Dr. R. David Lankes, professor, Dean’s Scholar for the New Librarianship at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies has accepted appointment as the holder of the 2016-17 Follett Chair in Library and Information Science. This prestigious appointment is the highest academic honor bestowed by Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science upon a master researcher and scholar who has achieved renown in the profession. The Follett Chair is selected annually for his or her outstanding teaching ability and superior scholarly achievement.

Lankes is the author of The Atlas of New Librarianship and Expect More (among many other publications), and is a strong advocate for innovation and excellence in twenty-first century libraries. Lankes has done research for the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, The U.S. Department of Education, The U.S. Department of Defense, The American Library Association, and the MacArthur Foundation among others. He has held positions as a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s School of Education, a visiting fellow at the National Library of Canada, and was named the first fellow at the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy. He earned B.F.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Syracuse University.

“I am excited about the timing of bringing Dr. Lankes to GSLIS at a time of growth and innovation while we continue to celebrate and enhance our commitment to the core principles and values of librarianship,” says GSLIS Dean Kate Marek. “David Lankes will continue the tradition of enhanced excellence and visibility the Follett Chair brings to GSLIS.” Lankes adds, “I can’t wait to work with the outstanding faculty, students, and staff at Dominican. There is so much power and potential in the Chicago area, and so many open partners to work with across librarianship.”

As Follett Chair, Lankes plans to focus on “New Librarianship @ Dominican,” which will feature a year-long program of activities designed to serve librarians and library science students of the Chicago region, reinforce Dominican’s dedication to librarianship in the midst of an expanded information environment, and advise GSLIS as the school and its programs evolve to accommodate and lead in such an environment. A cornerstone of the planned activities includes coursework that will connect GSLIS students with practitioners in teams across the Chicagoland area, in all types of libraries and information settings. Dr. Lankes will also present the 2017 Follett Lecture, which will take place in the spring semester of the 2016-17 academic year.

About GSLIS

Dominican University’s GSLIS is distinguished by innovative practice and research and has been educating future library leaders and information professionals since the 1930s. The school offers an American Library Association–accredited master’s degree in library and information science, a master of professional studies degree, specialized certificates, and a doctoral degree in library and information science.

About Follett

Follett Corporation is more than 10,000 talented and dedicated associates who strive day in and day out to simplify the delivery of education for customers everywhere by anticipating their needs and then delivering solutions that their expectations. For more than 135 years, Follett has been helping to improve people’s lives by supporting a lifetime of learning and education. Through dedication to serving every path and level of learning, we touch the lives of millions of students ranging from adults taking classes on college campuses and in cyberspace to grade school children surfing the Internet in their school library.