The School of Library and Information Studies has named Heidi Julien director following an international search to fill the position beginning Aug. 16.
Julien is currently a professor and graduate coordinator in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
“Our College is extremely pleased to have an internationally recognized scholar and administrator like Dr. Julien stepping into the director position for SLIS,” said Loy Singleton, dean of the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences, in a recent UA press release.
Julien, a native Canadian, received a Bachelor of Education and Master of Library and Information Sciences degree from the University of Alberta before pursuing her Ph.D. in library and information sciences at the University of West Ontario. She began her career in Wellington, New Zealand and later taught at various institutions throughout Canada.
Despite her international experience, this will be Julien’s first extended experience in Alabama.
“I am intrigued by the history and geography of the South and am looking forward to learning more about this part of the world and its people,” Julien said.
Julien said she was drawn to the SLIS in part because of its diversity and innovative programs, but Southern charm played a part as well.
“I am attracted [to the SLIS] by the school’s commitment to high quality teaching and to innovative programs, as well as its commitment to diversity and to community service,” she said. “I am attracted by the South’s reputation for hospitality and friendliness, which I have certainly experienced in my two trips to Tuscaloosa so far.”
According to Steve Miller, chair of the director search committee, the committee was impressed during interviews with Julien’s vision of building a strong scholastic community at Alabama as well as her success in academia.
“Dr. Julien is at the top of her form as a vital faculty member with strong research productivity,” Miller said.
Julien said her research is largely nationally funded and focuses on two areas: information behavior and information literacy.
“[My research] has focused on information behavior – how people think about, access and use information – and information literacy, the skill set needed to access and use information efficiently, effectively and ethically,” Julien said.
According to Julien, her international experience and contacts are strengths she will bring to the position, but she also expects to learn from her new colleagues and students.
“I look forward to having my expectations, assumptions and perspectives challenged and my horizons expanded,” she said. “I have a deep curiosity about all the world’s diverse cultures and perspectives and see this move as an exciting adventure.”
