University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Library and Information Science Program

Month: April 2024

  • HTSB Continuing State Approval for Library and Information Science Program

    HTSB Continuing State Approval for Library and Information Science Program

    School Librarian Preparation Program – continued state approval – News release – April 2024

    The Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) granted continued state approval to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library and Information Science (LIS) Educator Preparation Program (EPP) for School Librarians from 2024-2031. Representatives of the HTSB participated in the American Library Association (ALA) reaccreditation of the LIS Program, and renewed state approval of the school librarian preparation program in a parallel process.

    HTSB Executive Director Felicia Villalobos remarked, “HTSB was impressed with the rigorous accreditation process with experts from the ALA. During the accreditation process, the LIS faculty and students provided multiple examples illustrating the important role school librarians play within their community. The design of the Library and Information Science Program supports school librarians throughout the State of Hawaiʻi and emphasizes how school librarians play an active role when it comes to community engagement and cultural preservation.”

    LIS graduates who hold a Hawaiʻi teaching license and undertake a specialized program of study earn an additional School Librarian (K-6, K-12, 6-12) license. Meera Garud, instructor and coordinator for the School Librarian EPP, said “Our students join our program eager to spark curiosity and foster a love of reading and learning. By the time they graduate they gain the skills, experience, and confidence needed to build dynamic school library programs. Their joy for learning is contagious.”

    The LIS School Librarian EPP is the only state-approved preparation program for school librarian licensure in Hawaiʻi. LIS alumni make up 95% of the approximately 63 licensed public school librarians in Hawaiʻi and often receive recognition for their significant role in creating high-quality inquiry learning experiences throughout the state. Alumna Laurel Oshiro, librarian at Sacred Hearts Academy Elementary Library, has served as a cooperating librarian for the program and was named “Teacher of the Year” by Hawai‘i Catholic Schools in 2020, a 2019 recipient for the Hawaiʻi Association of School Librarians Golden Key Award, and was a 2017 recipient of the Making IT Happen Award by the Hawaii Society for Technology in Education. Oshiro remarks, “Being a cooperating librarian offers the opportunity to share your experience and knowledge, fostering personal growth and development in others while also gaining fresh perspectives and a sense of fulfillment from seeing those you mentor succeed.”

    Alumni have also been nationally recognized for their work, with sixteen holding current National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) licenses in Library Media. Two of these, Carolyn Kirio and Diane Mokuau, serve as National Board Professional Learning Facilitators who annually train cohorts of teachers on the certification process from all over the state. In 2021, Mokuau was named “School Librarian of the Year” by School Library Journal, and Michelle Carlson, another NBCT and LIS alumna, received this recognition in 2014. In 2016, Kirio was also selected by The White House as a great educator and honored at a Washington DC ceremony. As we celebrate the ongoing approval of the LIS School Librarian EPP, we are reminded of the profound impact our alumni continue to make by enriching the minds of students across Hawaiʻi.

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    The LIS Program is part of the School of Communication and Information within the College of Social Sciences. LIS was established in 1965, and has been continuously accredited by the American Library Association since 1967.

  • LIS Alum Shavonn Matsuda Named a 2023 Library Journal Mover & Shaker

    LIS Alum Shavonn Matsuda Named a 2023 Library Journal Mover & Shaker

    Current University of Hawaiʻi Maui College head librarian and LIS alumnus Shavonn Matsuda was recently featured in Library Journal as a 2023 Mover & Shaker for her work with Hawaiian knowledge organization. Shavonn is the project director for Ka Wai Hāpai, which is an IMLS-supported project to create a Hawaiian knowledge organization system and controlled vocabularies for Indigenous Hawaiian collections and materials. Ka Wai Hāpai team members also include current LIS Faculty member Keahiahi Long and current LIS student Kyle Hart.

    Read the full Library Journal article and more about the Ka Wai Hāpai project.

     

     

    Photo courtesy of Library Journal.

  • Brendan Urayanza, Kelly McDermott, and Dr. MB Ogawa Present “From Student to Scholar: Our Journey to Publishing Our Research Via LIS 699

    Brendan Urayanza, Kelly McDermott, and Dr. MB Ogawa Present “From Student to Scholar: Our Journey to Publishing Our Research Via LIS 699

    The LIS Program is hosting our next LIS Research Forum on Thursday, April 4 at 3:45-4:45 in the LIS Program Area, Hamilton room 003F and on Zoom. We welcome Kelly McDermott, Kalihi-Palama Public Library Children’s Librarian, current LIS student Brendan Urayanza, and Dr. MB Ogawa, Information and Computer Sciences and Assessment and Curriculum Support Center Specialist, as they present “From Student to Scholar: Our Journey to Publishing Our Research Via LIS 699”. 

    Presentation Description:

    For graduate students, finding opportunities to complete a research project before graduation can be a challenge as they often need to juggle time for coursework, work commitments, and building connections with professionals in their field. In this way, directed studies courses under the guidance of an advisor can provide a way for students to learn about the research to publication process in a flexible manner that can be tailored to their research interests. In our talk, we will share our studies, challenges and accomplishments, presenting and publishing research in the Library and Information Science field through directed studies courses. We will also discuss our efforts in collaborating with other students in conducting their research projects and how we support each other’s studies. We will also touch on our experiences collecting and analyzing data, whether this be through drafting surveys, conducting interviews, obtaining new and pre-existing data, and coding the data to reveal common threads. All in all, we will be discussing how to get involved directed studies, as having a strong plan can support your development as a scholar and create tangible outcomes for your resume.

    Presenter Bios:

    Kelly McDermott is currently serving as the children’s librarian at the Kalihi-Palama Public Library. She completed her master’s education in Library and Information Science and English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.  

    Brendan Urayanza is currently completing his master’s degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a focus in academic librarianship. He is also serving as an intern at UH Mānoa’s Hamilton Library in the Public Services division. He is also interested in technology, as he served as a teaching assistant for Information and Computer Sciences 101, educating hundreds of students.

    Dr. MB Ogawa is a Specialist in Information and Computer Sciences and the Assessment and Curriculum Support Center. He mentored students from a range of disciplines including Information and Computer Science, Library and Information Science, Communication and Information Sciences, Education, and Learning Design and Technology.