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SLIS Alumni Association

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SLIS Alumni Association


Your School, Your Site- Our Community


Join the Alumni Association

Join the OU School of Library & Information Studies Alumni Association to stay in touch with friends and colleagues, to support future generations of information professionals, and to learn more about the growth and activities of the university.

Membership dues are $25.00 annually or $10 for retirees and 1st year graduates. Your dues help support:

  • The Irma Rayne Tomberlin Scholarship
  • The Outstanding Alumni Award
  • The Dr. Frances Laverne Carroll Student Paper Award
  • The OLA Annual Conference Alumni Association Reunion

Join the OU SLIS Alumni Association

Bylaws

The Alumni Association finalized the current set of by-laws and the constitution in May 2015.

Current Constitution and Bylaws (pdf)


Alumni Association Officers

Board of Directors 2023-2024

Conner Kirk.
Conner Kirk

President, SLIS Alumni Association Board


Director of Customer Experience, Western Plain Library System

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Susan Urban

Vice-President, SLIS Alumni Board


 

 

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Kathy Atchley

Secretary, SLIS Alumni Board


Director of Public Services for Western Plains Library System

Stewart Brower.
Stewart Brower

Treasurer, SLIS Alumni Association Board


Director, Schusterman Library, University of Oklahoma (Tulsa Campus)

Professor, Health Sciences Library and Information Management  

 


Alumni Association Board Members

Board Members 2023-2024

Jenny Bodenhamer.
Jenny Bodenhamer

Alumni Association Board Member


Digital Services Librarian, Oklahoma State University

Leanne Cheek.
Leanne Cheek

Alumni Association Board Member


Readers' Services Coordinator, Pioneer Library System

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Adriana (Adri) Edwards-Johnson

Alumni Association Board Member


Manager of Enterprise Services, Office of IT, University of Central Oklahoma  

Matthew Galloway.
Matthew Galloway

Alumni Association Board Member


Collection Development Librarian, Anythink Libraries

Alyssa Migdalski.
Alyssa Migdalski

Alumni Association Board Member


 

Gail Oehler.
Gail Oehler

SLIS Alumni Association Board Member


Executive Director for the Southern Oklahoma Library System

Cherity Pennington.
Cherity Pennington

Alumni Association Board Member


District Communicatons/Library Services Coordinator, Shawnee Public Schools

Jenny Bodenhamer.
Martha Pangburn

Alumni Association Board Member


Teacher Librarian, Norman Public Schools

 

Syd Stephenson.
Syd Stephenson

Alumni Association Board Member


Electronic Services & Systems Librarian, Oklahoma City University School of Law

Kirsten Walker.
Kirsten Walker

Alumni Association Board Member


Electronic Services & Systems Librarian, Oklahoma City University School of Law



SLIS Alumni News

July 12, 2024

Caroline Dulworth Named Outstanding Alumni Award Winner for 2024

Caroline Dulworth is the 2024 OU SLIS Outstanding Alumni Award winner. Caroline graduated from OU SLIS in 1995, and she has been in the library profession for more than 28 years, all with the Pioneer Library System where she currently serves as the Director of Branch Services.


June 06, 2024

Kordeliski Elected 2025 2026 AASL President

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has announced the results of its 2024 election. Members elected Amanda Kordeliski, Director of Libraries and Instructional Technology for Norman Public Schools in Oklahoma, as the 2024-2025 President-Elect. She will serve as the AASL President during the 2025-2026 term and immediate Past President in 2026-2027.


January 26, 2024

SLIS Alumni News: Amanda Kordeliski Seeking the Office of AASL President

Amanda Kordeliski (SLIS '10) is seeking the office of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Presidency for 2025-26. Amanda serves as the director of libraries and instructional technology for Norman Public Schools and has remained an active member of the SLIS community since graduating in 2010. She resides on the SLIS School Library Advisory Board and was named the SLIS Outstanding Alumni in 2022.


December 20, 2023

Call for Student Paper Award Submissions for 2024

The author of the winning paper will receive $250.00 from the OU SLIS Alumni Association and be recognized at the Oklahoma Library Association Conference. In addition, the paper abstract will be posted on the Alumni Web page.


December 19, 2023

2024 OLA Alumni Meet and Greet

At the OLA conference, the SLIS Alumni Association will host an informal OU SLIS Alumni meet and greet at the Hyatt Bar from 4-5 pm on Wednesday, March 6th.


December 18, 2023

Fall 2023 Alumni Spotlight Tim Miller

Tim Miller has served as Executive Director of Western Plains Library System since 2013. Miller joined the Western Plains staff in 2004 as Acquisitions Coordinator and was promoted to Assistant Director in 2008. Prior to his arrival at Western Plains, Miller worked for three years as a graduate assistant in the Fine Arts & Architecture Branch Libraries at the University of Oklahoma. Miller also worked for two years as a student reference assistant at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Al Harris Library.



November 16, 2023

Call for OU SLIS Outstanding Alumni Award Nominations for 2024

Do you have a colleague that consistently goes above and beyond or know someone who has made their mark on the profession? If they are an OU School of Library & Information Studies alum, please consider nominating them for the OU SLIS Outstanding Alumni Award. Nominations should be submitted online. Nominations received by January 15, 2024 will be given top priority for the 2024 award.


OU SLIS Alumni Association Awards

The OU SLIS Alumni Association presents two awards and contributes to one scholarship for a SLIS master's student. Following is information about each award and past recipients.

Outstanding Alumni Award

Award recipients are chosen through a nomination and a committee review process. Once chosen, recipients' names are engraved on a plaque kept in the OU School of Library and Information Studies. A certificate of award will be presented to the recipient, and a $50 donation to the Irma Tomberlin Scholarship Fund will be made in the name of the recipient.

The Alumni Association begins taking nominations at the beginning of December. 2024 Nominations are now open!

Any person receiving a Master's degree in Library Science from the University of Oklahoma School of Library & Information Studies may be eligible for this award if:

  • The person has generated an active interest in the School and/or,
  • The person has made an effective and innovative contribution to the library profession such as scholarship, publications, research, teaching training, mentor and professional activities.
  • Nominators will submit a letter of recommendation electronically that briefly describes the nominee’s qualifications for the award. The letter will include the nominee’s current contact information.
  • Nominators may include supporting materials as they wish.
  • Nominees will be graduates of the OU SLIS program and currently working in the library field.
  • No self-nominations.
  • Nominees will submit a current vita or resume and any other supporting materials to the Outstanding Alumni committee chair upon request.
  • In rare cases, more than one award may be given.
  • If in the opinion of the Awards Committee, no worthy candidate is nominated in a given year, the award will not be presented.

The strength of the nomination letter is an important factor in the consideration of choosing an award recipient. Please consider the following criteria when making your nomination:

  • Contributions to the profession within the workplace
  • Contributions to the profession beyond the workplace
  • Demonstrated leadership within the profession
  • Honors and awards received
  • Contributions benefitting library users or members of the library community
  • Distinguished service to the profession
  • Outstanding participation in activities of professional library associations
  • Notable publications and productions
  • Leadership in education and in-service training for librarian
  • Improvements in library services
  • Development of library facilities
  • Mentoring other librarians

The Honors and Awards Committee shall be compromised of members of the Alumni Association and one faculty member of the school.

 

 

  • 2024: Caroline Dulworth
  • 2023: Lisa Wells
  • 2022: Amanda Kordeliski
  • 2021: Tim Miller
  • 2019: Cheryl Suttles
  • 2018: Cecelia Brown
  • 2017: Aiden Street
  • 2016: Shari Clifton
  • 2016: Buffy Edwards
  • 2015: Sarah Robbins
  • 2014: Cathy Van Hoy
  • 2014: Valerie Kimble
  • 2013: Kathryn Lewis
  • 2013: John B. Phillips
  • 2012: Sharon Saulmon
  • 2011: Lynn McIntosh
  • 2011: Vicki W. Phillips
  • 2010: Bobby L. Roberts
  • 2008: Barbara Ray
  • 2007: Anne Masters
  • 2005: Oliver Delaney
  • 2004: Beth Anne Freeman
  • 2003: Donna Morris
  • 2002: Sally Harris
  • 1998: Joanne Callard
  • 1997: Charles Townley
  • 1996: Ken Bierman
  • 1995: Mary Somerville
  • 1994: Charles R. McClure
  • 1993: Pat Weaver-Meyers
  • 1992: Barbara Spriestersbach
  • 1992: Herman L. Totten
  • 1990: Marty Thompson
  • 1989: Pat Woodrum
  • 1988: John Hinkle

There were no honors awarded in 1991, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006,  2009, or 2020 

Dr. Frances Laverne Carroll Student Paper Award

Dr. Frances Laverne Carroll Student Paper Award

The Dr. Frances Laverne Carroll Student Paper Award (previously the Alumni Student Paper Award) is awarded every year to an outstanding paper written by a current OU SLIS student. 

The author of the winning paper will receive $250.00 from the OU SLIS Alumni Association and be recognized at the annual Oklahoma Library Association reception. The name of the students, as well as the name of the paper, will be engraved on a plaque that is kept in the OU School of Library and Information Studies. In addiion, the paper abstract will be posted on the Alumni Web page.

The 2024 award period is now open, submission are due by January 15th, 2024. 

Eligibility

  • Author must be a student who is currently enrolled and attending OU SLIS classes or a recent graduate of the library school (last 6 months)
  • Papers submitted cannot be previously published or submitted for publication
  • Papers must have been written in the previous twelve months
  • Papers must be in English and be the original work of the applicant

Content

  • Papers can address any topic related to libraries, librarianship, or information management in libraries

Format

  • The paper must be at least 10 ages, double-spaced, and include an abstract and bibliography
  • Papers should be submitted in MS Word with a completed coversheet (Word doc coversheet) 

Judging Criteria

  • Topic - relevancy and appeal to professional librarians
  • Organization
  • Development of topic
  • Authority - evidence of scholarly research

Copyright and Publication

  • By entering the contest, entrant grant permission to publish all or part of their paper's abstract and to use their name and photograph without royalty or other consideration

Due Date

The paper submission deadline will be announced annually, and papers should be submitted by e-mail to the Chair of the committee.

The Dr. Frances Laverne Carroll Student Paper Award (previously the Alumni Student Paper Award) is awarded every year by the OU SLIS Alumni Association to an outstanding paper written by a current OU SLIS student. 

2024 submissions are due by January 15th. Submit papers to: Gail Oehler via email at  goehler@southernoklibrarysystem.org

YearNamePaper
2024Kristi Hendricks"Shifting Archives: Embracing Cultural Provenance and Community"
2023Matthew Blanchard"Makerspace and Access in School Libraries"
2022Moses Munyao"Personal Information Management"
2021Caroline (Carly) O'Dell"Reading and Teaching from a Screen: The Impact of Digital Media on Reading Comprehension and Proposal for Teaching Digital Literacy"
2020Rachel Reid“A space of their own: a literature review”
2019Gail Currier (Oehler)"Addressing Health Literacy: An evaluation and review of health literacy practices and education in libraries"
2017Shannon Hawkins“Information Behavior of Preteens”
2016Hillarie Kuhn"The Homeless: A Current Issue within Public Libraries"
2014Lyssa Prince"Information Grounds Observation:Goodreads.com Book Groups"
2013Erin McLean"How Technology Has Changed the Nature of Reading: And What We Read as a Result"
2012Sarah Denton"The 'Activist Archivist' in the Digital Age" 
2011Joseph Rector"A Model of Research Pacing and Information Coaching: An Adaptation of Carol Kuhlthau's Information Search Process"
2010Ruth Neal"Meeting the Information Needs of People Over 50"
2009Caleb Puckett"Oh the Humanities: Understanding Information Behavior to Foster Information Literacy"
2008Mary Holmes"Current Issues: Robert Taylor’s Question Negotiation Framework and Melissa Gross’ Imposed Query Model in the Online Environment" 
2007Elizabeth Bolton"Organization of Information in the Public Libraries of the Abbasid Caliphate"
2006Jane E. Long"Where is the Information Located? Navigating the Invisible Web" 
2005Amalia Strothmann"Challenges to Privacy and Confidentiality Rights Presented by Virtual Reference"
2004Amalia Strothmann"Personality and Situational Factors Influencing Online Searching Behaviors and Effectiveness"
2003Karen Antell"Student Library Workers and Motivation: Theory and Practice"
2002Douglas Valentine"Gender and its Role on Effective Management"
2001Deanna J. Hall Tirrell"Digital Divide: How Will We Bridge It?"
2000Jeanne L. Bishop"Some Issues Regarding Equity of Access to Electronic Information"
1999Robert L. Roddy"Multicultural Librarianship: Changing the world One Patron at a Time"
1998Karen Campbell"The Fair Use Doctrine of The Copyright Act In The Electronic Information Environment"
1997Robert L. Roddy"AIDS in the workplace; a managerial perspective"
1996Rebecca Graebner"An examination of the 'PROFS' litigation and its impact on records management of electronic mail"
1996Cecelia Brown"Biomedical information searching with SCISEARCH and EMBASE on DIALOG"
1995Carolyn G. Hanneman"Like elastic: the library profession and African Americans strive for equality"
1993Laine McCarthy"The electronic book and the paperless society"

Irma Rayne Tomberlin Scholarship

The OU SLIS Alumni Association awards up to two Irma Rayne Tomberlin Scholarships per year. Students must be nominated by a SLIS faculty member and write an essay.