Search Results

University of Texas at Austin Application Deadline: Rolling The School of Information (iSchool) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) invites applicants for the Bill Daniel Endowed Professorship in Archival Enterprise. The iSchool is seeking internationally recognized scholars who advance our understanding of the nature and role of data, information and cultural records across all areas of human endeavor. Successful candidates will likely currently hold or be eligible to hold a full professor position in a peer institution. We are particularly interested in candidates with innovative research programs that can help the school envisage an inclusive and discipline-wide focus on the centrality of accurate records to knowledge production in the sciences, the arts, and the humanities.

Issue #98 by Michael Seadle  (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) On 1 January  2025, Ryan Hill, and Carolyn Stein published a research article in Kellogg Insight called “Scientists Don’t Want to Get Scooped—and It’s Hurting Science “¹, which a staff writer put together:   “Being the first to publish a finding is a major way for scientists to establish this recognition. Still, little is known about the effects that these ‘priority races’ have on scientists’ careers—and on the quality of the science itself.”¹    The fact is well known, as is the cultural competition obsession among American scholars at elite schools. Few scholars ask what damage competition does, since generations have grown up with the mantra that competition is invariably good. This is in part a sign of Milton Friedmann’s effect. The interesting question is what consequences competition has among academics.   The article goes on to explain that “Hill and Stein found that failing to be first does have a measurable cost: second-place projects are nearly 20 percent less likely to be published in a top journal,.... Furthermore, Hill and Stein found that the more competitive a particular structure-solving race was, the more the researchers rushed their work—resulting in lower-quality findings.”¹    So there is an apparent tradeoff. The authors found that “... investing more time into research would ensure higher-quality results but would also increase the risk of getting scooped … .”¹      Some of the fear of competition is exaggerated:    “... Hill and Stein surveyed 877 structural biologists and found that they significantly overestimated both the likelihood and costs of getting scooped. Respondents guessed that they had a 27 percent chance of getting scooped by a competitor, when the actual probability was only 3 percent. They also estimated that a scooped research project would get 59 percent fewer citations, when, in reality, the penalty was nearly three times smaller.”¹     “... Hill says that it’s a good time to reconsider the institutional incentives driving these discoveries.”¹ Perhaps it is time to reconsider the culture of competition with the academic world and perhaps with society itself. Every country is different. At top European universities, professors are often civil servants with stable and comfortable salaries. How much more money and recognition matters is a personal choice. 1 : Hill, Ryan, and Carolyn Stein. Summarized by John Pavlus,. “Scientists Don’t Want to Get Scooped—and It’s Hurting Science.” Kellogg Insight. January 1, 2025.   https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/scientists-dont-want-to-get-scooped-and-its-hurting-science .

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Call for applications to UOC doctoral programme Networked and Information Technologies Topic: Misinformation and disinformation through the lens of data analytics This thesis proposal focuses on cases studies about misinformation or disinformation, through the application of quantitative data analytics methods to amounts of digital content such as: social media, mainstream media news and reports, Wikipedia entries, literature about historical events, open data and/or other open or public domain sources. This digital content may be created, updated, influenced and/or used by a wide range of actors: citizens, anonymous agents or activists, governments and public agencies, companies, international organizations, political parties, social organizations, etc.    Research methodologies for these case studies will usually include the advanced conceptualization of misinformation and disinformation events, so to enhance the intensive application of quantitative methods to trace and analyse them through amounts of digital content and logs. These quantitative methods may be combined when suitable with qualitative methods. Potential candidates should contact Prof. Josep Cobarsí Morales before submitting the application. Prospective candidates should address: Prof. Josep Cobarsí Morales jcobarsi[at]uoc.edu Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunication Studies Deadline for applications: February 3rd 2025

Associate Professor Anita Say Chan Associate Professor Anita Say Chan has authored a new book that identifies how the eugenics movement foreshadows the predatory data tactics used in today’s tech industry. Her book, Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future , was released this month by the University of California Press and featured in the news outlets San Francisco Chronicle  and Mother Jones .   Over a century ago, the eugenics movement sought to eliminate “undesirable” traits in society through selective breeding (sterilization). It was biased against marginalized groups such as immigrants, people with disabilities, and the poor. Chan defines “ predatory data” as “the habitual use of data and research methods that exploits the vulnerable and abuses power through datafication and prediction operations.” In her book, she reveals how Big Tech uses these predatory data collection methods to target minoritized populations with the goal of generating profit.   “ Predatory Data  addresses sites and temporalities beyond the data-driven products and architectures of Western innovation centers that have too often been protagonized as explanatory agents, as if the most pressing questions of the contemporary were ones of how to sustain unparalleled economic growth and technological revolution, and not ones of collective pluriversal living,” Chan writes.   Her book shares lessons that society can learn from today’s global justice-based data initiatives and from the data collaborations of earlier feminists, immigrants, and other minorities who refused eugenic models.   Chan is an associate professor in the iSchool and also holds an appointment in the  Department of Media and Cinema Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She  directs the Community Data Clinic at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and iSchool and co-leads the Just Infrastructures Initiative with faculty in the Grainger College of Engineering. She has served as a Fiddler Innovation Faculty Fellow at the NCSA, Provost Fellow for International Affairs and Global Strategies at the University of Illinois, and Faculty Affiliate at the Data & Society Research Institute in New York City. Chan received her PhD from MIT in the history and anthropology of science and technology studies.

University of California Berkeley Application Deadline: Open until filled The UC Berkeley Library is seeking a dynamic and collaborative leader to manage and grow the digital initiatives portfolio. The Associate University Librarian (AUL) for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology also serves as the Associate CIO for the UC Berkeley Library. This person will lead the Library’s rapidly expanding Digital Lifecycle Program (DLP), the Library IT department, Data Science Services, the Assessment Program, and Resource Sharing Services in support of the University of California, Berkeley’s world-renowned culture of research and innovation. The Library is looking for a leader with proven experience, bold ideas, and the confidence and political acumen to execute them. As part of the Library Cabinet the AUL will work closely with the University Librarian and all members of the Cabinet to help set the Library’s strategic goals, priorities, and policies. The AUL will work collaboratively to manage the execution of initiatives in their portfolio and those that span across the organization in service of the Library’s mission and its vision to “be a leader and partner in creating and implementing ideas and services that advance research, teaching, and learning.” The AUL will manage a budget of $5 million annual operating costs and a total staff size of 75 FTE. The AUL will be a user focused, knowledgeable thought leader and partner in the creative opportunities of current and emerging technologies to advance discovery and access of library resources and services. They will play a vital role in advancing the Library’s use of emerging technologies, including generative AI technologies. The AUL will serve as the Library’s representative on campus, national, and international initiatives around the use of emerging technologies in libraries. This is a tremendous opportunity for the right visionary leader. The AUL’s portfolio encompasses both traditional and new systems and services. The leadership team identifies and solves the most complex operational and strategic problems that confront the Library. The AUL will work closely with other Library leaders on a variety of services, including building a network of support for innovative digital scholarship; rapidly expanding digital collections; improving the findability and usability of scholarly resources; ensuring long-term preservation of digital materials; and influencing technology-rich spaces and programs such as those at Berkeley’s undergraduate library, including the Center for Connected Learning.

Issue #97 by Gary Marchionini  (UNC School of Information & Library Science) As 2024 draws to a close, informed and reflective scholars reflect, take pause in the moment, and look forward to the new year. The ‘all-AI-all-the-time’ drumbeat has continued to deafen; ranging from critics like Gary Marcus asking hard and embarrassing questions about technique and intent, to the self-serving billionaires promoting technical determinism, with increasing numbers of thoughtful scholars like Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor ( AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference )¹ filling the information spaces between. Even popular venues like the Economist  World Ahead 2025² includes a top-ten trend on whether AI will sparkle or fizzle and whether the world’s trillion dollar data center investments will yield better lives for humanity or toxic energy sinks that blister our increasingly volatile planet.   The December issue of Communications of the ACM ³ includes a rich suite of articles and opinion pieces on AI topics. These include an overview of the European Union AI Act and how it may influence public trust and risk (Bellogin, Grau, Larson, Schimpf, Sengupta, and Solmaz); a call to make AI more accessible to people with disabilities (Mankoff, Kasnitz, Camp, Lazar, and Hochheiser), and an interesting provocation by Meredith Ringel Morris titled “Prompting Considered Harmful.” Morris discusses two kinds of limitations of prompting as the user interface for AI. First, she rightly points out that prompting is not natural language interaction but stilted one-way prodding that in today’s systems also includes some invisible backend changes that together lead to errors and frustration. I and others have suggested that prompt engineering is an important activity of research and education for information professionals, harking back to librarian expertise with Boolean queries in the early online search systems and subsequent work with natural language search strategies taught in what used to be called reference courses. On reflection, Morris is correct that we must be more ambitious in broadening how people interact with AI agents beyond today’s prompting. Morris’ argument is that we must look toward more natural, high-bandwidth interfaces (e.g., direct, gesture, affective, non-invasive brain UI) and mixed initiative systems that use the information seeker’s context to engage in something more like conversation, as well as offering more traditional constraint-based UIs such as menus or templates.   Morris’ second point is that prompting used by researchers and developers as part of their evaluation and description may lead to ‘prompt-hacking.’ This includes crafting many prompts to obtain a ‘good’ result without reporting how the crafting was done, not checking subtle prompt variants, not testing prompts across multiple models or systems, or over time. She calls for journals and review committees to develop guidelines for authors to specify details of prompt engineering---a challenge close to the hearts and expertise of information professionals and scholars. This short paper is an example of how science progresses---questions arise on assumptions about fundamental problems, that in turn lead to systematic studies and policies over time, that over longer periods of time and in conjunction with related work steadily drive us forward connecting what we knew, know now, and hope to know in the future.   There will always be hype cycles, some of which turn out to be Gartner Hype Cycles that include eventual adoption and integration of innovation into the ordinary ways of life. Dizzying hyperventilation (e.g., cloud, blockchain, data science, large language models, generative AI, quantum computing, artificial life) of the ‘latest’ thing are typically iterations on an evolutionary process of human curiosity and adaptation. Significant technical, political, and economic changes perch on the 2025 horizon. To information scholars with long-term perspectives, I offer a new year wish: Buckle up, pay attention, and go forth with critical eyes wide open and fundamental optimism about human resilience. 1 : Narayanan, A., & Kapoor, S. (2024). AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference. Princeton University Press. 2 : Standage, T. (18. November 2024). The Economist. The World Ahead: Tom Standage’s ten trends to watch in 2025. https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2024/11/18/tom-standages-ten-trends-to-watch-in-2025 3 : ACM. (December 2024). Communications of the ACM December 2024 - Vol. 67 No. 12. https://cacm.acm.org/issue/december-2024/

University of Maryland - College Park University of Maryland - College Park Application Deadline: January 27, 2025 The College of Information at the University of Maryland, College Park (the INFO College), invites applications for an open-rank tenured or tenure-track faculty position focused in the area of data visualization and visual analytics. The INFO College particularly seeks candidates whose scholarship and teaching interests are centered and focused on one of the following visualization areas: Data visualization, including accessible data visualizations Visual analytics Ubiquitous, immersive, and situated analytics Benefits and risks of AI for visual analytics Cognition and visualization, and Human computer interaction for visual data representations. We are also seeking candidates whose research and teaching focus on the intersection of visualization and AI, including areas such as: Explainable AI and interpretability in visual analytics AI-driven decision support systems in high-stakes settings Ethics and fairness in AI visualization Multimodal data visualization combining AI insights (text, image, video data fusion) Spatiotemporal data visualization for real-time, AI-enhanced analysis Visualization for machine learning model debugging and interpretability Candidates working on other topics related to data visualization and visual analytics are also encouraged to apply. Special consideration will be given to candidates with use-inspired research agendas that apply data visualization and/or visual analytics to high-impact areas such as public health, environmental sustainability, digital civics, social justice, urban resilience, and economic development. The successful candidate will engage in an active program of high-impact research, teach at the undergraduate and graduate level, provide research advising to students at all levels, and engage in service to the profession and shared governance within the University.

University of Pittsburgh Application Deadline: March 15, 2025 The School of Computing and Information (SCI) at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) invites applications for an Associate Professor or Professor (Tenured/Tenure Stream) whose interests reflect the intersection of storytelling, technology, and library and information science research. We seek a scholar whose interests pertain to forms of storytelling and story as mediated, preserved, shared, observed, or created in digital forms and spaces.

Wayne State University Application Deadline: January 27, 2025 Along with the SIS faculty and the Dean of the School of Information Sciences and University Libraries, the Associate Dean will lead the School as it builds on existing strengths and creates an exciting, sustainable vision for the School's degree programs. The Associate Dean will build strong working relationships with campus departments, facilitate new collaborations, expand joint programs with other colleges, and develop entrepreneurial ideas that support services that benefit both units and the University. The Associate Dean is on the Dean’s Leadership Council, allowing them to influence library leadership and develop partnerships supporting student learning and faculty research. The Associate Dean oversees the management of the School of Information Sciences. This includes the day-to-day operation of the school, management of the school’s budget, oversight of enrollment management functions, administration of academic programming, and enhancement of the school’s resources through enrollment growth, fundraising, and grant seeking. The Associate Dean is a highly visible and collaborative leader who will identify, cultivate, and sustain relationships with students, alumni, internal university connectors, and external partners in Michigan to amplify and elevate the presence of SIS. Leveraging best practices, landscape trends in the field, and a data-informed mindset, the Associate Dean will leverage reporting and assessment metrics to evaluate and guide program delivery and offerings. The Associate Dean will be responsible for organizational development, and faculty recruitment and development, including the advancement of inclusive excellence. The Associate Dean will serve as a resource for faculty in developing strategies for increasing effectiveness and resolving problems. The Associate Dean will provide leadership in outreach efforts, foster excellence in teaching and research, including the innovative use of technology and interdisciplinary collaborations. The Associate Dean is responsible for maintaining a culture of transparent decision-making and shared governance. The Associate Dean is responsible for leading all planning and accreditation efforts and teaches one class per year in either fall or winter semesters. The successful candidate will be an accomplished and recognized leader in Information Sciences or related fields and bring creativity and vision to build on the School’s strengths. The Associate Dean should possess an earned doctorate in LIS/IS or a related field and a demonstrated record of achievement necessary for appointment at the rank of Full Professor with tenure.

Issue #96 by Michael Seadle  (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) On 3 December 2024, Martin Enserink wrote in Science  about how “... ecotoxicologist Michael Bertram …” learned that his name was used for “... dozens of fake peer reviews on papers submitted to the journal Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN)”.¹ Elsevier, as the publisher for STOTEN, has retracted 22 papers, and more retractions are likely. The retraction notices all say: “‘The Editors-in-Chief have lost confidence in the validity/integrity of the article and its findings and have determined that it should be retracted.’”¹    How this could have happened is increasingly clear: “Many journals invite authors to submit names of possible reviewers along with their manuscript. Authors can abuse this system by suggesting real scientists with relevant expertise but supplying fake email addresses they have created or have access to. If the journal editors accept the suggestions without vetting the email, authors can write and submit favorable reviews of their own paper, increasing the chances of publication.”¹   Part of the problem appears to come from a corresponding author and co-author from Brazil who “... denied having written the reviews.”¹ He argues that “... hackers might have had access to his professional and personal data …”¹ The editor handling the review process should have checked the email addresses of the reviewers, though whether that would have uncovered the extent of the deception is also unclear. “The faked reviews have not been made public, but they have likely been read by at least one or two other reviewers, a handling editor, and a senior editor.”¹ This appears to be another case where the overburdened peer-review system fails to detect fraud. Perhaps that is unsurprising, since peer review was never meant to be a fraud detection system per se, but a means of measuring the quality of an article.  Allowing authors to suggest reviewers for their own articles may make sense in specialized fields where the community of scholars with the necessary expertise is small, and it certainly relieves an overworked editor from the burden of finding appropriate reviewers, but it seems also to open a fraud risk that both undermines quality and ultimately adds to the editorial workload once the fraud is discovered. 1 : Enserink, Martin. 2024. “‘It Felt Very Icky’: This Scientist’s Name Was Used to Write Fake Peer Reviews.” December 3, 2024.   https://www.science.org/content/article/it-felt-very-icky-scientist-s-name-was-used-write-fake-peer-reviews .

Indiana University Indianapolis Lecturer Positions in Biomedical Engineering The Department of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis, invites applicants for two Lecturer appointments in the Biomedical Engineering Program. Exceptional instructors are being sought to join our fast-growing department. Responsibilities include teaching in the Biomedical Engineering Program, developing courses for the traditional classroom setting, computer labs, and for online education; help setting program goals, developing and continually updating the curriculum and training activities; contributing to the recruitment and marketing of the program; interviewing, evaluating and advising students; engaging in scholarly activity; serving as a member of the school and departmental committees; maintaining current knowledge in the field through active participation in professional organizations, collaboration, practice and research; and serving on professional committees. The appointment can begin immediately but will remain open until filled. Te nure-Track Assistant Professor in Library and Information Science The Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis (IUI) invites applications for one tenure-track faculty assistant professor position in the Department of Library and Information Science (LIS). The appointment will begin August 1, 2025, on the IUI campus. Exceptional researchers are being sought to support a new PhD program in Information Science as well as the campus’ transition to an R1 institution. The LIS Department has an undergraduate data science program, collaborates on graduate data science initiatives, and has an ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science degree program delivered through online methods. An area of special interest is Community Informatics, including community archives, community health, and community data. We are also interested in the use of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies and methods (e.g., Big Data, machine learning, analytics, data visualization) as applied to the aforementioned areas. Application Deadline:  January 15, 2025. Associate/Full Professor in Computational Biology/Bio-Health Informatics The Indiana University (IU) School of Science and Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis invite applications for a tenured associate or full professor position in the areas of Computational Biology/Bio-Health Informatics. Appointments will begin August 1, 2025 (or earlier) on the Indianapolis campus. This position is strategic joint hire with the newly established  Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute  (CBATI) at IU Indianapolis. Faculty affiliated with CBATI will be either CBATI Investigators or CBATI Fellows to receive additional research support, including new state-of-the-art research facilities and opportunities to lead interdisciplinary teams. Candidates must demonstrate an outstanding scholarly record of research, exhibited by high-impact peer-reviewed publications and a forward-looking, externally funded research agenda as Principal Investigator (PI). Candidates who are leading externally funded research groups (including post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and research staff) are highly encouraged to apply. Ideal candidates will have an externally funded research agenda that is on a strong upward trajectory and have significant experience in leading research programs as PI in one or more areas of interest for the institute, including, but not limited, to: computational/statistical/experimental biology, integrated with single-cell multi-omics, such as computational/statistical genomics and structural proteomics, bioinformatics, biological imaging, biomolecular structure modeling and design, biomedical and biological applications of artificial intelligence (AI). The ideal candidate is expected to synergize expertise in computational and experimental biology for the identification of molecular signatures that help detect, diagnose, and monitor chronic diseases. Application Deadline:  January 10, 2025. Department Chair and Full Professor: Biomedical Engineering and Informatics The Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis invites applications for a tenured full professor position to serve as chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics (BMEI). The appointment will begin January 1, 2025 on the IU Indianapolis campus. Exceptional faculty candidates are being sought to join our expanding and fast-growing department. We welcome applications from established researchers with collaborative research teams. Candidates will be considered from all areas at the intersection of informatics, computing, engineering and medicine, including but not limited to bioinformatics, health and clinical informatics, biomedical engineering, bioelectronics and bioengineering. Candidates must be tenured and demonstrate an excellent scholarly record of externally-funded research, effective and well-reviewed teaching, a forward-looking agenda of research and education, and last but not the least a record of leadership experience in an academic setting. Application Deadline:  January 2, 2025. Tenured Position in Wearables and Biotechogy for Health and Rehabilitation This position is a strategic joint hire with the newly established Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute (CBATI) at IU Indianapolis. Faculty affiliated with CBATI will be either CBATI Investigators or CBATI Fellows to receive additional research support, including new state-of-the-art research facilities and opportunities to lead interdisciplinary teams. Candidates must demonstrate an outstanding scholarly record of research, exhibited by high-impact peer-reviewed publications and a forward-looking, externally funded research agenda as Principal Investigator (PI). Candidates who are leading externally funded research groups (including post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and research staff) are highly encouraged to apply. Ideal candidates will have an externally funded research agenda that is on a strong upward trajectory and have significant experience in leading research programs as PI in one or more areas of interest for the institute, including, but not limited, to: wearable health monitoring devices, biotechnology for health and rehabilitation, biometric sensors, implantable devices, bioprinting, and advanced biomaterials, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Application Deadline:  January 2, 2025. Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Computer Science The Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis invites applications for multiple open rank tenured or tenure-track assistant, associate or full professor positions in computer science. Appointments will begin August 1, 2025 on the Indianapolis campus. Candidates must demonstrate an outstanding scholarly record of research, exhibited by high-impact peer-reviewed publications and a forward-looking, externally funded research agenda as Principal Investigator (PI). Research expertise in the following areas of computer science will be considered: Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Robotics, Computer Vision, Cyber security, Cyberphysical Systems, and Quantum Computing. Candidates with experience in applications to biomedical and health sciences are strongly encouraged to apply. Application Deadline:  January 2, 2025. Lecturer, Artificial Intelligence   The Department of Human-Centered Computing, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis, invites applicants for a Lecturer appointment in the area of Artificial Intelligence. Exceptional instructors are being sought to join our fast-growing department. The responsibilities of the position include teaching assigned courses in the Artificial Intelligence program, developing courses for the traditional classroom setting, computer labs and for online education; help setting program and specialization goals, developing and continually updating the curriculum and training activities; contributing to the recruitment and marketing of the program; interviewing, evaluating and advising students; engaging in scholarly activity related to teaching; serving as a member of the Luddy School, departmental and programs committees; maintaining current knowledge and skillset in the artificial intelligence profession through active participation in professional organizations, collaboration, practice and research; and serving on professional committees. The teaching load for a Lecturer position is four courses per semester. The appointment will begin August 1, 2025, at the IU Indianapolis campus. Application Deadline:  January 2, 2025. Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Human-Computer Interaction The Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, IU Indianapolis campus, invites applications for one open rank tenured or tenure-track assistant, associate or full professor positions in Human-Computer Interaction, for the Department of Human-Centered Computing. Appointments will begin August 1, 2025, on the Indianapolis campus. Candidates should have an excellent research record, demonstrated through high-impact peer-reviewed publications. They should also demonstrate the ability or significant potential to secure external funding and develop a forward-looking research agenda as a Principal Investigator (PI). We welcome all qualified HCI researchers. We are especially interested in those with expertise in: Human-Centered AI, and Extended Reality Application Deadline:  January 2, 2025. Lecturer, Computer Science   The Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at IU Indianapolis invites applicants for Lecturer appointments in computer programming, discrete computational structures, data structures, operating systems, database systems, systems analysis and design, software engineering, theory of computation, analysis of algorithms, programming languages, artificial intelligence, and computer networks and security. Exceptional instructors are being sought to join our fast-growing school. Application Deadline:  January 2, 2025. For an overview of all Faculty Openings at the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis click here .

Logo Rutgers University The American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services has awarded Amaobi Otiji, a SC&I Master of Information  student graduating in fall 2025, a 2024 Spectrum Scholarship.   Otiji, who is specializing in the Technology, Information, and Management concentration  in the MI Program and works full-time as a Digital Collections Specialist at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., said, “Receiving the Spectrum Scholarship is a really meaningful opportunity for growth. It gives me a chance to connect with a network of other emerging professionals who share a passion for increasing access to the field of library and information science. Being a part of this community pushes me to learn, grow, and engage with others who are hoping to contribute to the shaping of the field.” As a Spectrum Scholarship winner, Otiji will receive a $5,000 scholarship to support his master’s degree at SC&I; the opportunity to attend the Spectrum Leadership Institute, which offers professional development, networking, and mentoring opportunities; and complimentary registration to the ALA Annual Conference which includes the cost of his travel, lodging, and meals (valued at $1500). Describing how the scholarship will support his Rutgers education, Otiji said, “The Spectrum Scholarship is helping me focus on developing my skills and building more meaningful connections. It provides access to a great network of current and former Spectrum Scholars who work in a wide range of specialties in library and information science. So far, it’s been a great way to learn about what other new professionals are focusing their work on. The financial support also relieves some of the challenges of balancing work and school. It allows me to focus more energy on my professional development and skill set.” Otiji said he chose to attend the MI program at Rutgers because it stood out to him “for its thoughtful modular design, focus on technology, and alignment with the needs of someone working full time. The asynchronous courses provide a ton of flexibility for me to balance school and other responsibilities. I also really appreciated that the information session I attended was conducted by the program director herself and considered the needs of part-time students. While researching my school choice, a lot of the information sessions I attended about other programs didn’t really speak to my situation. Since I’m based in Washington, D.C., I also really value the ability to visit the campus with a short train ride if I ever needed to.” Noting that he has particularly benefitted and enjoyed the range of courses and electives offered, Otiji   added, “I’ve gotten to take courses that connect directly to my professional interests like digital preservation, knowledge management, and classes that use different programming languages. These classes have not only expanded my knowledge of concepts and tools relevant to my career but also have helped me see how to apply these concepts in real-world situations, which has been incredibly helpful.” While managing his full-time job at the Library of Congress and his master's studies is demanding, Otiji   said his best advice “for others contemplating a similar workload would be to take things one week at a time and focus on manageable goals. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the bigger picture but being able to break the work into smaller tasks was crucial for me. I also found it is really important to make the most of my breaks and truly try to get as much quality mental rest as possible.” According to the ALA, the Spectrum Scholarships  are awarded “to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA.” The ALA said this year they awarded Spectrum Scholarships to 70 “exceptional students,” the winners were selected by “a prestigious committee of jurors” and chosen based on “their commitment to community building, leadership potential, and planned contributions to making social justice part of everybody's everyday work in LIS.” Learn more about the Master of Information  degree at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website .