Four candidates for the dean's position at the School of Information and Library Science visited in April to make presentations, interview and meet the school community.

The Dean's Search Committee selected the candidates after conducting telephone interviews with 11 applicants. Members of the committee are Michael Smith, dean of the UNC School of Government and committee chair; and members Dr. Gary Marchionini, Dr. Deborah Barreau, Lucia Zonn and Shawn Jackson, SILS; Dr. Kenneth Bollen, Sociology; Dr. Connie Eble, English; Robert Dalton, Academic Affairs Library; Joel Dunn, Administrative Information Services; Dr. Barbara Rimer, School of Public Health.

“Each candidate brings different strengths and experiences to the process, which should give all of us the opportunity to consider those qualities most important in the next dean,” Smith said. The search committee will convene this month to review the candidates' visits and then make a recommendation to the provost.

In addition to a number of formal interviews and meetings, each candidate made a presentation that was open to the campus community. The presentation was on the following topic: “What is your vision for the field of information and library science, and what are the challenges and opportunities for a leading school in the field?”

The candidates for SILS Dean visited campus on the dates indicated.

Jose-Marie Griffiths, Doreen E. Boyce Chair and Professor, School of Information Sciences; director, Sara Fine Institute for Interpersonal Behavior & Technology University of Pittsburgh. (April 7 and 8)

Paul Solomon, professor and associate dean, School of Information and Library Science, UNC at Chapel Hill. (April 19 and 20)

Michel Bezy, program director, IBM. He was product manager for IBM Digital Library and has been involved with SILS through its Board of Visitors. (April 22 and 23)

Charles Friedman, professor and vice chancellor for Biomedical Informatics; director, Center for Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh . He is currently on leave as a senior scholar at the National Library of Medicine. (April 28 and 29)