University of Washington Information School

10/16/2026

🎉 Inviting all iSchool alumni 🎉

We’re so excited about our All Programs, All Years Alumni Reunion weekend, happening Friday, Oct. 30 - Sunday, Nov. 1! From a special lunch conversation with founding Dean Mike Eisenberg and Dean Anind Dey, to a visit to the UW Book Store with Nancy Pearl, an Indigenous Walking Tour, a coworking gathering, bowling tournament, Halloween party, trivia and farewell breakfast, there’s something for every alum.

Gather at UW and reconnect with your favorite classmates. Register today for one or more Reunion events and let the anticipation begin!

Reunion info:
📅 Events Friday, Oct. 30 - Sunday, Nov. 1
⏰ On and near campus at the University of Washington in Seattle
🔗 RSVP here: https://bit.ly/uw-ischool-reunion-2026

For our Anniversary party on Thursday Oct. 29, which is open to alumni, faculty, students and staff, please check out the Anniversary event page: https:/bit.ly/uw-ischool-anniversary-2026

Have questions? Email our team at [email protected].

We hope to see you there!

10/14/2026

A new project led by Assistant Professor Benjamin Charles Germain Lee aims to use AI tools to examine how nuances in image-caption documents shape representations of historical figures across millions of government documents. A research grant from Schmidt Sciences, announced today, will support the project, with Assistant Professor Melanie Walsh as co-principal investigator. Learn more:

The words and images of famous American writers like James Baldwin or Mark Twain circulate widely online, and are often invoked in social and political con...

10/14/2026

Christina Soontornvat, the only author to date to receive Newbery Honors for both nonfiction and fiction in the same year, gave the Shaw Lecture on Oct. 8 at the UW HUB. She spoke about learning storytelling and drive from her parents, telling stories from multiple perspectives, and bridging culture and science in her writing. Soontornvat also discussed , calling efforts to take books away from children who need them "unconscionable." "These are the books that kids need the most," she said.

Read Sana Chaudhary’s write-up of the event:

Author Christina Soontornvat reflected on her path from her parents’ Texas restaurant to the pages of her own books during the 2026 Spencer G. Shaw Lectu...

10/14/2026

In his latest letter to the Information School community, Dean Anind Dey writes about the public service mission of the school's library-focused founding, the exemplary work being done by faculty, students and staff, and the benefits of radical collaboration: https://ischool.uw.edu/news/2026/10/when-we-collaborate-communities-we-make-lasting-impact

10/13/2026

A Yahoo News reporter interviewed Professor Chirag Shah about the online and offline "I am Jane Doe" movement as an attempt to protect Doe's identify by confusing search engines and AI chatbots.

"Shah said the campaign itself is fascinating to him because it flips a tactic usually used by bad actors into one being used by people who believe they are protecting someone vulnerable," the article by Kate Murphy states.

Supporters are flooding the internet with fake identities to protect a woman who alleges she was r**ed by Cornell fraternity members. An expert explains why the tactic creates friction but has limits.

10/12/2026

Today we honor Indigenous Peoples' Day 2026.

10/08/2026

10/08/2026

If you're at the National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - JCLC this week, we warmly welcome you to stop by and visit us at Booth 30!

10/07/2026

Join us tomorrow as we welcome author Christina Soontornvat to UW!

This year's Shaw Lecture will be held on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 at the Husky Union Building and virtually. Free and open to students and the public. Space is still available, so register today: bit.ly/shawlecture26

At this special event, Christina Soontornvat will reflect on her creative journey, her path from engineering and STEM education to children’s literature, and the craft of writing across fiction, nonfiction, and graphic forms. She will discuss how curiosity, research, lived experience, and imagination shape her work, and how books can help young people see themselves and ask new questions. The program includes a keynote lecture, audience Q&A, and a book signing reception.

The Spencer G. Shaw Lecture is held annually in honor of Shaw, who was a public librarian, educator and world-renowned expert on storytelling and library service to children.

Famed authors and illustrators such as Tom Feelings, Maurice Sendak, Ashley Bryan, Margaret Mahy, Gary Soto, Laurence Yep, Theodore Taylor, Susan Cooper, Katherine Paterson, Milton Meltzer, Jerry Pinkney and Jason Reynolds have given the Shaw Lecture in years past.

This lecture series is endowed to honor Spencer Shaw in perpetuity to continue to attract the best authors and illustrators in the field to lecture at the University of Washington.

We hope you can join us!

10/06/2026

MLIS alum Conrrado Saldivar is among dozens of librarians who were interviewed by The New York Times while at ALA's Chicago conference. Here's what he and others had to say about librarianship in 2026: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/10/01/books/state-of-libraries-librarians.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.ii_v.gUsivVkTA50U&smid=url-share

We asked dozens of them about America’s libraries — what they provide, what they need to survive. Here’s what they told us.