Calling all SIS alumni - Let's get the vote out!

SIS Alumni Board Election 2007

The month of July is election time for the School of Information Sciences
Alumni Board. All SIS alumni are invited to
vote for two Members-at-Large, a Secretary, and a Vice-President. You must
cast your vote by July 31, 2007. Send your e-mail vote to Chrissie A. Peters
at capeters@northeaststate.edu. Read candidate bios below.

Members-At-Large:

• Aaron Dobbs
• Susanne Dupes
• Meredith Goins
• Dan Greene
• Susan Jennings
• Melinda Porter Rust

Secretary:

• Genny Carter
• Ann Clapp

VP/President-Elect:

• Tiffani Conner
• Beverly Simmons

Member-At-Large Bios:

Aaron Dobbs

Aaron Dobbs is Assistant Professor and the Systems and Electronic
Resources / Web Librarian at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
Aaron's varied library career has included stints in academic (Shippensburg
and Austin Peay State University), special (SunTrust Equitable Securities),
and public (New York PL, Brooklyn PL, and Chattanooga-Hamilton County PL)
libraries. Aaron is newly active with the Associated College Libraries of
Central Pennsylvania (ACLCP) and is involved with numerous ALA divisions and
committees; and he misses being active in the Tennessee Library
Association.

Susanne Dupes

Susanne Dupes, Corporate Communications Director for Information
International Associates, is a 2004 graduate of SIS. In addition to
overseeing IIa's communications function, Dupes provides support to IIa
clients, and was part of the management staff for the Association for
Library and Information Science (ALISE) for three years. Prior to joining
IIa's corporate staff, Dupes spent six years as part of the management staff
of the Energy Technology Data Exchange, an IEA program that produce's
ETDEWEB and the Energy Database. She and her husband, Bill live in
Knoxville. Their daughter is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee.

Meredith Goins

Although no longer a “traditional” librarian, Meredith spent many years
in public and medical libraries before returning to the public relations
arena. A 2000 SIS graduate, Meredith earned her bachelor’s in public
relations from East Carolina University. She is currently the Director of
Public Relations and Development at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at
Tremont, helping to connect people and nature in Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. The information gathering, sorting and distillation taught at
SIS has helped her write better stories, create more effective educational
events and research funding opportunities.

Dan Greene

Dan Greene is an IT Technologist III/Web Designer at UT Hodges Library.
After receiving a MS from SIS in 2003 Dan continued in the Ph.D program
until 2005 when he left for the University of Missouri. He returned to
Knoxville and UT in August 2006. Dan is a member of TLA and serves on
several technology related committees at Hodges Library. He also volunteers
as a technology consultant for various Knoxville area organizations.

Susan Jennings

After several years of working full time in academic libraries, I pursued
and received an ALA-Accredited Master of Science in Information Science
degree at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville (2007). Prior to receiving
my degree, I graduated from Freedom High School in Morganton, North Carolina
in 1982; an Associate of Arts degree from Western Piedmont Community College
in Morganton, NC (1985); and both a Bachelor and Master of Arts Degree in
History (1987, 1998) from Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.

My recent honors include: the Gary R. Purcell Scholarship recipient
(2006) and the School of Information Science Outstanding Service Award
(2007) . Currently, I am employed as the Service Desk Manager for
Periodicals/Films/Government Documents/Microfilms at the Carol G. Belk
Library and Information Commons at Appalachian State University and reside
in Boone, NC.

Melinda Porter Rust

With a B.A. in English and French from the University of Tennessee,
Melinda Rust began her career in library work at the Blount County Public
Library in Maryville, Tennessee. After several years of serving in various
capacities in the library, she elected to expand her education, earning her
M.S.L.S. at U.T.’s School of Information Sciences in 1991. Since that time,
she has continued to work as a Reference Librarian at BCPL. While she has
assisted with numerous activities such as selecting reference materials and
periodicals, planning special library events and festivals, and teaching
introductory computer classes to library users, her first love is assisting
individuals of all ages and backgrounds at the reference desk. From her work
in the areas of genealogy and local history, she has developed a special
interest in the stories of local veterans, as well as the unique and
inspiring history of African Americans in Blount County. Regarding the
latter, she has served on the core committee of African Americans of
Appalachia and Blount County, an organization dedicated to preserving the
story of African Americans in the local community. She has also served as
the library’s representative to the Blount County Sister City Organization
and has assisted with exchanges which brought librarians and other
professionals to this area from various locations in Russia, including
Blount’s sister city in Zheleznogorsk, Siberia.

Secretary Bios:

Genny Carter

Genny Carter is a Digitization and Content Specialist for the Volunteer
Voices IMLS grant project, which is based at the Tennessee State Library and
Archives and travels around Middle Tennessee in search of archival treasures
for a state digital history library. She is a former Spanish and history
teacher who graduated with an MS in Information Sciences from UT-Knoxville
in 2006. She received her BA in Comparative Area Studies and History from
Duke University, and a Master in Education from the University of Memphis.
She was the UT-SIS Tennessee Library Association Student Chapter president,
and served as co-chair of the Archives and History Committee this past year.
These positions gave her the opportunity to serve on the TLA Board of
Directors in 2005-2006 and 2007. Her ALA activities have included
involvement as an New Members Round Table liaison and as an Intern on the
Committee on Legislation's ad hoc Subcommittee on Telecommunications.

Ann Clapp

Ann Clapp is the Circulation & Technical Services Librarian at the
Brentwood Library and has developed a library skills training &
development program for paraprofessional staff. Ann wrote and administrated
the grant that provided READS training and MP3 players to the elderly
patrons in Williamson County and has served as the TLA chair of the
Integrated Library Systems Roundtable and is currently on the Staff
Development Committee. Ann has been active in promoting literacy in the
community, including organizing bi-annual book drives for Youth
Encouragement Services (a program serving high-risk youth in the Nashville
housing projects), organizing the PTO book distribution for Nolensville
Elementary School, and serving as the volunteer interim librarian at the
school to supervise a weeding and inventory project and school
relocation.

VP/President-Elect Bios:

Tiffani Conner

Tiffani Conner is a 2004 graduate of the UT School of Information
Sciences and is currently project manager for the statewide digital library
project, Volunteer Voices. Tiffani has served UT SIS extensively, most
recently as Secretary for the UT SIS Alumni Board, and previously as
President of the UT Student Chapter of TLA, and Secretary of the UT Student
Chapter of SLA. Through the Volunteer Voices project, Tiffani assists
current SIS students by providing project and practicum opportunities, both
on an individual and class level. She looks forward to continuing her work
with the UT SIS Alumni Board as Vice President.

Beverly Simmons

Beverly Simmons is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University
of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She graduated from SIS in 2005. Before seeing
the light and becoming a librarian, she ran a computer training and
programming company in Knoxville. She also spent a number of years as a
programmer, computer trainer, and computer course designer.

For the past two years I’ve served as a Member-at-Large on the SIS Alumni
Board. It’s been great working with the Board and I’d love to serve as an
officer. SIS Alumni Board works to find ways for SIS alums to stay connected
with the School and with each other. There are so many things we can do to
that end. For example, I’d like to see us play a role in events like the SIS
New Student Orientation, the SIS Career Night, interviewing workshops, etc.
Today’s students are tomorrow’s professional colleagues!