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Maryland's iSchool Welcomes Erik Mitchell College Park, MD (August 17, 2011)-The College of Information Studies of the University of Maryland, Maryland's iSchool, is pleased to welcome Erik Mitchell. Mitchell, who received his doctorate in 2009 from the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, will join the iSchool faculty as an assistant professor and senior research fellow with the Information Policy and Access Center (iPAC). Mitchell's research focuses on the role of digital information systems and structured data on learning and knowledge creation. In his dissertation, Mitchell studied the use of metadata by undergraduates in social and distributed computing systems. His current research examines the use of cloud computing by libraries. Additionally, Mitchell is working on a project with co-investigators Jeffery Loo and Susan Rathbun-Grubb on PhD librarians in professional practice. He has also been a contributor to the DigitalForsyth project, an online collection of historical photos of Forsyth County, NC, funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services and Technology Act. This project is a collaborative effort between the Forsyth County Public Library, Old Salem Museum and Gardens, Winston-Salem State University's C.G. O'Kelly Library and Wake Forest University's Z. Smith Reynolds and Coy C. Carpenter Medical Libraries. Mitchell comes to Maryland from Wake Forest University where he has been Assistant Director for Technology Services of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library since 2008 and on the library's staff since 1999. "I've had a great career as a librarian," he says, "But, I am excited to have the opportunity to work with students and concentrate on research again, especially in an environment as vibrant as Maryland. I am looking forward to being part of an excellent faculty and working with such a diverse student population." In addition to his PhD, Mitchell has a BA in Literature from Lenoir-Rhyne College and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of South Carolina. He will be teaching a variety of courses to iSchool students, including Organization of Information. About Maryland's iSchool The College of Information Studies, Maryland's iSchool, empowers people, organizations and society to use information effectively through its research and undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Maryland's iSchool enables students and faculty to create new ways for people to connect with information that will transform society and is ideally located in the information capital of the world- the Washington DC metro region. The iSchool is transforming itself as well, from a small college with a strong foundation in library and information studies programs to a fast-growing and groundbreaking center of expertise that will help people manage the information explosion from childhood to adulthood. For more information, visit www.ischool.umd.edu<http://www.ischool.umd.edu>. Mary Carroll-Mason Communications Coordinator College of Information Studies, Maryland's iSchool University of Maryland 4110D Hornbake Library College Park, MD 20742 [log in to unmask] (301) 405-1260 ischool.umd.edu<http://ischool.umd.edu/>