Incoming Director, Programming:

Dr. Xiaohua Awa Zhu
Associate Professor
University of Tennessee, USA

Candidate's Statement:
The theme of my first ALISE conference, "Boundary Crossings: LIS Education in a Global Context," still resonates with me, especially as we witness a trend of deglobalization. How can we encourage, augment, and advance LIS education while also upholding our values and principles in societies that are increasingly divided? How can we tackle the professional and educational challenges and opportunities brought by advancements in AI and other technologies worldwide? I envision educators and professionals in LIS and related fields working together to ensure that our information professionals play an active role in bridging different perspectives, dismantling discrimination, and overcoming injustice through international, collaborative programming efforts. The interdisciplinary nature of our field places us in a leadership position for this endeavor.

ALISE was my first professional organization, and its events and activities stimulated my intellect and helped me become an engaging educator and responsible professional. Now, I am prepared to contribute to the association with my passion, expertise, and leadership. Through my involvement with several ALISE committees and SIGs, I have gained valuable insights into the organization and am ready for this role. If elected, I will work jointly with other leaders, committees, and SIGs to serve our members, with a focus on programming in the following five areas: (1) creating more online-based programs for the global LIS education community, (2) increasing networking opportunities among LIS students, educators, and professionals across national borders, (3) promoting meaningful dialogues between LIS and other disciplines, (4) enhancing our collaboration and partnership with other associations and international organizations, and (5) identifying new and innovative ways to address emerging issues and challenges in LIS education in a global context.

Biography:

Dr. Xiaohua Awa Zhu is an Associate Professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her primary research areas include information policy, social informatics, and academic libraries. Her work revolves around three themes at the intersection of these areas, namely: the rights associated with digital information resources and products, including access rights and ownership rights; government information use and access, with a particular focus on open government data; digital transformation and its impact on libraries, especially academic libraries. Her work combines qualitative and quantitative methods and often draws on social theories and historical perspectives. Her scholarly work has been published in journals such as JASIS&T, Government Information Quarterly, Library and Information Science Research, College and Research Libraries, and Journal of Academic Librarianship. She is also a co-editor of the book, The Usage and Impact of ICTs during the Covid-19 Pandemic, recently published by Routledge. Dr. Zhu has served on multiple committees and SIGs at ALISE and ASIS&T. Currently, she is the ASIST&T SIG Cabinet Director. She is passionate about contributing to the LIS community by organizing research and educational activities, as well as mentoring emerging scholars.

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