Candidate for Vice President/President-Elect

Dietmar Wolfram
Professor
School of Information Studies
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Candidate’s Statement

It is both a privilege and an honor to be nominated for Vice-president/President-elect of ALISE. As ALISE enters its second century there are new challenges and opportunities to be addressed by stakeholders in library and information science (LIS) including students, educators, scholars, program staff and employers. The education of information professionals is undergoing tremendous change as we not only continue to prepare graduates for established professional areas, but also emerging career options. This is reflected in the growing number of degree programs and specializations being offered by ALISE institutional members at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These newer areas present opportunities for which ALISE can serve as an international home for pedagogical and research leadership.
If elected, my primary goal will be to continue the implementation of the service and operational strategic areas for ALISE. In particular, I would work with the ALISE Board and membership to explore and implement ways to broaden ALISE individual and institutional membership by expanding opportunities for participation by educators, staff and students in allied program areas that exist within LIS units or closely aligned disciplinary units.
The past several Boards are to be commended for their fiscal responsibility. I would also continue to promote sound fiscal practices.

Biography

Dietmar Wolfram is a Professor at the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he has been a faculty member since 1990. He has been involved with all aspects of LIS education and administration, having served as interim Dean and acting Associate Dean of the school, founding Director of the PhD program in Information Studies, graduate program representative for the MLIS program, and coordinator of the School’s Bachelor of Science program in Information Science and Technology during its development and implementation. Dr. Wolfram has been a longstanding member of ALISE, having first attended the ALISE conference as a doctoral student. He has served on the Nomination Committee, Publication Committee and most recently on the ALISE Brand Task Force. He has also been active in ASIST where he served as a Director-at-Large and was awarded the Thomson Reuters Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award in 2012. His research areas include information retrieval (IR) systems design and evaluation, user studies of IR systems, applied informetrics and technology education for information professionals. His work in LIS education and training has been funded by the University of Wisconsin System, U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. He received his PhD in Library and Information Science and MLIS from the University of Western Ontario.