University of Kentucky School of Information Science

06/04/2026

On May 28th, Dr. Fátima Espinoza Vásquez (associate professor) was part of a distinguished panel of scholars, advocates, and legal experts for "South of the Border: Analyzing the Socioeconomic and Political Drivers of Latin American Migration.” We love seeing our faculty showing up for communities across the Commonwealth, contributing their expertise to conversations that matter! You can see more information about the event and panelists here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/south-of-the-bordersouth-of-the-border-analyzing-the-socioeconomic-and-political-drivers-of-latin-american-migration.

The photos were taken by Andrea Marroquin, a local photographer.

06/02/2026

Are you going to ALA Annual in Chicago? Join UK SIS for a Happy Hour to connect with current students, alumni, and faculty. Please RSVP at the link in our bio and be on the lookout for further details.

06/01/2026

Congratulations to our talented ICT students on the Spring '26 CI Dean's List!

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Kelly Lamm (MSLS graduate) for being a 2026 Library Journal Mover & Shaker! This is a recognition that highlights individuals' exceptional commitment to building community connections and advocating for outreach efforts that support vulnerable members of the community. See Kelly's Movers & Shakers profile here: https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/kelly-lamm-movers-shakers-2026-advocates

05/15/2026

Congratulations to our May 2026 ICT and LIS graduates!!! We can’t wait to see what’s next for you all! And thank you to our SIS faculty and staff for supporting our students through their academic journey 💙

Pictured below: Ashley DeWitt (senior lecturer), Renee Kaufmann (associate professor), Fátima Espinoza Vásquez (associate professor), Meghan Dowell (assistant professor), Shannon Crawford Barniskis (assistant professor), Jessalyn Vallade (associate professor), and Maria Cahill (professor)

05/14/2026

In light of the recent Canvas breach, this feels especially important.

Our SIS faculty have already been asking critical questions about student data privacy, learning analytics, and what universities owe students in an increasingly data-driven educational environment.

Meghan Dowell (assistant professor) and Spencer Greenhalgh (associate professor) surveyed 591 undergraduate students at a large southeastern research university, asking what they knew about Canvas’s data collection practices and which Canvas users (teachers, students, etc.) can access which data.

Read through key findings and the authors' call to action at the following link. There is also a link to the full text at the end:

Many educational institutions use learning management systems (LMSs), which may track and analyze a student’s every click, assignment submission, and even location; this also makes them useful for learning analytics, the collection and analysis of student data in the name of supporting learning an...

05/07/2026

We just had our second annual School of Information Science Showcase! The showcase gives SIS faculty and staff the opportunity to share any research or other projects they’ve been working on over the year. Thanks to everyone who came to hear about the incredible work happening across SIS 🤩

05/04/2026

Meghan Dowell (assistant professor) was one of this year's UK Office of Undergraduate Research Excellent Research Mentor Award nominees! The award recognizes UK faculty members who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers, providing exceptional undergraduate research experiences, as well as supporting and promoting the undergraduate research initiatives on campus. Faculty are nominated by one or more of their undergraduate research students.

Way to go, Dr. Dowell!!

04/30/2026

At our annual University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information (CI) College Excellence Awards, two SIS faculty received awards! Join us in congratulating our CI Outstanding Faculty Advisor, Fatima Espinoza Vasquez (associate professor), and our CI Faculty Research Winner, Jessalyn Vallade (associate professor)! 🤩🥳👏

04/24/2026

In ICT 310: Exploring and Analyzing ICTs: Methodological Approaches, Jessica Barfield (assistant professor) invited School of Information Science faculty and lecturers to guest "judge" the students' final presentations and ask questions to the groups. In the presentations, each group went through their research problem, summary of methods and analysis used, findings, and recommendations. Thanks Dr. Barfield for creating a fun, educational way for faculty and students to engage!