Events & Awards
School of Information 50th Anniversary
A Milestone celebration
The School of Information (iSchool) celebrated its 50th anniversary of the Library and Information Science (LIS) program at USF. Alumni, faculty, and students gathered for the celebration, held in November 2023, to reflect on the program's achievements and future goals. The College of Arts and Sciences featured the 50th anniversary event in CAS Chronicles.
Dr. Randy Borum reflected on the progress of the school over the years; Todd Chavez, an alumus of the LIS program and Dean of USF Libraries, served as the keynote speaker; and awards were presented by Dr. Natalie Taylor, the LIS program director, to past and present students.
Interested in earning your degree with our iSchool? Explore one of our excellent degree programs:
- M.A. in Library and Information Science
- M.S. in Cybersecurity Intelligence and Information Security
- M.S. in Intelligence Studies
- B.S. in Information Science
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Todd Chavez
Todd Chavez, Dean of the USF Libraries
B.A. Anthropology ’84 and M.A. Library and Information Science ’98
Todd received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Master of Arts degree
in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida. He currently
serves as the Dean for the USF Libraries. His research focuses on the intersection
between library and information science and interdisciplinary research, with emphasis
on the geosciences.
Chavez’s areas of expertise include library administration, digital library/collection
implementation and management, open-access publishing, digital scholarship, and geoscience
information research.
Past projects include OA publishing; data management for the Center for Integrated Modeling & Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems I-III; and the Karst Information Portal project. During his tenure at the USF Libraries, Chavez launched several strategic initiatives including the Center for Digital Heritage & Geospatial Information, the Data Analytics Team, the Open-Access Publishing team, and the institution’s digital repository of scholarly output. Past projects include the Gulf Oil Spill Information Center, the Cave Mineral Database, the Ethiopian National Research Databank, and digital collections supporting sustainability research at Costa Rica’s Monteverde Research Institute.
Current activities include the Florida Environment & Natural History Collection initiative and the African American Experience in Florida Portal.
In addition to his primary duties, Chavez has published and presented on bibliometric analyses of scientific research, information portal design and deployment, and the role of “grey literature” in interdisciplinary scholarship. His articles and presentations appear in Publishing Research Quarterly, Numeracy, the Journal of Cave & Karst Studies, and the Proceedings of the 18th National Cave and Karst Management Symposium.
Chavez served on the Digital Initiatives Advisory Board for the Medieval Academy of America, the USF Associate Deans for Research Committee, the Provost’s Chairs Steering Committee, and is a founding member of the international Karst Information Portal Project collaboration. His current assignment places him on the University of South Florida’s Campus Leadership Council, the Council of Deans, and the Information Technology Management Council.
HELP SUPPORT THE SCHOOL OF INFORMATION
With your support, we can provide high-quality accessible educational programs, enhance
research opportunities, and develop meaningful collaboration with community partners.
Make a gift to support the School of Information at the USF College of Arts and Sciences.
- Library Studies Development Fund
- Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Youth Services Fund
- Alice Smith Endowed Lectureship
- Blackwell/Perrault Scholarship
To learn more about opportunities to support the School of Information, contact Associate Director of Development, Jennifer Morgan via email or phone (813) 974-8478.