On Monday, May 3rd, 2010, Hope A. Olson, Associate Dean and Professor of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, began her new position as Interim Dean of the School of Information Studies (SOIS). 

Olson was named Interim Dean after current Dean Johannes Britz took the position of Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Olson has served as Associate Dean since 2007. 

With a PhD in Library and Information Studies (LIS) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Olson began her teaching career at the University of Alberta in Calgary, Canada. She also holds a Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Toronto. She joined SOIS in 2003.

As an academic, Olson has already brought an abundance of esteem to SOIS. Her research in cultural representation in classification and other subject standards is praised as being  critical in the field especially her 2002 book The Power to Name: Locating the Limits of Subject Representation in Libraries. She publishes regularly in both scholarly and professional journals and was the editor-in-chief of Knowledge Organization from 2000 to 2004.

Olson’s activities within the School of Information Studies have earned UWM a stellar reputation in LIS research. In 2008, Olson, with colleagues Hur-Li Lee and Steven J. Miller, established the Information Organization Research Group (IOrg), which includes students and faculty, all dedicated to research and discovery in the field of information organization.  

“It’s no coincidence that the school has flourished during Dean Olson’s time at SOIS,” said Assistant Dean Chad Zahrt. “Her dedication to education and research particularly in the area of information organization has been extremely rewarding for the school and the university. We anticipate continued success for the program under her leadership.”

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The School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee offers several degrees and programs including the Bachelor of Science in Information Resources, Master of Library and Information Science (accredited by the American Library Association), and Ph.D. in Information Studies. With a growing student body of more than 800, SOIS strives to meet the demand for information professionals at all levels in libraries, archives, corporations, government agencies, schools, and other institutions, and in higher education. SOIS is a leader in online education and currently enrolls students from all regions of the United States and from countries around the world. For more information about the school, its faculty, and its programs, see http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/ or call 1-888-349-3432.
 


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Daniel Rude
Communications Assistant
School of Information Studies
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
414.229.3206