GENERAL NEWS: ALA Best Student Chapter, AASL Luncheon, and New Faculty

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Summer is here and “the time is right for dancing in the streets!” After being in California for ALA, I was so happy to come home to South Carolina. The conference was great with more than 25,000 librarians but California is something else . . .

Our students received their Best Student Chapter award with about 20 of us cheering them on. They had a reception afterward with party decorations and a DJ and dancing – I believe that great fun was had by all. Thank you again for your support to get these students there for this accolade.

The AASL luncheon was lovely with our own Dr. Zimmerman glowing with pride for receiving the achievement award. Our Alumni Tea was well attended and again, Nonie Price made it the best! Our booth had lots of traffic and I spend an afternoon in the “Leaders Wanted” session recruiting faculty candidates and doctoral students from the diversity fair.

I am delighted to welcome two new associate professors to SLIS. Dr. Paul Solomon and Dr. Kendra Albright will be joining us this fall. You can read more about them at http://www.libsci.sc.edu/announcement.html

The Annual Literacy Leaders Award ceremony will be in September and we’ll let you know the dates as soon as the current award winners are notified. You will be so pleased with the nominations and the good work of the nominating committee.

I’m off to Florida for some beach time. I am so looking forward to putting my toes in the sand and watching the dolphins swim by. I will be checking email periodically but if you need me, Carolyn Delton (delton@mailbox.sc.edu) has my private numbers.

We’ll be in Maine on August 3 at the Maple Hill Farms in Hallowell to celebrate our graduates from Lobster 3 cohort. This promises to be a lovely occasion, organized by Dr. Pat Feehan. Dr. Arns, Dr. Tu and Dr. Walling will also be in attendance as well as Dean Bierbauer. I can’t wait to meet everyone in person!

In closing, I hope you get a break to do something you love and let the breeze coax you into a hammock!

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you!

Yours,

sam