UW-Madison Information School

Registration is OPEN for our Back in Circulation conference!

Back In Circulation: A Conference For Managers And Staff In Access And Circulation Services brings together library staff and leaders from across North America for two days of learning and connection in Madison.

This year's keynote is Bobbi Newman, a leader in healthy workplaces for library and information professionals and associate professor of practice at the University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science.

Join us on October 5-6! Registration and more info→ https://ow.ly/EI7V50Z6Hjt

SLIS The University of Iowa

▶️Our July iSchool Alumni Webinar Series is around the corner, featuring four engaging sessions on the skills and perspectives shaping today’s library and information work, including job interviewing, teaching design tools, curriculum analysis and local library history.

• Thursdays, July 9–30 | 12–1 p.m. CST
• Free and open to alumni, students, and friends of the iSchool.

Register online to join one or all four sessions→https://ischool.wisc.edu/continuing-education/alumni-webinar-series/

Photo by Jeff Miller / UW–Madison

Earlier this month, iSchool faculty and graduate students joined partners across campus for “Co‑Designing Data‑Driven Futures,” a community‑engaged workshop led by Assistant Professor Corey Jackson and collaborators at the UW South Madison Partnership.

Over the course of the day, Madison‑area residents explored how environmental data — such as heat‑sensor readings or well‑water tests — moves through government systems, and how those systems could better reflect community needs and values.

These workshops enable residents as co‑designers, not research subjects, modeling the kind of community‑oriented work that perfectly represents of the Wisconsin Idea.

Learn more about the Collaborative Computing Group based at the iSchool: https://ow.ly/mJ3j50Z1GLU

📸courtesy of Corey Jackson

Information School Teaching Faculty Bradley Bryant and three students traveled recently to the U.S. Cyber Command campus in Fort Meade, MD, to present their research at the two‑day Cyber Research and Education Conference (Cyber RECon)!💻

Their paper, "The Future of Resilience Engineering for Defense‑Critical Infrastructure in the AI‑Driven Battlespace," represents two semesters of work exploring how agentic and generative AI tools can both threaten and strengthen cyber defense. Students conducted extensive literature reviews, built proof‑of‑concept autonomous intra‑network attacks, and examined AI‑enabled defense strategies.

Huge congratulations to the student researchers who presented their work:
• Godson Safo Ansah (Information Science)
• Mikhail Ortiz‑Lunyov (Computer Science & Psychology)
• Sreeja Rashmitha Duvvada (Information Science)

We're proud of these scholars for applying their skills to real‑world cybersecurity challenges!

Last week we celebrated several newly minted PhDs on a sunny afternoon at Morgridge Hall.

After years of dedicated study, teaching, and research spanning fields from book history to human-computer interaction, Tallal Ahmad, Yinka Ajibola, Zihan Gao, Jeremy McLaughlin, Xiang Zheng, Yaxuan Yin, and Ellie Jeong are reaping the rewards of their hard work.

Congratulations to our PhD graduates on this milestone — we're excited to see you shape the future of the field.

📸Dorothea Salo

Learn more about our PhD in Information program: https://ow.ly/VN5y50YXGCT

Janice Rice, emerita senior academic librarian at College Library, was recognized on April 24 with a 2026 Distinguished Achievement Award from the UW-Madison School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. This award acknowledged Rice's long career with UW–Madison Libraries and her significant impact on expanding information access for Indigenous communities.

Read the UW-Madison Information School story about her work across Wisconsin and the nation: https://ischool.wisc.edu/2026/04/27/including-indigenous-people-in-the-pathway-forward-janice-rice-ma75-receives-2026-cdis-distinguished-achievement-award/

Pictured: Janice Rice (left) and Carrie Kruse (right), associate dean for learning and engagement at UW–Madison Libraries

We are proud to recognize three PhD students with this year’s iSchool Graduate Student Teaching Award, honoring inclusive, forward‑looking teaching that prepares students for an evolving information landscape.

Xiang Zheng PhDx’26, Caitlin Tobin PhDx’27, and Layla Coleman PhDx’28 have each strengthened core parts of the curriculum, from data storytelling and AI‑aware instruction to multicultural literature and accessibility. Their work keeps our courses relevant, engaging, and student‑centered.

With instructors like Xiang, Caitlin, and Layla in the mix, the future of library and information science education is in good hands.

Read more about why their teaching stood out: https://ow.ly/AbZk50YVaAz

Four exceptional Information Science students have been honored with the 2026 Outstanding Information Science Student Award, a recognition of academic excellence and service in a major now more than 500 students strong.

Alexander Bussell x’26, Nadia Choi x’26, Sophia Darras x’26, and Shelly Zhang x’27 each show what’s possible in iSci, connecting technology with law, design, UX, and libraries.

Read more about Alex, Nadia, Sophia, and Shelly's iSci journeys→ https://ow.ly/uzkw50YVapU

🎤Recently, iSchool Professor and Director Greg Downey delivered a historically grounded presentation at CultureCon's 2026 AI Summit, entitled "Histories and Future of AI in the Workplace."

He emphasized that AI isn't the first technology employers have used in the hiring process. For at least the past century, people have been applying "an algorithm or a system or a machine to automatically predict who’s going to be successful in what job," Downey explained.

“The folks who are doing this at any moment in this history are not doing it with bad intentions,” Downey noted. “They’re always doing it with the prejudices of their time, but they have an idea that we want to make things better. We want to help people find their true selves. They’re really looking for the technological fix."

And in the age of AI, "It’s still so attractive," he said.

Read more→https://ow.ly/UwJR50YVaib

Prudence Dalrymple PhD’87, a trailblazer whose career spans librarianship, health informatics, accreditation, and information science, has received a 2026 CDIS Distinguished Achievement Award for her wide-ranging impacts on the field.

Dalrymple’s work has expanded how information supports communities, clinical care, and research. Her advice to the next generation reflects the openness that shaped her own path: “Be flexible, but also be curious. There are opportunities that may seem out of reach, but you don’t know unless you try.”

Join us in congratulation Prudence Dalrymple, and explore more about her career: https://ow.ly/wwvY50YQKni