June 23, 2021
ECU MLS program celebrates spring 2021 accomplishments
Faculty
Dr. Kawanna Bright
Assistant Professor, Kawanna Bright, gave the keynote address titled, “Taking a deeper look: Moving beyond surface assessment of our libraries,” at the North Carolina Community College Library Association Conference. Dr. Bright also was a recipient of the ECU College of Education Profiles in Diversity Award, which recognizes faculty or staff for their commitment to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice in their life and work.
Assistant Professor, Mónica Colón-Aguirre, presented (with Dr. Bright), “Prepare to be unprepared: LIS curriculum and academic liaison preparation,” at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference. Dr. Colón-Aguirre was appointed to the editorial board of Library Quarterly and was elected to serve on the board of directors of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) as Director of Community Building.
Associate Professor, Kaye Dotson, published (with Dr. Syntia Dietz), “Women educators’ leadership: Experiences and perceptions of Delta Kappa Gamma members,” in Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin. Dr. Dotson has been nominated for the Delta Kappa Gamma State Founders Award, an award honoring women who have made outstanding contributions beyond the local and regional levels.
Dr. Africa Hands
Assistant Professor, Africa Hands, led a roundtable discussion, “Programs and partnerships: Meeting the needs of first-generation students,” at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference. Dr. Handsalso was a recipient of the ECU College of Education Profiles in Diversity Award, which recognizes faculty or staff for their commitment to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice in their life and work.
Professor, Al Jones, was elected president-elect of the ECU Friends of Joyner Library Board.
Teaching Instructor, Laura Mangum’s, teaching strategies were featured on the College of Education’s social media outlets as part of their series on online teaching success stories. Mrs. Mangum also presented a session titled, “Utilizing small groups and various forms of feedback to increase student success,” at ECU’s Technology Tailgate, where instructors shared their successes in teaching during the pandemic.
Teaching Assistant Professor and MLS Program Director, Barbara Marson, was elected to ALA Council for 2021-2024, as Councilor for the International Relations Roundtable. ALA Council is the governing body of the association.
Assistant Professor, Rita Soulen, published (with Meredith Hill), “Diverse literature for all: A research-practice partnership to strengthen collection development,” in Teacher Librarian. Dr. Soulen also was accepted to the ECU Engagement and Outreach Scholar Academy, where she will investigate how focusing on digital literacies may influence the overall quantity and quality of teaching in the digital landscape for students at the university laboratory school.
Adjunct Instructor and Head of the NC Collection of the university library, Jennifer Daughtery, received the History and Innovation Award sponsored by Gale Cengage.
Students
MLS students, Ladonya Jules, Debra Trodgon-Livingston, and Carrie Watson, were winners of the College of Education “We Love Diverse Books” contest. Each student submitted a video describing the importance of diverse books in their roles as library professionals. They received a set of diverse books aimed at elementary or secondary readers.
Carrie Watson also published an article, “Can an understanding of data use in academic libraries assist in public service efforts?”, in Public Services Quarterly.
Alumni
Bitsy Griffin was elected to a second term as ALA Councilor-At-Large.
Three MLS students were selected as winners in the College of Education’s Diverse Books contest. Carrie Watson, Ladonya Jules, and Debra Trogdon-Livingston (from left to right) all received a set of diverse books for their answer to the prompt, “Why are diverse books important for your profession?”