Hirsh - Information services today: an introduction

Stephen Abram, MLS, is a strategy and direction planning consultant for libraries and the information industry as principal of Lighthouse Consulting Inc. and executive director of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries. He is a library trend watcher, keynote speaker, innovator, and author of Stephens Lighthouse blog. Abram has held leadership positions in special libraries, associations, and as an executive at Cengage Learning (Gale), SirsiDynix, Thomson, Micromedia ProQuest, and IHS, in addition to managing several libraries.

Kendra Albright, PhD, is a professor and director of the School of Information at Kent State University. Previously, she taught at the University of South Carolina (USC), where she also served as director of the African Studies Program. Before joining USC, Albright taught at the University of Sheffield, where she was deputy director of the Centre for Health Information Management Research. Albright has taught courses on business information, research methods, information economics and policy, and strategic intelligence. She brings over fifteen years of professional practice in science and technology and business information. Albright has served as a consultant for both the government and private industry. She holds a PhD in communications, an MS in library science, and a BS in human development, and is editor-in-chief for Libri: International Journal of Libraries and Information Studies.

Susan W. Alman, PhD, teaches courses in interpersonal communication and marketing/public relations for information professionals at the San Jos State University School of Information. The second edition of her book, Crash Course in Marketing for Libraries, was published in 2015. Alman has held teaching posts at the University of Michigan and University of Pittsburgh and is an alumna of the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning.

Ruth Barefoot is a lecturer for the School of Information at San Jos State University (SJSU), teaching change management and issues in public libraries. She also consults for www.BarefootLibraries.com. After receiving her MLIS degree at SJSU, most of her career was spent at the San Jos Public Library, managing major initiatives, innovative services, and library branches. Barefoots favorite thing to do is to share her instincts for information organizations, using over forty years of public and academic library experience.

Mary K. Bolin, PhD, is a professor and a catalog and metadata librarian at the University of NebraskaLincoln Libraries. She also is an instructor at the School of Information at San Jos State University, where she teaches courses in cataloging and metadata. Bolins research interests include genres of organizational communication, academic library organizational patterns, and librarian status at academic libraries.

Marshall Breeding is an independent consultant providing services related to the strategic use of technology to libraries and related organizations. He created and maintains Library Technology Guides, and has authored or edited seven books and hundreds of articles and essays. Breeding is the editor of Smart Libraries Newsletter, published by ALA TechSource; a columnist for Computers in Libraries; and the author of the annual Library Systems Report published in American Libraries. From 1985 to 2012, he held a variety of positions in the Vanderbilt University Libraries.

Scott Brown is a cybrarian at Oracle, Inc. and the owner of Social Information Group, an independent information practice that focuses on the effective use of social networking tools for sharing and finding information. Browns book, Social Information: Gaining Competitive and Business Information Using Social Media Tools, was published in 2012. He has over twenty years of experience in library and information organizations and is part-time faculty for San Jos State Universitys School of Information.

Melissa Cardenas-Dow is a social sciences librarian at California State University, Sacramento. Cardenas-Dow is also cochair of the American Library Associations Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Implementation Working Group, and an American Library Association (ALA) councilor-at-large. She has held additional positions throughout ALA, including the Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, as well as positions in the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). She graduated from San Jos State Universitys School of Information with an MLIS degree in 2008.

H. Frank Cervone, PhD, is the director of information technology and a college information security officer for the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His experience includes more than twenty-five years of leadership in libraries and information organizations, developing systems and services that have helped to advance teaching, learning, and managing knowledge and information. Cervone holds an MSEd with a specialization in online teaching and learning from California State University, an MA with a specialization in information technology management in information agencies from DePaul University, as well as a PhD in business administration from Northcentral University.

Rachel Ivy Clarke, PhD, is an assistant professor at Syracuse Universitys School of Information Studies. Her research focuses on the application of design methodologies and epistemologies to librarianship to facilitate the systematic, purposeful design of library services. She was formerly the cataloging librarian at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Clarke holds a BA in creative writing from California State University Long Beach, an MLIS from San Jos State University School of Information, and a PhD from the University of Washington Information School.

April D. Cunningham is the instruction and information literacy librarian at Palomar College in California. Since 2003, she has worked on local, state, and national initiatives to promote instructional improvement and learning outcomes assessments in academic libraries.

Wayne T. Disher is an instructor at San Jos State Universitys School of Information and previous director of library services at Hemet Public Library in Hemet, California. He served as president of the California Library Association and has published several textbooks. Disher holds an MLIS degree from San Jos State University.

Dawn DiStefano, MBA, is a full-time professor at Molloy College in the Business Division. Her distinguished career spans diverse industries: telecom, legal, finance, academia, and nonprofit. DiStefano holds degrees from Nassau Community College, Hofstra University, and Dowling College. She is currently pursuing her doctorate of professional studies in business with a concentration in marketing at Pace University, Manhattan.

Kim Dority has worked as an information professional in a wide variety of information settings and is president of Dority & Associates. She created and has taught for the past twenty years a course on alternative LIS career paths for the University of Denver, is a career consultant for the San Jos State University School of Information, and has written extensively on LIS career topics, including Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals, now in its second edition. She writes the Infonista.com blog on LIS career topics and created and manages the LinkedIn LIS Career Options group.

Celeste Feather is senior director of licensing and strategic partnerships at LYRASIS, where she has worked since 2010. Feather previously held positions at the OhioLINK consortium (20082010) and several university libraries (19892008). She holds a BA from Oberlin College, an MA from George Washington University, and an MLS from University of Maryland.