The retreat took place Friday October 3, and Professor Barbara Moran, Dean of the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was the facilitator. In his comments last fall to the NEWSLETTER, Tim had identified faculty recruiting for two positions as one of the major issues to be dealt with this year. Recruiting received considerable attention at the retreat, and important decisions were made.

Early in the discussion at the retreat it was asked whether the School should continue to offer only a generalist curriculum in such traditional venues as academic, public, and school librarianship, or should strive to develop distinctive competencies. Sentiment favored the latter, and discussion of various specializations produced the decision to pursue distinctive competencies in health sciences information and information technology.

The School now seeks to implement that decision through recruiting for two positions. As of the end of February, candidates for both positions have visited Lexington, and it is expected that offers will be made soon, for the two new faculty members to begin next fall semester.

Dr Kay Bishop, who had several years of professional experience as a school library media specialist, in addition to college teaching experience, was hired last August for this position. Kay has been working with other School faculty, UK College of Education faculty, and KDE personnel to plan and administer the School's new program. At the fall retreat it was agreed that all faculty members would participate in the assessment of the school library media students and program. Evaluation of the program during the fall semester resulted in changes in individual courses and in the program requirements.

These changes will ensure that all school library media students who graduate from the School's program will be prepared for the On-Demand Performance Tasks, the Praxis Library Specialty Exam, and the preparation of a professional student portfolio, all of which are requirements established by the Kentucky Department of Education.

The faculty decided that all students seeking certification in school media librarianship should enter and complete the master's degree program. Thus, they will earn the MSLS degree, which will make them eligible for certification for School Media Librarianship P-12 (Preschool-12th Grade) and will provide them with credentials to work in other types of libraries. The master's degree is the minimum professional degree recommended by the American Library Association, as well as by the national standards for school librarians.

SLIS students who are already certified school librarians will also have new curriculum programs of study. The primary change will be the requirement of a minimum of nine hours of technology courses. All school library students will continue to be able to gain their advancements to Rank II and Rank I in their programs of study. "We are confident that these changes in our program will have a positive effect on our ability to prepare students who can provide the proactive leadership needed to establish effective, high quality school library media programs in Kentucky public schools,"

Professor Bishop told the NEWSLETTER. "I invite anyone with questions about the program to contact me by phone(859-257-4439) or Email kbish0@pop.uky.edu."

Professor DONALD CASE presented a paper, "How Historians Become Informed: From Index Cards to Internet," at the Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association in Seattle, WA, on January I 1.

As a Fellow of the National Center for Educational Statistics and a member of the AASL Research and Statistics Committee, Dr JOANN ROGERS was invited to attend a November meeting at ALA headquarters to advise NCES on the revision of the questionnaires for the next national survey of school library media centers.

Professor LOIS CHAN has been appointed to the section on classification and indexing, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and is a Standing Committee member. The volume Dewey Decimal Classification: Edition 21 and International Perspectives: Papers from a Workshop Presented at the General Conference of IFLA, Beying, China, August 1996, which Lois edited with Joan Mitchell, has been published by Forest Press. The article that Lois wrote with Diane Vizine-Goetz, "Errors and Obsolete Elements in Assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings: Implications for Subject Cataloging and Subject Authority Control," was published in Library Resources and Technical Services 41(4). In April of last year, Professor Chan made several presentations in Hanoi, Vietnam: "Classification in the Electronic Environment," "Library of Congress Classification: Principles and Adaptability," and "Principles of Subject Headings." While in Hanoi she also lectured at the National Center for Science and Technology, the Vietnam National University, and the National Library of Vietnam.

Professor Chan made a presentation on "Knowledge Class" at the ASIS SIG/CR Classification Research Workshop, held in conjunction with the ASIS annual meeting in November in Washington. Lois also made a presentation on "Future of Classification" at the Seminar on Classification in August at the University of Lund, Sweden.

Dr ANDREA PEACH presented a paper at the February conference of the National Association for Educational Communications and Technology, which was held in St Louis. The paper, "WordGarden: An On-line Literary Journal Showcasing Kentucky Students," has to do with a project Dr Peach is working on with Scott Tracy, grant writer with the Fayette County Schools.

According to Andrea, teachers are searching for innovative ways of using the World Wide Web in the classroom. The paper describes the creation and maintenance of an electronic journal called "WordGarden," which showcases the creativity of Kentucky's students by publishing, via the Web, original short stories , poems, art, essays, book reviews, and music. At the February conference, Dr. Peach also chaired a session on Internet Resources for Teachers and was a co-contributor on another paper at the conference, having to do with "Implementing Web-based Instructional Re-sources: Do Students Learn?"

At the end of January 1998, the balance in the Alumni Association bank account was $2,837.41. During calendar 1997, 88 graduates paid Association membership dues, in a total amount of $318. Although the annual membership dues is $3.00, some alumni sent larger amounts, in some cases with the notation dues were being paid for more than one year. Last fall's NEWSLETTER was mailed to 2,456 graduates. The cost to print that issue was $685 and to mail it $140, for a total of $825 for that issue. There are two issues per year. The balance in the Association account reflects several things. It reflects, first of all, faithful dues-paying each year by a small number of graduates; it reflects, also, successful fundraising for several years on the part of Judith Gibbons, when she was an Association officer; and it reflects, finally, the fact that in recent years the Association has not spent money. For each of two years in the early 1990s, while Judith was an officer, the Association gave a $1,000 scholarship to a student in the program. (The award was competitive, and each year the recipient was selected on the basis of an essay.) The days of not spending money from the Association's account may be ending. As the School's budget tightens, the time may come, and soon, when the Association will have to contribute to the cost of producing and mailing the NEWSLETTER. All of this leads up to the request that you pay the very modest Alumni Association annual membership fee, which is $3.00.

LAURA CECIL DAVISON ('90) and PATRICK DAVISON ('90) are currently residing in Hazard, KY. Laura is a Medical Librarian at the Southeast Kentucky AHEC (Area Health Education Center) and has just completed a term as president of the Kentucky Library Network. Patrick is Reference Librarian at Hazard Community College.

WILLIAM DEBORD ('89) is Director of EKHSIN (Eastern Kentucky Health Sciences Information Network), located on the Morehead State University campus. He and EKHSIN are the recipients of two National Library of Medicine grants totaling approximately $200,000. Bill has taken Laura's place as President of KLN for the coming year. He is also on the board of Partners of the Americas, and has traveled to Ecuador 11 times doing projects with University of San Francisco Quito, USIA, and US Embassy Quito.

Which brings us to JORGE SOSA's ('90) comer of the world. Jorge is the Director of the Library at University of San Francisco Quito. He has been instrumental in setting up a library sciences program at the University, and is rumored to be one of only three "professional librarians" (having the masters) in all of Ecuador.

ELLIOT APPELBAUM ('90) is working at Lexington Public Library as Periodicals/Electronic Resources Librarian.

KANDACE OWENS ROGERS ('89) is working as a Reference Librarian at King (soon to be Young) Library. She has just returned to work after the birth of Ian Samuel in September. MELISSA FORSYTH ('89) is working as Assistant Librarian at Prestonsburg Community College. RAFE JOHNSON ('90) is Assistant Director of the Library at Jefferson Community College Southwest campus, Louisville.

Our other Latino friend, RAPHY RIVERA ('89), is now living and working in his native Puerto Rico. He would not divulge much information, other than muttering something about how he "would rather keep a low profile! Marginal! Condemned to oblivion -- with regards to my footsteps! ... please mention that I bought a coffee plantation with piano bar in the highlands of Puerto Rico...... We suspect he is doing something calm and sedate, like living in the rain forests and working as a cataloger at some small college or university, but we can't be too sure until we journey down to check it out and that will be the basis of our next report!!

Me? I am now living in Louisville and working at Bellarmine College as Instruction/Reference Librarian. I work with a wonderful Head Reference Librarian, ROSALIND PARNES ('70), who graduated from UK with her MSLS. I am also working with a current UK SLIS student, Dustin Strong, who is not exactly sure what year he will complete the master's program, although I THINK he's shooting for '98! They both help make working here fun!

NELLA BAILEY ('49) wrote to let us know she is retired and living here in Lexington.

EVA ALLEN HENDRICKSON ('64) has let us know she has retired from her position as a college reference librarian and is living here in Lexington.

DOUGLAS CAMPBELL ('68) retired in 1997 from the US Air Force as a Colonel. He was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal by Secretary of Defense William Perry.

ALICE LYNN HOWELL ('68) let us know that "After years of research I have completed a biography ... Adventures of a Nineteenth Century Medic: Life and Times of Dr William Hunt." Hunt received his MD from Transvylvania University here in Lexington in 1839, went to California in 1850 during the gold rush, and later enlisted in the Union Army in Kentucky. The biography is to be published in Franklin, TN, about April 1.

ROSALIND PARNES ('70) is Head Reference Librarian, Bellarmine College Library, Louisville.

MIKE AVERDICK ('71) has retired after 27 years of public library work in Kentucky. Last year he received the Margaret Willis Outstanding Community Library Service Award presented by the Public Library Section of the Kentucky Library Association. In retirement, Mike is restoring a Greek Revival farmhouse in Mainstrasse Village, Covington, KY. Mike added: "Enjoying the strong and active social life of a retiree. Hope to be able to take a nap soon!"

VIRGINIA REESE ('75) has let us know she was named to the '95 and '96 editions of Who's Who in the Midwest, before she retired from Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company as Corporate Librarian.

ANNE BUCK ('77) organized and was co-chair of the Conference on Scholarly Communication held at the California Institute of Technology in March of last year.

JANET WOODY ('78) is Manager, Tuckahoe Library, County of Henrico Public Library, in Richmond, VA. Janet let us know her son, who is a high school senior, is considering UK, and the family enjoyed their visit to campus last spring.

Tim Sineath received a nice letter from JUDY STEPHENSON (185), who reported that in July 1996 she left the UK Medical Center to take a position as resource development officer for the Florida Community College in Jacksonville. According to Judy, FCCJ has five campuses as as many students as does UK.

YVONNE DAVIS ('86) let us know she is working as an analyst with Cinergy Corporation in Cincinnati.

ANN WILSON SNIVELY ('86) is Coordinator of Reference Services, Wright Memorial Public Library, Dayton, OH. Ann wrote: "Does anyone have a forwarding address for Mike Harris? He promised to give me all the books in his office if he retired before the age of 70." We have this mailing address for Mike: P 0 Box 2248, Ormond Beach, FL 32175.

BECKY ALBERT ('87) in May of last year married Alan Berman, and in December, wanting to test the strength of their marriage, Becky and Alan bought a house. So far so good, is the report we get. Becky continues on the staff at the New Hampshire State Library. She is Special Projects Coordinator and is concerned with such things as literacy programming, a grant program for children's performers, and young-adult projects.

JEFF HUBER ('87) completed the doctoral program at the School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh, and was awarded the Ph D in 1991. Jeff is Research Assistant Professor, Division of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville.

GREGG SWEM ('89) let us know that "after brief but enjoyable periods with the Filson Club Historical Society and the Louisville Free Public Library, I decided to go free-lance as an antiques/book dealer and writer, editor and researcher."

We received MYRON ESTELLE'S ('92) annual holiday letter, for which we thank him. Myron was not chosen to be director of the Millville, NJ, public library, where he works, and he noted "it saved me from having to make a difficult, almost gut-wrench-ing decision." Myron does serve on the library board while remaining on the staff, and he commented his job "continues its inexorable march toward more technology."

MOLLY MCCONNELL ('92) works at the San Diego County Library, CA, as a Children's Librarian at two libraries and does collection development for five libraries. She wrote: "This summer I will be doing 24 programs in 6 weeks for my 2 libraries: 'World Wide Web of Folktales.' Fun but stressful."

BONNIE ROBINSON ('92) has been appointed librarian for the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Louisville.

There she is, right on the cover of the January issue of School Library Journal, our very own SUSAN MOORE ('93). Susan is shown with the seven other youth services librarians who are among the 25 chosen to participate in ALA's Emerging Leaders Institute. Susan is Children's Services Coordinator, Louisville Free Public Library. Last year she was Chair of the Children and Young Adult Services Section, Kentucky Library Association.

LINDA BEHEN ('94) has been appointed Librarian at St Ursula Academy in Cincinnati. The two prior years Linda had worked at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Libraries.

KATE COMBS DENTZMAN ('94) is Business Librarian, Corpus Christi Public Library, TX. Prior to going to Texas Kate was Reference Librarian and later Reference Team Leader at the Union Township branch of the Middletown Public Library, OH.

In January, as we were starting to work on this issue of the NEWSLETTER, we received an entirely too brief report from MARY FRANCES MULLIGAN HUBBARD (194). Mary Frances, who, as we recall, entered the School's MSLS program because her law-school experience convinced her she did not want to be an attorney, is working as -- yep, an attorney, with Crestar Bank in Richmond, VA. Her husband, MICHAEL HUBBARD ('93) is a legal researcher with Virginia Power.

ANGELA REYNOLDS ('94) is Youth Services Librarian, West Slope Community Library, Portland, OR. "I'm still entertaining kids and doing book missionary work in a small urban library here in Portland, writing reviews for School Library Journal, and visiting the coast every chance I get."

JENNIFER CUNNINGHAM ('96), who, following graduation, joined the staff at the Campbell County Public Library, KY, as the Youth Services Librarian, in December of last year accepted a position with the Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, OH, as a Children's Librarian.

Beth and JAMES LUTZ ('96) are the delighted parents of Katherine Sarah, who was born January 29. The young lady obviously is very bright, to have chosen the parents she did.

After six months at Texas A&M. JODI SPILLANE ('97) filed a report. She survived the 2-day orientation for new faculty and the opening of the Bush Presidential Library, which is located at Texas A&M. "I am proud to say that I've cataloged about four books for that library," she wrote. "Maybe Bush himself will use them some day." Undoubtedly -- unless the books have to do with broccoli or with "the vision thing."

The School's Annual Awards Banquet will be held Friday, May 1, 1998 at Spindletop Hall. There will be a cash bar from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, followed by dinner. To make a reservation for the banquet, contact: Gary Fellows, School of Library and Information Science, University of Kentucky, 502 King Library South, Lexington KY 40506-0039.

LYDIA BELL is on the staff at the Withers Memorial Library, Nicholasville, KY.

ANN CONWAY is Librarian 1, Symmes Township Regional Branch, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

GWEN GREEN has been appointed Librarian/Archivist at the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library in Biloxi, MS.

MARGARET GROESCHEN is Librarian, Bishop Brossart High School, Alexandria, KY.

TIM HOU has accepted a position at the Houston Public Library, TX, and will work in the Business and Technology Department at the Central Library. Tim told the NEWSLETTER there is a substantial Chinese community in Houston, and he expects to make good use of his native language at the library, He also told to us that moving to Houston will allow him to be reunited with his 13-year-old daughter, who lives there.

SHANE HOWARD accepted a position with Hunterdon County Library in Flemington, NJ. According to Shane, the position is 1/3 reference and 2/3 technical services. The library employs 63, including 16 professionals; annual circulation is about 500,000.

RYAN HUTSON is on the staff at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Corryville Branch.

CHARLES KISHMAN is Research Associate, Health Sciences Library, University of Cincinnati.

MARY PLOEHS is Librarian 1, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

It didn't convert the miserable dreary February day to one of those glorious October days, but it lifted our spirits a bit. We wanted to get the title right for PHIL REYNOLDS, and so we sent an e-mail message to Al Cage, who is Director of Libraries at Stephen F Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX, where Phil is. From Mr. Cage came not only the information that Phil is Assistant Director, East Texas Research Center, but also the comment "Thanks for turning out such a great graduate."

SHARON ROGERS is Librarian 1, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

DAVE SCHROEDER is Archivist, Thomas More College, Crestview Hills, KY.

ERIC SCHWAB accepted the position of Assistant Curator of Visual Resources for the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

HOLLY VARLEY is a Children's Service Specialist, Clermont County Public Library, Batavia, OH.

LINDA WILSON-BROWN is Teacher/Media Specialist Emily B Williams Elementary School, Jonesville, MI.

CAROL WOOLVERTON is Children's Librarian, Madison County Public Library, Richmond, KY.

We are saddened to report the death, in January, at age 43, of KAREN SUE CAMPBELL ('77). At the time of her death Karen was Librarian at Winbum Middle School in Lexington.