We are pleased to welcome Dr. Vanessa Irvin to the University of Hawaii as our newest LIS faculty member. She will be teaching LIS 601: Introduction to Reference & Information Services during the Spring 2015 semester.

Dr. Irvin comes to us from Drexel University and is passionate about how the literary interests and trends of the reading public impacts the social and professional practices of public librarians, teachers, and local leaders in underserved communities.

Learn more about her at her website: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~irvinv

LIS alumna and adjunct faculty member Ruth Horie received a Lifetime Achievement Award from PIALA (Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives and Museums) at their 24th Annual Conference in November 2014 at Koror, Palau. Ruth helped advance an international partnership between the Hawaii Library Association and PIALA in 1998 when she was HLA Vice President. She has frequently presented at PIALA conferences, sharing cataloging expertise and encouraging colleagues in both organizations to strengthen the partnership. She taught introduction to cataloging for the LIS Program in 2009, has been an invited guest speaker in several LIS courses, and served as cataloging internship supervising librarian during 1994-2010. Horie retired from her position as Catalog Librarian at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2012. She volunteers at UHM, Bishop Museum, the Judiciary History Center, and Ulukau.

Denise Sumida, a 1997 LIS alumnus, has been awarded the School Library Journal’s Buzz Award, sponsored by @BrainHive. The school librarian from Pearl Harbor Elementary was recognized for her exemplary use of digital content to engage students in a range of reading and literacy projects. This award is given to a librarian who is developing innovative ways to increase reading and spark social interaction. Denise was presented with the award at the 2014 SLJ Leadership Summit held in St. Paul, Minnesota, as a guest of Brain Hive. She received a $1,000 cash award, plus $1,500 in Brain Hive Bucks for use during the current school year.

Denise commented, “I feel very fortunate that my library program was selected for this honor. It’s only been possible through the support from my faculty, administration, and fellow librarians who are willing to share and collaborate on lessons and programs.”

Her winning program is profiled in the December 2014 issue of SLJ. Congratulations, Denise!