Beth Woodard Recognized With Distinguished Alumnus Award

Beth Woodard, Staff Development and Training Librarian and Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been recognized by the iSchool Alumni Association (ISAA). She received a 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award, an award given to an individual alumnus of the School of Information Sciences who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of library and information science.

Woodard received the award at the iSchool Alumni Association meeting at the American Library Association Annual Conference this June.

Upon hearing about the award, Acting Dean of Libraries and University Librarian Bill Mischo noted, “The LSAA Distinguished Alumnus Award is a great honor for Beth and a fitting capstone to her distinguished career in academic libraries. She has, indeed, made outstanding contributions in a variety of areas to the field of library and information science.”

Associate Dean for User Services JoAnn Jacoby highlighted some of Woodard’s specific accomplishments, including her commitment to the mentorship of graduate students and the development of a staff training program in the University Library. “Beth… brings superb professional qualities to bear on these programs. Especially noteworthy is Illinois’s LIS graduate assistant training program, which for over three decades has been a shaping force in the lives of literally hundreds of library professionals who held graduate assistantships in the University of Illinois Library. Beth has [also] been the primary architect of one of the most comprehensive staff training programs of any U.S. academic library… these programs had a transformative impact…within the Library and in the broader context of the University.”

Woodard’s on-the-job skills programs include topics like supervisory skills, management training, wellness programs, new employee orientation, and more. She has also dedicated years to the ACRL Institute for Information Literacy’s Immersion Program as part of her professional service. Her impact can be further seen through her authored papers, invited presentations, courses instructed at the iSchool, and service on the iSchool admissions committee.

The iSchool has published a press release detailing all of ISAA’s award winners for this year.

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