By: J.D. Ross
(315) 443-3094
R. David Lankes, Professor and Dean’s Scholar for the New Librarianship at the School of Information Studies (iSchool), will lead group discussions on transforming libraries and librarianship at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in January.
In a series of discussions titled “Empowering Voices, Transforming Communities,” Lankes will lead small groups in addressing questions about transforming communities and the librarianship profession. Sessions will run on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, and Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 at the Dallas Convention Center, and will be open to all ALA Midwinter Meeting attendees.
“I am looking forward to these discussions,” said Lankes. “This should be a really great two days and I am thrilled to be a part of it. Librarians of all sorts realize that to go beyond surviving to thriving they have to be deeply rooted in their communities. The grand challenge of the LIS field is not figuring out our future, but solving the problems of those we serve.”
Lankes, who also serves as the Director of the iSchool’s Masters in Library and Information Science program and the Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS), joined the faculty in 1998. His current work focuses on reconceptualizing the library field through the lens of New Librarianship.