SLIS Names New Director
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 6, 2008) − The University of Kentucky School of Library and
Information Science has a new director; Jeffrey T. Huber will assume the position Aug. 15
of this year.
College of Communications and Information Studies Dean J. David Johnson commented: “Dr. Huber was the unanimous choice of a blue ribbon selection committee that recognized his roots in the tradition of library and information science and appreciation of the school’s contribution to librarianship in the Commonwealth, as well as his potential contributions to health informatics initiatives critical to University of Kentucky’s Top 20 mandate.”
Huber, who completed the SLIS master's program in 1987 and earned a doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh in 1991, has been on the faculty in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University since 1998. He has a concurrent appointment as associate director for research at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center (HAM-TMC) Library, a position he has held since 2001. In that year he also was appointed adjunct associate professor in the School of Health Information Sciences at the Health Science Center at Houston, University of Texas. In 2000-2001 he was research information scientist, HAM-TMC Library, Information Technology Research Group.
Between 1995 and 1998, Huber held appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and before that he held his first faculty appointment in the School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University.
Huber coordinates the TWU School of Library and Information Studies Master of Library Science program at the university’s Houston campus in the Texas Medical Center. In the program, courses are offered through distance learning from the university’s main campus in Denton as well as from Houston. The school’s program in health sciences librarianship was ranked fifth nationally by U.S. News & World Report in 2006.
“I view information in a broad context that reflects the realities of practice," Huber said. "Much information is accessible to the general public today and information professionals play an active role in facilitating access to that information. We, as information professionals, need to take into consideration the evolving nature of practice, particularly where technology is concerned. In addition, I believe library and information science curriculum must be integrated across academic disciplines where appropriate to support the role information access plays within other disciplines.”
Huber is the author or editor of a number of books. "Introduction to Reference Sources in the Health Sciences," which he edited with J. A. Boorkman and J. C. Blackwell, currently is in its fifth edition (Neal-Schuman 2008). He has published extensively in refereed journals and has made numerous presentations in the U.S. and abroad. He is serving his second term as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Medical Library Association, is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, and is a member of the international reviewers panel for Medical Science Monitor.
"I am looking forward to working with the faculty to move the school forward during this period when the university is experiencing unprecedented growth and development," Huber said. "It is an exciting time to be joining UK. And as a native Kentuckian, it is essentially like coming home."
College of Communications and Information Studies Dean J. David Johnson commented: “Dr. Huber was the unanimous choice of a blue ribbon selection committee that recognized his roots in the tradition of library and information science and appreciation of the school’s contribution to librarianship in the Commonwealth, as well as his potential contributions to health informatics initiatives critical to University of Kentucky’s Top 20 mandate.”
Huber, who completed the SLIS master's program in 1987 and earned a doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh in 1991, has been on the faculty in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University since 1998. He has a concurrent appointment as associate director for research at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center (HAM-TMC) Library, a position he has held since 2001. In that year he also was appointed adjunct associate professor in the School of Health Information Sciences at the Health Science Center at Houston, University of Texas. In 2000-2001 he was research information scientist, HAM-TMC Library, Information Technology Research Group.
Between 1995 and 1998, Huber held appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and before that he held his first faculty appointment in the School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University.
Huber coordinates the TWU School of Library and Information Studies Master of Library Science program at the university’s Houston campus in the Texas Medical Center. In the program, courses are offered through distance learning from the university’s main campus in Denton as well as from Houston. The school’s program in health sciences librarianship was ranked fifth nationally by U.S. News & World Report in 2006.
“I view information in a broad context that reflects the realities of practice," Huber said. "Much information is accessible to the general public today and information professionals play an active role in facilitating access to that information. We, as information professionals, need to take into consideration the evolving nature of practice, particularly where technology is concerned. In addition, I believe library and information science curriculum must be integrated across academic disciplines where appropriate to support the role information access plays within other disciplines.”
Huber is the author or editor of a number of books. "Introduction to Reference Sources in the Health Sciences," which he edited with J. A. Boorkman and J. C. Blackwell, currently is in its fifth edition (Neal-Schuman 2008). He has published extensively in refereed journals and has made numerous presentations in the U.S. and abroad. He is serving his second term as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Medical Library Association, is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, and is a member of the international reviewers panel for Medical Science Monitor.
"I am looking forward to working with the faculty to move the school forward during this period when the university is experiencing unprecedented growth and development," Huber said. "It is an exciting time to be joining UK. And as a native Kentuckian, it is essentially like coming home."