“This recognition is a testament to [TLAS’s] outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to fostering student success within our academic community. [TLAS’s] dedication, innovative approaches and tireless efforts have set them apart as true champions of student achievement,” said the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost.

Additionally, TLAS was awarded the Illinois Promise Campus Partner Award by the Scholar Support Programs team. Illinois Promise is an award package offered to newly admitted students at Illinois who have the greatest amount of financial need. Scholars join a diverse community of students who benefit from uniquely tailored resources and programs throughout their time on campus. TLAS partners annually with the Scholar Support Programs team to host the “Main Library Tour and Duck, Duck, Food Truck” event, which introduces students to Library resources to help them thrive.

“Our team in Scholar Support Programs (SSP) never loses sight of the fact that our goals are impossible to reach without the dedicated work of our many campus partners. We have always felt that the TLAS team has exemplified what we look for in a campus partner: systems, services, and people anchored in serving the whole student and offering opportunities tailored to meet the unique needs of the students we serve,” said Richard Porter, Assistant Director of Scholar Support Programs.

From assisting researchers at the Information Desk to hosting signature events like De-Stress Fest, the TLAS team provides inclusive services and spaces that support student academic and life success. TLAS faculty and staff teach students curriculum-integrated research and information literacy skills, provide advanced research and scholarship preparation through the Savvy Researcher workshop series, and offer the Library 101 eText and other online guides that provide a self-paced introduction to the Library and core research resources. TLAS hosts events, workshops, and ongoing support services that reflect the University of Illinois’ commitment to collaboration, inclusion, empowerment, and wellness. By meeting both personal and basic needs—through resources like the food pantry and family study rooms—and fostering creativity and wellness through activities like craft making and stress management workshops, TLAS creates a welcoming environment that supports the diverse needs of students.

A warm congratulations to the TLAS team for these well-deserved recognitions!

Seven University Library Instructors were named in the University of Illinois List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students for Spring 2025. This list is released each semester, and results are based on the ratings from the Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) maintained by Measurement and Evaluation in the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Only those instructors who gave out ICES forms during the semester and who released their data for publication are included in the list.

The Library is central to the University of Illinois’ mission of teaching, research, and public service. It is one campus unit that serves all academic disciplines. Therefore, Library faculty and staff serve as instructors across a wide variety of departments.

Faculty and instructors ranked on this list include:

• Sara R. Benson
• Quinn Ferris*
• Travis McDade*
• Kathryn Quealy
• Cat Segota
• Yoo-Seong Song*
• Jennifer H. Teper*

*indicates instructors recognized as “outstanding.”

This June, Clara M. Chu, Director of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs and Mortenson Distinguished Professor at the University Library was recognized as a Notable Member of the ALA International Relations Round Table (IRRT) at the 2025 ALA Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Honorees have active IRRT membership and made substantial contributions to ALA’s core values on an international scale and are recognized for their important role in promoting understanding of and interests in library services around the globe.

Chu, a member of the IRRT since 2015 and of ALA for 37 years, was recognized for being a “leading voice in international and multicultural library and information education, research and practice.” In addition to her role at Illinois, she is active in several ALA committees and international library and information science (LIS) organizations. Chu has served on the editorial board of several journals, including the International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, and was co-editor-in-chief of Library Trends and the co-founding editor of the “International Insights” column of College & Research Libraries News. She publishes, presents, and consults worldwide in English and Spanish on diversity, equity, and inclusion in LIS, strategic planning, research methods, and emerging technologies, among other topics.

“I’m deeply grateful for this honor, which recognizes professional work that I find fulfilling and meaningful. Moreover, as the director of the Mortenson Center, the purpose of the ALA IRRT aligns with our mission to strengthen international ties among libraries and librarians worldwide, promoting international education, understanding, and peace. Through ALA IRRT membership and service, I engage with a community of colleagues to collectively advance ALA’s core values and librarianship at the international level,” said Chu.

Congratulations to Chu for this recognition from the ALA!

Lynne M. Thomas, Head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University Library, has received a 2025 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine for her work as co-editor-in-chief and co-publisher of Uncanny Magazine with her husband, Michael Damian Thomas. The award includes managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki; and podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky. Additionally, a story published in Uncanny Magazine, “Stitched to Skin like Family Is” by Nghi Vo won the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

This is Thomas’s twelfth Hugo Award; she now holds the most Hugo Award wins among women and ties Mike Glyer for the fifth-most wins among all Hugo Award winners. The Hugo Award is “the leading award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy.” The awards were announced on August 16, 2025, at a formal ceremony at Seattle Worldcon 2025, the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention. Since 1955, the Hugo Awards have been awarded annually by the World Science Fiction Society.