Elizabeth Liddy, dean of Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, was unanimously named chair-elect of iCaucus, an international organization of leading information schools.

When the iCaucus was founded in 1988, SU was a primary institution in its creation, according to an SU news release published Jan. 6.

‘I’m proud to have SU continue to play a leadership role, and I’m honored to be a leader of such an important group,’ Liddy said

Liddy will go through a two-year learning period, working alongside the current chair, Harry Bruce of the Information School at the University of Washington, before beginning her term as chair, she said.

-As chair, Liddy will hold monthly telephone conferences, research and work in the information studies field, get the message out about the importance of information studies, and promote and discuss best practices, she said.

‘(Information studies) is the core to every discipline and occupation,’ Liddy said. ‘I believe in the iSchool. Much of our world has to do with information. It’s so central.’

One of the primary projects Liddy said she would like to start when she takes over as chair is to focus on doctoral education. She said she wants to better understand what doctoral students want from their schools and how to support them.

Liddy said she will also be responsible for setting the goals of the organization and will appoint people to carry out these goals.

The iCaucus currently consists of 27 iSchool deans from across the United States, Asia and Europe. Its mission is to promote discussion about research and studies in the field on information, Liddy said.

‘There is a lot of sharing between schools of best practices,’ Liddy said.

Each iSchool that participates in the iCaucus is responsible for contributing a minimum of $1 million for research, according to the iCaucus Web site.

The iCaucus focuses on three main areas of study: information in the form of content, technology such as search engines or Twitter, and management, Liddy said.

Other SU iSchool faculty members have contributed to iCaucus projects. Syracuse faculty members have done a substantive amount of research in the field, and nine doctoral students are presenting papers at the yearly iCaucus conference. The conference will be held Feb. 3-6 at the University of Illinois, Liddy said.

Former SU iSchool Dean Don Marchand was instrumental in establishing the iCaucus, said Margaret Spillett, the SU director of communications.

Marchand envisioned joining efforts with other iSchools because information studies was an emerging field, Spillett said.

‘Dean Liddy is well respected in the field,’ she said. ‘It’s wonderful for Syracuse to have someone in an international position.’

rastrum@syr.edu

-Contributing writer Haley Behre contributed reporting to this article.

Published on January 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm