Fellows
Qianzi Cao (2024-2025)
Qianzi is a first-year PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin, studying under the guidance of Professor Lankes. Her research focuses on Library Science and Library Services. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Wuhan University and earned her master’s degree from University College London. Qianzi has gained valuable practical experience through internships in several libraries, which has enriched her understanding of the field and its evolving challenges. She is passionate about the LADDER project and is excited to contribute to its mission, believing deeply in its potential to make a positive impact on the community.
Yujin Choi (2022-2023 and 2024-2025)
Yujin Choi is a doctoral student in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on the intersection of human learning and information technology. Her research interests encompass enhancing academic creativity through information systems and investigating the application of artificial intelligence in library settings. She has served as a fellow in two projects, both of which received funding from IMLS: the Innovation, Disruption, Enquiry, Access (IDEA) Institute on Artificial Intelligence and Training Future Faculty in Library, AI, and Data-Driven Education and Research (LADDER) Project. Before joining the PhD program, she worked at the University of Michigan Library in 2019, during which she was awarded the Korean Foundation fellowship.
Jain Orr (2024-2025)
Jain is a first year PhD student in information studies at the University of Texas at Austin working with Dr. David Lankes. Her primary research interest is in school libraries as spaces for community connection and community-led development. Before beginning the doctoral program, she spent the past 5 years working as a school librarian at McCallum High School in Austin ISD (go Knights!).
Haley Triem (2024-2025)
Haley Triem is a doctoral student in Information Studies at UT Austin, advised by Dr. Ken Fleischmann. She explores how to uphold human values in human-like AI using a range of multidisciplinary methods, including interviews, surveys, and natural language processing. Prior to starting her PhD, Haley held various professional roles, such as Entrepreneurial Lead (NSF I-Corps), Jack Brooks Project Intern (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History), Learning Facilitator (Computer & Data Science Online Program, “Ethics in AI”), and Circulation Assistant (Montgomery County Memorial Library System). At the center of her work, she maintains that social, cultural, and historical context ground ethical AI.
Zhitong (Klara) Guan (2023-2024)
Zhitong (Klara) Guan is currently in her first year as a PhD student in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, under the guidance of Professor Soo Young Rieh. Her primary research areas encompass information seeking, human-AI interaction, and assistive technology. Before embarking on her doctoral journey, she was an algorithmic product manager for a search engine and a research assistant in accessibility & HCI at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She holds her Master in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research and a Bachelor in both Applied Math and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Huimin Xu (2023-2024)
Huimin Xu is a PhD student in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests are about the dynamics of scientific research, asking how patterns of hierarchical structure, leadership, diversity and other factors influence the production of knowledge. Currently, she is trying to apply the data science skills and social science theories into the library context. Her research has been published in the journals JASIS&T and PLoS One.
Taylor M. Smith (2023-2024)
Taylor M. Smith is a PhD student investigating the impact of trust, security and privacy, ethics, and data governance on interactions between people and AI systems in education.
Jaxsen Day (2022-2023)
Jaxsen Day studies the areas of accessibility, education, and technology. Specifically, his work explores the issue of access to higher education for people with disabilities. This issue is heavily influenced by several factors including but not limited to: previous educational experience in the k-12 environment, access and exposure to technology in general (as well as assistive technology specifically), the understanding of human values around disability and universal usability, as well as the understanding and use of support services for people with disabilities (both in general as well as in an educational context).
Tianhao Li (2022-2023)
Tianhao Li is a doctoral student in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include AI in health care and large language model.
Partnering Librarians
Aaron Choate
Aaron Choate is the Director of Research & Strategy for The University of Texas Libraries. Reporting to the Vice Provost and Director of Libraries, Aaron directs research, strategic initiatives, and grants to advance research and strategy as a mainstay of efforts to secure UT Libraries’ position in a digital ecosystem. He works across the organization, drawing from the staff in all campus libraries and archives to imagine possible futures, review technology, societal and environmental trends, conduct research on the effects of potential changes and guide projects which foster organizational cooperation to address our campus and states’ cultural heritage institutions’ strategic needs. Aaron received his MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin and has had an extensive career in digital libraries development, digitization, digital preservation, internet & web application design and technology integration program management – working with and studying the impact technology innovations have on systems and services and the people that rely on them.
Hannah Moutran
Hannah Moutran is a Library Specialist in Applications of AI at the University of Texas at Austin Libraries. She is orchestrating workflows with different library departments that allow generative AI to create first-pass item-level metadata and descriptions for large collections, enhancing the accessibility of handwritten letters and media archives. She is also researching and developing a prototype of a chatbot/conversational interface to extend UT’s Ask a Librarian service, which you can try out here: Library Assistant Chatbot. While finishing her Master’s degree in Information Science at UT Austin, she acted as an organizer for UT Libraries’ AI Interest Group, managing communications and creating learning resources to explore emerging AI technologies and their applications in information management.
Chris Riley
Chris Riley has over 20 years of professional financial, grants and program management experience, specifically serving social service, community-based and governmental organizations. Those organizations include SafePlace/Safe Austin, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, OneStar Foundation and the Texas State Auditor’s Office. Chris joined the City of Austin family in 2014 as a financial consultant and later served as the Financial Manager at Austin Public Health. She has previous skill and experience as a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Grants Management Specialist. In her current role as Austin Public Library’s Chief Administrative Officer, she has oversight of the Department’s Strategic Plan, Data Management, Passport Services, Event Services and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming. Chris has a Bachelor of Business Administration (with Magna Cum Laude Honors) and an MBA from St. Edwards University.
Emily Hersh is in her 13th year as the Librarian at Navarro Early College High School in Austin Independent School District and in her 23rd year as a Texas public school educator. She has been an Austin I.S.D. Librarian of the Year finalist and has twice won the Young Adult Reading Incentive Program of the Year Award from the Texas Library Association. Emily has served as a Library Commissioner for the City of Austin and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Austin Voices for Education and Youth. She received her Masters degree in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Principal Investigators
Dr. R. David Lankes
R. David Lankes is the Virginia & Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information. He is the recipient of ALA’s Reference and User Services Association 2021 Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award for distinguished contribution to reference librarianship. His book, The Atlas of New Librarianship won the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature. Lankes is a passionate advocate for librarians and their essential role in today’s society.
Dr. Kenneth R. Fleischmann
Dr. Kenneth R. Fleischmann is a Professor in the School of Information at UT Austin. He is also the Founding Chair of the Executive Team for Good Systems, a UT Grand Challenge, the Founding Director of Undergraduate Studies for the iSchool’s B.A./B.S. in Informatics, and the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the ACM Journal on Responsible Computing. His research and teaching focus on the ethics of AI and on the role of human values in the design and use of information technologies. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), MITRE, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), Microsoft Research, Cisco Research Center, Micron Foundation, and the Public Interest Technology University Network. His research has been recognized by iConference Best Paper awards in 2012, 2021, and 2022; the ASIS&T Best Information Behavior Conference Paper Award in 2012 and 2022; the ASIS&T SIG-SI Social Informatics Best Paper Award in 2018; the Civic Futures Award for Designing for the 100% in 2019; and the MetroLab Innovation of the Month Award in 2020 and 2021.
Dr. Soo Young Rieh
Soo Young Rieh is Interim Dean and Brooke E. Sheldon Professor of Management and Leadership at the School of Information in the University of Texas at Austin. Her research areas include information behavior, search as learning, creativity support in searching, information literacy, and artificial intelligence (AI) applied to library settings. Her research contributions have garnered recognition, earning over 10 research awards, including the 2019 ASIS&T Outstanding Contributions to Information Behavior Research Award. In 2022, she was also honored with ASIS&T Watson Davis Award for Service. Soo Young Rieh holds a Ph.D. in Communication, Information, and Library Studies from Rutgers University.
Advisory Board
Dr. Megan Oakleaf
Syracuse University iSchool
Megan Oakleaf is a Professor in the iSchool at Syracuse University. Megan is the director of the library and information science program at the iSchool and formerly served as the Director of Instructional Quality and the Director of Online Engagement. Her research interests include library assessment, learning analytics, library value and impact, evidence-based decision making, information literacy instruction, and information services.
Dr. Douglas W. Oard
University of Maryland College of Information Studies
Doug Oard is a professor in the College of Information Studies (iSchool) at the University of Maryland. His research interests include eDiscovery, cross-language information retrieval and speech retrieval. Dr. Oard has also contributed to numerous studies spanning computational social science, information integration, and recommender systems. He holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland.
Dr. Mega Subramaniam
University of Maryland College of Information Studies
Mega Subramaniam is a professor and the Co-Director of the Youth Experience (YX) Lab at INFO – College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. She also serves as the Associate Dean for Faculty at INFO. Her research focuses on use of school and public libraries as effective learning environments for the development of digital literacies in non-dominant youth. Dr. Subramaniam also co-leads the ConnectedLib project, which is developing a suite of professional development resources aimed at building teen librarians’ capacity to leverage digital media and connected learning principles to promote 21st century skills among the youth they serve. She holds a PhD in Information Studies from Florida State University.
Luke Swarthout
InnovateEDU
Luke Swarthout is the Chief of Staff at InnovateEDU. Previously as the Director of Policy for the New York Public Library’s Digital Team, Luke focused on the digital transformation of the institution and the library sector. He was NYPL’s Director of Adult Education and oversaw the expansion of adult literacy, English language instruction, technology training and digital equity initiatives to tens of thousands of New Yorkers. Luke served as a Senior Education Advisor on the Senate HELP Committee between 2009 and 2011 where he handled postsecondary education policy for two Committee Chairmen. He began his career at U.S. PIRG, advocating for greater college access and affordability on behalf of college students. Luke is a founding board member of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and a graduate of New York City public schools, Amherst College and Princeton University.
