Two alum from the San Jose School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) were recently named as 2010 Library Journal Movers and Shakers.  The award program recognizes librarians across the continent who are “shaping the future of libraries.”

 

Liana Juliano is a SLIS instructor and alum who works as a technical/electronic services librarian at a Los Angeles law firm and currently serves as president of the American Indian Library Association (AILA).  She a tireless advocate for tribal libraries, volunteering her time to help tribes improve library services, making presentations about the issues facing tribal libraries, and supporting efforts to recruit the next generation of tribal librarians.

 

One of Juliano’s top goals as president of AILA is to help recruit more American Indians into the library profession.  AILA recently partnered with SLIS to seek IMLS grant funding that will allow the School to offer scholarships, mentoring, and other support for American Indians and Alaska Natives.  An award decision is expected regarding the School’s Circle of Learning application in June 2010.  

 

Mary-Jo Romaniuk, a graduate of our School’s Executive MLIS program and a current student in the San José Gateway PhD program, is an innovator and leader at the University of Alberta’s library system.  She was the guiding force behind establishing a Learning Commons for the university that includes a public library branch co-located in the remodeled space.  Romaniuk also developed a First Nations integrated library system, hosted by the university, which serves the province of Alberta’ six First Nations Colleges (known as tribal colleges in the U.S.).

 

Romaniuk’s doctoral research focuses on exploring the meaning of library leadership in the 21st century.  She is passionate about the topic of library leadership, hoping to change perceptions about leadership roles through her research, as well as by developing and teaching leadership courses, such as the Managing Across Generations course for the Learning Partnership. 

 

To read more about Juliano’s award, visit http://tinyurl.com/LJuliano and to learn more about Juliano’s work with SLIS, visit http://tinyurl.com/LianaJuliano

 

To read more about Romaniuk’s award, visit http://tinyurl.com/MJRomaniuk , and to learn more about Romaniuk’s connections with SLIS, visit http://tinyurl.com/MaryJoRomaniuk.