1960s
Patricia Dion (‘67 MLS)
Patricia retired in 2001.
1970s
Carola Naegele (‘72 MLS)
Carola retired as Youth and Literacy Services Coordinator after 25 years at Oceanside Public Library. She was hired as Principal Librarian at Carlsbad City Library to help design, oversee construction, and implement the move and establishment of Literacy and Spanish language services into the new Carlsbad Library Learning Center. After retiring, she earned an AA in Technical Theatre Design and an AA in Performing Arts from MiraCosta College.
Carola joined the Executive Board of the Oceanside Theatre Company (OTC) in 2017 and also serve as Curator for the Brooks Theater Fine Arts Gallery. She teaches set and lighting design and costume and prop design to ages 13-18 at the OTC Summer Youth Theatre Academy.
She still loves to read, love performing and designing, and love life in Southern California.
Lisa Browar (‘78 MLS)
Lisa retired on June 30, 2023, having served as President of the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology (Kansas City, MO) for 15 years. During this time, she led efforts to re-establish this library as one of the world’s foremost research libraries devoted to science, technology, and their histories, and established the Library as a major source of real-time and virtual programming grounded in the Library’s collecting strengths. Earlier, Lisa served as Assistant Curator of American Literature at Yale’s Beinecke Library, Curator of Special Collections at Vassar College, Assistant Director for Rare Books and Manuscripts at The New York Public Library, Director of IU’s Lilly Library, and University Librarian at The New School. She is a member of the American Antiquarian Society, and past chair of ACRL’s RBMS, and serves on several boards including the Foundation for the Park University International Center for Music, a boutique music conservatory based on the European apprenticeship model, and the Alumni Advisory Board for the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Miriam Joseph (‘78 MLS)
After 45 years at Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO), Miriam is retiring in June 2024. She was a research and instruction librarian on the faculty of Pius XII Memorial Library for 43 of those years. She also spent the last decade as an assistant provost working mainly on compliance and policy matters, becoming Assistant Provost for Academic Policy and Educational Compliance. She was awarded Professor Emerita status in the University Libraries in July 2022, and has worked part-time for the provost since then.
Carole Medal (‘79 MLS)
Carole is in her 20th year as the Chief Executive Officer of the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin, IL. 2024 is a very special year as they are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Library. On March 19, 1874 the first public library in Elgin opened its doors to the public and since that time has continued to grow to serve 150,000 people in a 65 square mile area. She is only the 9th library director in its history and during her 20 years they have opened 2 branches and will be expanding one of them with a $2.4M federal grant during their anniversary year. They are able to reach all members in the district with the addition of a bookmobile and a tech mobile. Their world-class exhibits attract visitors from all over including out-of-state and have become a model for other libraries. The Library District will be celebrating all year long with many programs and events including a 150th birthday party on March 19th and an old-fashion fair in June. Carole has also been nominated to receive the 2024 Elgin YWCA Leadership Margaret Hillis Award for the Arts.
1980s
Deidre Spencer (MLS)
Deidre was awarded The University Librarian Achievement Award 2023, from the University of Michigan. https://record.umich.edu/articles/twenty-nine-to-receive-faculty-awards-at-annual-celebration/
Brian Schottlaender (‘80 MLS)
Elected President of the Dr. Seuss Foundation, effective 1 January 2023. https://drseussfoundation.org/
Naeema Razzouki (‘84 PhD)
Naeema is currently an author and professor concerned with information technology and statistical applications in social sciences in addition to knowledge management
Ann LaPrise (‘85 MLS)
Ann is now on the Board for Midwest Collaborative for Library Service as the Michigan School Library representative. For the last 4 years she has been the Librarian for Cornerstone Charter School in Detroit creating school libraries where there was none. Ann now has 4 elementary school libraries and will be creating the middle school library this winter. She hopes next year, they will be able to finish this project by putting a library in the high school. Some miracle for Michigan, I have spent over $230,000 on new books in the last 3.5 years.
Christine Peterson (‘87 MLS)
Christine DeSain Peterson, B.S. 1983, M.L.S 1987, opened a consultancy focused on helping libraries and nonprofit organizations with their technology needs. “My career has revolved around teaching and supporting libraries as they integrated new technology services. I hope to do much more under the guise of this new business.”
Michael Gold (‘88 MLIS)
Retired from the US Army Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 31 December 2022.
1990s
David Harnish (‘90 MLS)
David currently serves as Library Director and Coordinator of Student Instructional Services for Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting Indiana
Rick Provine (‘91 MLS)
Rick is retired and now hold the title of Dean Emeritus of the DePauw University Libraries.
Jennifer Bartlett (‘94 MLS)
Jennifer Bartlett, currently the Oral History Librarian at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky, was the recipient of the 2023 Paul A. Willis Award for Outstanding Faculty, given every year to a UK Libraries faculty member for outstanding achievement. In addition to oral history work, Jen is currently involved on the Kentucky team for the Freedom on the Move digital humanities project (a database of fugitive slave ads from North American slavery); serves as editor of Kentucky Libraries, the Kentucky Library Association journal; and is co-editor of the Special Libraries Association journal Practical Academic Librarianship.
June Liebert (‘94 MLS)
June is serving as the President of the American Association of Law Libraries from July 2023-24. She is also a Fellow-Elect of the College of Law Practice Management.
Leslie Foutch (‘97 MLS)
Leslie recently accepted the position of Librarian for Experiential Learning within the Vanderbilt University Libraries. Leslie has been with the Vanderbilt University Libraries since 2000.
Greg Prickman (‘98 MLS)
Greg is currently the Eric Weinman Librarian and Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. This summer they will be reopening after 4(!) years of renovation and new construction, adding 12,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space. He has led the design for the new galleries, which will display the Folger’s 82 copies of Shakespeare’s First Folio along with other collection items and interactive experiences.
Tuba Akbayturk (‘98 MLS)
I am elected as the Chair of Document Delivery and Resource Sharing Standing Committee of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) for the term of 2023-2025.
2000s
Janet Wallace (‘00 MLS)
After 42 years at the Shelby County Public Library, she is retiring. Janet was the Library Director for the last 20 years.
Rosemary Flynn (‘00 MLS)
Inducted as a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) on July 27, 2023
Cheryl Youse (‘02 MLS)
Completed her doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction about 10 years ago. Cheryl will be retiring this coming spring from 16 years as a high school media specialist at Colquitt County High School in Moultrie, Georgia but will be continuing her work as an adjunct professor of Library Science at Valdosta State University in Georgia.
Stuart Griner (‘05 MLS)
On June 5, 2023, Stuart started the position of Branch Manager of the Chinatown Branch of the Chicago Public Library. The branch is a new 16,000-square-foot, two-story branch that opened on August 29, 2015 with a partially covered “living” roof, Feng shui-influenced interior design and expansive views of the city. The library serves as a cultural and information center for those who seek information about the Chinatown community and Chinese culture.
Krystie Herndon (‘06 MLS)
As of July 1, Krystie will be promoted in the College of Arts and Sciences from Senior Advisor to Academic Advisor-Expert–one of the first academic advisors to bear this new title! This year she has received the Outstanding Advisor Award from the national professional organization for academic advisors, NACADA.
Casey Mullin (‘08 MLS)
Casey is Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services at Western Washington University Libraries, where he was recently promoted to the rank of Full Professor. He is also the Chair of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging, headquartered at the Library of Congress. His monograph Many Pathways to Discovery: Describing Music Resources Using Faceted Vocabularies, was published in early 2024 by A-R Editions and the Music Library Association.
Beth Boatright (‘09 MLS)
After more than a decade in academic librarianship and leadership, Beth has joined the senior staff of Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN in 2022. As Director of Community Partnerships and Programs, she connects the community and empowers an extraordinary team of library staff. Together they offer around 5,000 programs annually, cultivate dozens of partnerships, and serve people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Beth was named to Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s 40 under 40 class of 2024.
Lynné Colbert (‘09 MLS)
Accepted the position of Head of Access Services at Purdue University in Dec 2022.
2010s
Sarah Keil (‘13 MA/MLS)
Sarah started a new role on June 1 at Belmont University as Research and Learning Services Librarian for Medicine. She is partnering with another librarian to start a new Medical Library, that will support the new Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University. Previously Sarah worked as a librarian at Trevecca Nazarene University, also in Nashville, TN.
Courtney Hadley (Brombosz) (’13 MLIS)
Courtney has been working at Yale University’s Cushing/Whitney Medical Library for 4 years now. She works with medical students to provide them with support in Evidence-Based Practice. Courtney also serves as co-chair of the Advisory Committee for Library Staff Diversity & Inclusion. She recently co-curated an exhibition for the 100 year celebration for the School of Nursing.
Runxiao Zhu (‘14 MLS)
Began new position as Head of the East Asian Library at the Univeristy of Pittsburgh Library System, effective September 1, 2023
Mallory Nygard (19 MLS)
In 2023 and 2024, Mallory is the Treasurer of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians in addition to her role as Director of Library and Information Services at St. John Neumann Catholic School in Knoxville, TN.
2020s
Rachel Knight (‘23 MLS)
As of July 2023, Rachel is working as the Research and Instruction Librarian/Archivist at Wilberforce University.
Grayson Murphy (‘22 MIS/MLS)
Began new position as Digital Preservation Librarian at University of Alabama – Birmingham, working under alum Luke Menzies.