GSLIS is pleased to announce that a new faculty member will be joining us as of this fall, Dr. Melissa P. Johnston. Dr. Johnston joins us as an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the School Library Media Program. She worked as a school librarian for 13 years in Georgia before obtaining her PhD at Florida State University. She has served as School Library Media Coordinator at the University of Kentucky and the University of Alabama, and as a senior faculty member in the School Library Media Program at the University of West Georgia. Dr. Johnston’s research and publications focus on the school librarian’s leadership role in integrating technology. She is the author of numerous articles in refereed journals such as School Library Research and School Libraries Worldwide. Dr. Johnston was Co-PI for the REALISD Project, an IMLS-funded grant, to provide professional development for rural school librarians to support STEM education efforts in their schools and Co-PI on the IMLS research grant Online Ready: Designing Culturally Competent and Impactful K-12 Online Learning. She currently serves as the Treasurer for the International Association of School Librarians and as the Co-Editor of School Libraries Worldwide. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Johnston to our faculty!
GSLIS is also happy to announce that Dr. Julie LaDell-Thomas has been promoted to Associate Teaching Professor. She teaches graduate courses in library leadership, information science and technology, reference and information services, library instruction, and academic librarianship. Before joining URI, Dr. LaDell-Thomas taught at PennWest Clarion University and held academic library positions at the Savannah College of Art and Design and Central Michigan University, where she specialized in supporting online and distance learners. She earned a doctorate in Educational Technology from Central Michigan University and an MLIS from the University of South Carolina. Her scholarship explores educational technology, online learning, and the ethical use of artificial intelligence in library and information science education.
