1960s
Joan Benedetti (‘66 MLS)
During the pandemic, she researched and wrote an article on the sea change in craft studies among scholars, curators, and artists over the past 20 years. It was published in Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America 41: 1 (Spring 2022), 38 -69.
1970s
Amal Altoma (‘72 MLS)
Amal is a retired (MCPL) librarian who has been a community volunteer for many years at a variety of local non-profit agencies.
Jeff Gunderson (‘75 MLS)
Wrote an essay, “Adaline Kent’s Communities and Comraderies, 1920s-1950s,” Adaline Kent: The Click of Authenticity (New York: Rizzoli, 2023)
Lisa Browar (’77 MLS)
On September 1, 2023 she will retire from the position of president of the Linda Hall Library for Science, Engineering & Technology, her 15th anniversary. Prior to coming to the Linda Hall Library, she was university librarian at The New School. Lisa began her career as Assistant Curator for American Literature at Yale’s Beinecke Library, and subsequently served as Curator of Special Collections at Vassar College, the Brooke Russell Astor Chief Librarian for Rare Books and Manuscripts at The New York Public Library, and Director of the Lilly Library, IU Bloomington. She holds a BA in English from IU Bloomington, an MA in English and American Literature from the University of Kansas, and an Executive MA in Philanthropic Studies from IU-Purdue, Indianapolis.
Carole Medal (’79 MLS)
Continues to serve as CEO of the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin, IL. This January the library was most grateful to receive a federal earmark grant for $2.4M due to the support of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, U.S. representative for Illinois’ 8th congressional district. These funds will be used to expand the branch library in the Village of South Elgin. Since Carole arrival there in 2004, the library has created two branches in addition to their main location and added a bookmobile that covers its 65 sq mi district. In addition, their TechKnow Mobile Sprinter helps to bring technology to the 150,000 citizens that our library serves. The library continues to host world class exhibits and their graphics department is now creating their own exhibitions which travel to other libraries and institutions. The library also recently received the Mayor’s Award for Preservation for “The Settlement” exhibit which showcased the history of African Americans in Elgin and their arrival during the Civil War.
1980s
Valerie Elliott (’80 MLS)
In 2020, she retired after 40 years as a librarian. In the last 32 years she has been the head of the Smith Library of Regional History in Oxford, Ohio. In 2021, she completed a book, Homes of Old Oxford: An Album of Photographs, and in 2022, she worked with the local NAACP branch to install an Ohio Historical Marker in the public cemetery.
Alan McPherson (’85 MLS)
Published Noted Naturalists of Indiana, Nature Walks In & Around Bloomington, Indiana and Springs & Flowing Wells of Indiana.
Michael Gold (’88 MIS/MLS)
Michael retired from the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in December 2022.
Bill Hedrick (’89 MLS)
Elected Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Columbus Ohio in November of 2021 and took office on January 2nd, 2022.
Todd Spires (’89 MLS)
As of June 1, 2022, Todd is the Executive Director of the Cullom-Davis Library at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. He has also been promoted to Professor. Todd started at Bradley in 2004 as Collection Development Librarian.
1990s
Rick Provine (’91 MLS)
Retired January 1, 2023 as Dean Emeritus of the DePauw University Libraries.
Julia Esparza (’93 MLS/MIS)
Julia M. Esparza, MLIS, AHIP, FMLA has been named a Fellow of the Medical Library Association (FMLA). MLA Fellows are members and elected by the Board of Directors for sustained and outstanding contributions to health sciences librarianship and to the advancement of the purposes of MLA. Criteria includes notable leadership, outstanding achievement, significant scholarship, and professional reputation. While there have been three other Fellows from Louisiana, she is currently the only living Fellow.
Erica Lake (’93 MLS)
Erica Lake is the Medical and Academic Library Outreach Coordinator for Region 6 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM). NNLM is an outreach program of the national Library of Medicine – one of the 27 institutes and offices of the national Institutes of Health and the world’s largest biomedical library. NNLM works to ensure health professionals and the public have equal access to health information through seven regional medical libraries. Region 6 serves the Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and is based at the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Iowa. Erica works from her home in Duluth, MN, where she relocated with her husband in 2019. Erica has over 20 years of experience in health sciences librarianship, including 11 years as a hospital librarian with Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, eight years as an Associate Librarian with the Eccles Health Sciences Library at the University of Utah, and one and a half years as a research specialist with the Essentia Institute of Rural Health in Duluth, MN. Erica describes her current position as her “dream job” – getting to engage every day with hospital and academic health sciences librarians, Library and Information Science programs, and tribal college librarians while supporting their performance and professional development.
D.J. Hoek (‘98 MLS)
Hoek was recently appointed Deputy University Librarian at Northwestern University. In this new role, he has responsibility for directing and overseeing daily operations of the Northwestern Libraries system and working closely with the Dean of Libraries on all aspects of library management and planning. He previously served as Associate University Librarian at Northwestern from 2015-2022, and before that as Head of the Northwestern Music Library from 2004-2015.
Jane Ruddick (’98 MLS)
Retired in August 2022 after 23 years as a librarian at Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington. Jane worked first as Reference Librarian/Adult Programming Coordinator and later as Librarian Selector in the Content Development department.
Brad Warren (’99 MLS)
Named Inaugural Dean of Libraries at Augusta University in Augusta, GA on March 1, 2022.
2000s
Rosemary Flynn (’00 MLS)
Rosemary is in her 20th year at the Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota where she is currently the Principal Librarian & Archivist. She excitedly joined the Luddy Alumni Board in July 2023 representing MLS and MIS alumni from SLIS and Luddy.
Sharon Newill (’00 MLS)
Retired after a total of 25 years working as a children’s librarian in the Zionsville and Carmel Public Libraries and is living the dream on an $815 monthly pension. FYI plan ahead for your retirement.
Karen Franks (’01 MLS)
Elected to IU Bloomington Staff Council and starting fifth year as O’Neill School Lead Academic Advisor.
Jane Matthews (’02 MLS)
Promoted to Senior Corporate Librarian at Cook Research, November 2022.
David Seckman (’03 MLS)
David is the director of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library since September 2020. He was also the keynote Speaker at “The Difference is You” Conference sponsored by the Indiana State Library 2022, and presented a workshop at the OVGTSL 2022 conference titled “Creating Better Relationships at Work and in Life With Kindness and Gratitude”. David also collaborated on creating the first inclusive playground park on library property managed by library staff in North America and possibly the world.
Michael Bradford (’04 MLS)
In August 2022, Michael took up the new position of Library System Cataloging Librarian at Wayne State University, in Detroit, Michigan. He will be performing original cataloging for the entire library system, as well as problem-solving cataloging issues, and performing maintenance in the online catalog there. Prior to coming to Wayne State, Michael served for over 16 years at Harvard University, in two roles: as Serials and Electronic Resources Librarian at the Harvard Divinity School (2005-2012), and, following a library-wide reorganization, as Senior Continuing Resources Cataloger with the Harvard Library (2012-2021). Michael and his wife, Katherine Covintree, moved to Metro Detroit in 2021 where she took up the role of Head Librarian of the Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Michael and Katherine are both native Michiganders and are happy to be back in the Midwest, near their families, and are both excited for their new librarian opportunities.
Kristina Yoho (’04)
Is currently in her 16th year of school librarianship. Since August 2019, she has worked as the International School of Kenya’s secondary librarian. Kristina’s MLS degree has taken her around the world – working as a school librarian in Indiana and internationally in South Korea, Germany and Bangladesh.
Abubakar Tidal (’05 MIS/MLS)
Abubakar is currently a Web Services & Multimedia Librarian. He was recently promoted to Full Professor in August 2022, at the New York City College of Technology, City University of New York. Abubakar has also written a book entitled Podcasting: A Practical Guide for Librarians.
Michelle Cosby (’06 MLS)
Has a new job as Assistant Dean of Legal Information Services and Professor of Practice at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Krystie Herndon (’06 MLS)
Completed her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in higher education in May 2021.
Meggan Houlihan (’09 MLS)
Meggan was selected to serve as the inaugural Director of the Open Society University Network Library Resources Program (February 2022).
2010s
Benjamin Keele (‘10 MLS)
Appointed Editor of Law Library Journal, the official scholarly journal of the American Association of Law Libraries. Currently Associate Director of the Ruth Lilly Law Library, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Tonnya Joy (’11 MLS, Children’s and Young Adult Services Specialization)
Tonnya was Promoted from Branch Manager to Regional Manager at St. Louis Public Library in July 2021 celebrated 10 years at SLPL in November 2021. She is currently co-Chair of SLPL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Change Team.
Elizabeth (Brockman) South (’12 MIS/MLS)
Elizabeth completed the Open Education Network’s Certificate in OER Librarianship in September 2022.
Sara Day (’17 MLS)
Recently was featured in a NY Times article: “Librarians are Meeting Younger Readers Where They Are: TikTok,” The New York Times, December 30, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/30/books/librarians-tiktok.html
Kim Cull (’18 MLS)
In October 2022, Kim landed a permanent rare book cataloging at the University of Virginia. Their title is now the McGehee Rare Book Librarian.
Tyler Davis (’18 MLS, Archives and Record Management Specialization)
Began a new position as an Archives Specialist at the University of Notre Dame Archives in December 2022.
Mallory Nygard (’19 MLS)
Elected Treasurer of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians for 2023-2024
2020s
Sydney Stutsman (’22 MIS/MLS)
Is working as a Scientific Writer at Corteva Agriscience.