At a recent meeting of the New York State Board of Regents, three School of Information Studies (iSchool) alumni were appointed to the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries. Susan Kowalski, Susan Polos, and Juan Rivera will serve on the council through September 2022.
Kowalski is currently a school librarian at the Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse. She received her MS in Library and Information Science from the iSchool in 2003, and was a recipient of the iSchool’s Alumni Impact Award in 2016. She also received a “Mover & Shaker” honor from Library Journal in 2016. Her professional activities include Past President of NYLA-SSL (Section of School Librarians), Affiliate Liaison for New York State with AASL (American Association of School Librarians), NYLA Councilor at Large, and Trustee for Northern Onondaga Public Libraries.
Polos is a school librarian at the Bedford Central School District. She also serves as a substitute reference and children’s librarian at the Somers Library and the Katonah Village Library. She received her MS in Library and Information Science from the iSchool in 1998. Her professional activities include Past President of the NYLA/SSL (Section of School Librarians), Board Member of the School Library Media Specialists of Southeastern New York (SLMSSENY), Board Member of the United States Board on Books for Young People, and Chair of the American Library Association-Children’s Book Council Joint Committee.
Rivera works as a library media specialist at the A. Philip Randolph Campus High School in New York City. He received his MS in Library and Information Science – School Media degree from the iSchool in 2016. He was a recipient of a Fund for Teachers Grant, and a participant in the New York City Writing Project. He represents a variety of educational experiences with over 27 years experience as a social studies teacher.
Kowalski, Polos, and Rivera join iSchool LIS alumna Colleen Sadowski who has been serving on the council since 2013.
The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries works with officers of the State Education Department in developing comprehensive statewide library and information policy, and makes recommendations to the Regents concerning the implementation of the program. The Council is representative of libraries and statewide constituencies served by the New York State Library.
“When I was on the Regents Advisory Council, we worked on the 2020 Vision for Libraries,” said iSchool professor of practice Jill Hurst Wahl. “Now with 2020 just around the corner, these new members of council will undoubtedly be planning the future of our libraries for the following decade, and I’m sure the grounding we have given them will help them shape the future of libraries in New York state.”