Alumni News
Elizabeth Topping Mainiero (MLS ‘60) was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from Muskingum College in recognition of her 40-year library science career.
Cynthia Richey (MLS '72) has been appointed chair of the 2011 Newbery Award Committee. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American children's literature published the previous year, according to the association Web site. Richey has been director of Mt. Lebanon Public Library for 13 years. Among her many awards and acknowledgements, she has been honored with the 2005 Distinguished Service Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association and the 2007 University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award.
Deborah Nolan (MLS ’75) was appointed University Librarian at Towson University in Towson, MD.
Mervat Abdelhak, PhD (MSIS ’75, PhD ’81) was featured as a Pittsburgh Tribune Review Newsmaker for receiving the American Health Information Management Association’s “Distinguished Member Award.”
Michael Sawyer (MLS '76) was appointed Director of Calcasieu Parish Public Library (CPPL) in Lake Charles, Lousiana. During his short tenure, he tirelessly worked with a citizen Tax Advisory Committee to pass a ten-year tax renewal for the CPPL. On May 2, 2009 voters passed the renewal with more than 91% in favor. The 14-branch system serves more than 200,000 people and the tax makes up 93% of the library's budget.
Marilyn Teolis (MLS '81) was named the 2009 Southern Chapter, Medical Library Association, Hospital Librarian of the Year.
J.M. Whitehead (PhD '81) has retired from a long career, which included serving as the head law librarian at the College of William & Mary Law School. In retirement, he has published "Sonnets" (Cambridge University Press, 2006), a book of more than 600 sonnets. Whitehead, who lives in Williamsburg, VA, sold his book at the Virginia Shakespeare Festival this summer. He is selling the book privately for only $15 post paid and invites friends and relatives to contact him at jmw@sonnetsbyjmw.com.
Cynthia Golden (MSIS '83) was appointed the new Director of the Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education (CIDDE) at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Golden was a Vice President at EDUCAUSE, a non-profit professional association that serves higher education information technology (IT) professionals in the areas of instruction and learning, research and scholarship, and management and leadership.
Dr. Barbara Immroth (PhD '87), professor in the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin, has received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Library Association (TLA).The award is given to a librarian who has been a longtime TLA member, has been recognized as having an exemplary career in librarianship, is active in professional organizations and has demonstrated creative leadership and service to the library profession.
Marilyn Sheck (BSIS ’87, MLS ’88) retired as Director of Information Technology at the Seattle Public Library on July 7, 2009.
Bruce Leonard (MST ’89) is a System Analyst for TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Minneapolis, MN.
Brian Sweeney (MSIS ’89) is the Chief Information Officer for A Second Chance, Inc., a non-profit providing a safe environment for children who are being cared for by their relatives or a close family friend.
Barbara Zaborowski (MLS ’90, PhD ’08), Associate Dean for Library Resources and Special Assistant to the President at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Johnstown, PA, received the Ruth T. Toiga award for her work on the “One Book, One Community” program. The Ruth T. Toiga award is presented by the Cambria County Literacy Council and is awarded to an individual or group who has made a unique contribution to Literacy/Education in the community.
Nunzia Giuse (MLS '92) was promoted to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Knowledge Management at Vanderbilt University. She will also continue to serve as Director of the Eskind Biomedical Library, Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Professor of Medicine.
Mark Winston (MLS ’92, PhD ‘97) was named assistant chancellor and director of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University’s Newark campus.
Claudia Gollop (PhD '93) was named the winner of the 2009 North Carolina Library Association's (NCLA) Roundtable for Ethnic and Minority Concerns (REMCo) Roadbuilders' Award in library education.
Gerry Douglas (MSIS '99) was named a 2009 Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) fellow. Mr. Douglas is founder of Baobab Health, an NGO creating eHealth systems. For more information, please visit: http://www.ted.com/index.php/profiles/bio/id/119314.
Christine McIntosh (SIS 1999) was appointed director of the Bethel Park Public Library, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Alexis (Dave) Rittenberger (MLIS '03) was appointed Director of Library Services at the U. Grant Miller Library at Washington and Jefferson College, her undergraduate alma mater.
Deirdre Scaggs (MLIS '03) has been appointed Director of Archives in the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections and Digital Programs, where she is responsible for the administration of an archival program which includes Manuscripts, Audio-Visual Archives, Public Policy Archives, the University Archives and Records Program, and the Bert T. Combs Appalachian Collection. She earned her MLIS, with a concentration in archival studies, from the iSchool at Pitt in 2003.
James Osborne (MSIS ’04) is an Information Systems Analyst at Armstrong School District in Ford City, PA.
Tanja Bekhuis (MLIS ’05) is a postdoctoral scholar in the Center for Dental Informatics in the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
David Karas (MST ’05) is a Network Engineer at Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation in Niskayuna, NY.
Molly Krichten (MLIS ‘05) was named an “Emerging Leader” by the American Library Association.
Elaine Zelmanov (MLIS '05) was appointed as chief of staff for Pittsburgh City Council member, Patrick Dowd.
Marie Calle Torres (MST ’06, PhD ’09) is a Professor at the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Elizabeth Hutchinson Duffy (MLIS ’06) was promoted to Coordinator of Children’s and Teen Sales, Eastern Region for Baker & Taylor.
Jill Garcia (MLIS ’08) is a Collections Specialist at the National Library Services of the Blind and Physically Handicapped at the Library of Congress.
Ingrid Kalchthaler (MLIS ’99), Rachel Walden (MLIS ’06), and Carlie Webber (MLIS ’01) were named Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers for 2009. For more information please visit: http://www.libraryjournal.com/MS2009
