS Education” in the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 62(4). Early access to the article abstract can be found here.

Dr. Bob Riter presented at the 2021 Society of American Archivists (SAA) Research Forum, held on July 21^st and July 28^th. His paper, entitled “Artifactual Pluralism: The Relationship Between Narrative and Artifactual Criticism” analyzes the relationship between narrative and artifactual pluralism, provides a historical contextualization, and an examination of contemporary conceptualizations.

Dr. Steven Yates and Dr. Jessica Ross (PhD, ’18) presented at the 2021 United for Libraries Virtual Conference on August 18. Their presentation was titled “Every Volunteer an Advocate: Empowering Boards and Friends for Action” and guided attendees through the environmental scanning process as part of developing library volunteers into advocates for local, state, and national resources for libraries of all types.

Alumni Spotlight – August 2021

• August 17th, 2021
• by Steven Yates
• in SLIS News

Jaena Hollingsworth Alabi (MLIS, ’06) was recently promoted to full professor in Auburn University Libraries. Alabi currently serves as librarian for English, psychological sciences, and Africana studies and is the Ralph Brown Draughon Library Help Desk Coordinator at Auburn.

Julia M. Brown (MLIS, ’16) was named interim director of the Douglas County Public Library in Nevada. Read more about her background and current appointment here.

Dr. Rachel Fleming-May (PhD, ’08) and Regina Mays have published a new book, Fundamentals of Planning and Assessment for Libraries. Fleming-May is an associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. A press release about the book’s publication can be found here.

Congratulations to our alumni on these outstanding accomplishments!

Faculty Spotlight – July 2021

• July 19th, 2021
• by Steven Yates
• in SLIS News

Dr. Bharat Mehra has had a number of recent publications and presentations become available:

Bharat Mehra served as a guest editor of the special issue entitled “Intersecting Theories and Methods to Research Social Justice in LIS Scholarship” of the International Journal of Information, Diversity, and Inclusion 5(2) in May 2021. Access the issue’s table of contents here. His editorial entitled “Operationalizing Theories and Methods to Integrate Social Justice in LIS Scholarship” is available here.

LaVerne Gray and Bharat Mehra published an article in April 2021 entitled “Going Against the Current of Hegemonic “White-IST” Discourse: A Doctoral Program Journey from Critical Student + Guide Perspectives” in the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 62 (2), 182-200. Read the article’s abstract here.

At the of May 2021, the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science published “Agriculture-Based Community Engagement in Rural Libraries” by Vandana Singh, Bharat Mehra, and Everette Scott Sikes. The article can be accessed here.

Elena M. Lopez, Maggie Capse, and Bharat Mehra moderated and contributed to a panel entitled “Know, Partner, Lead: Co-Designing New Directions for Family Engagement in Public Libraries” during the 2021 American Library Association Annual Virtual Conference held June 23-29. Joseph Winberry and Bharat Mehra delivered a paper presentation entitled “Fifty Years in the Fight: A Thematic Analysis of Social Responsibilities Round Table Newsletters, 1969-2019” during the conference as well.

Student Spotlight – July 2021

• July 15th, 2021
• by Steven Yates
• in SLIS News

Kandi Massey, current MLIS student, was awarded the 2021 Master’s Level Scholarship from the Alabama School Library Association at their virtual conference in June.

Valeria Dávila, current MLIS student, and Emily Reynolds (MLIS ’21) will be presenting a poster at the Society of American Archivists (SAA) conference in August on the new podcast the UA SAA launched back in the spring. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast, this link will take you to the series! The poster will be available at this link on August 2 and will be available throughout the conference.

Congratulations to all on these accomplishments!

Faculty Spotlight – June 2021

• June 22nd, 2021
• by Steven Yates
• in SLIS News

Dr. Laurie Bonnici recently co-authored an article regarding vaccination information on Facebook and the application of Speech Act theory as it relates to pro- and anti-vaccination perspectives from various groups. The work is entitled, “What are the saying? A speech act analysis of a vaccination information debate on Facebook” and can be found here.

Dr. Jamie Naidoo was recently featured as a guest speaker on the podcast hosted by Reach Out and Read. He discusses the portrayal of “rainbow families” in children’s books and why LGBTQ+ children’s books continue to be the most challenged genre. The link to the podcast can be found here.

Dr. Bob Riter co-authored an article with Kevin Bailey (Archival Studies Certificate program graduate) and Dr. Jeff Hirschy (MLIS ’16, PhD ’20). Entitled “Exhibitions as Public Health Interventions: The University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society,” the article highlights the work being done at the University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society to provide social and historical context of tobacco products. The article appeared in the American Behavioral Scientist journal and can be found here.

Dr. Steven Yates presented at the 2021 Alabama School Library Association Virtual Conference on June 15, 2021. He and Susan Zana (MLIS ’08) presented “Strategic Planning for School Libraries.” He also presented “Packing Your Toolkit with Free and Cost-Friendly Resources: UA SLIS Students Share Their Favorites” with current MLIS students Meredith Felton, Minda King, and Catherine Shipp.