Ways to give to SILS
How do you want to make a difference? Do you want to make information and library science education accessible to students through financial aid? Do you want to sponsor international researchers to visit and the school, interact with students and staff, and give presentations that will inspire students, the professional community and staff? Do you wish to help support staff-student collaborative research? Do you wish to support junior staff development? Do you want to honour a loved one through a named professorship? Gifts can do all this and more.
One way to give to SILS is to contribute to the John Dean and Mary Burke Research Scholarship Fund, described below.
To discuss additional ways you can give to the school, please contact:
Lee Komito
Head of School
+353 (0)1 716 7799
Lee.Komito@ucd.ie
John Dean and Mary Burke Research Scholarship
In October 2009 Professor Mary Burke retired from the UCD School of Information and Library Studies (SILS). Mary joined the staff at the Department of Library and Information Studies at UCD in October 1977 after four years as an information scientist at the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards. Before that, she completed a PhD in Chemistry at UCD and an MSc in Information Studies at the University of Sheffield (UK). She was the first lecturer appointed to join Professor John Dean in the newly established Department of Library and Information Studies (DepLIS), which subsequently became the School of Information and Library Studies (SILS).
Mary was responsible for teaching and research in the areas of information retrieval and digital libraries and has been a catalyst in the adoption of information technology by Irish libraries for over thirty years. She has been Head of the Department/School of Information and Library Studies from 1993 to 2006 with occasional breaks. She has made a significant contribution to Information Technology strategy and other policy areas in UCD through membership on Faculty and College committees, interview boards and working groups.
In addition Mary has been active in various roles in the Library Association of Ireland, including as a Member of the Executive Board and of the Education Committee. She has been a member of the Member of the Editorial Board for Library and Information Science Research, Library Review and An Leabharlann. She has been External Examiner for many universities overseas, including current appointments at Northumbria University, the University of Sierra Leone and the University of Ulster. Mary has acted as advisor/consultant to many organizations including Telecom Eireann, the H W Wilson Company, and Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda.
Mary plans to remain active in many aspects of professional and academic life in her "retirement" with supporting library and information professionals in developing countries as a priority. Mary has been an inspirational role model for students and colleagues, working tirelessly to help others learn and reach their goals and to advance the profession and discipline.
Professor John Dean served as Head of School from 1977 until 1989, during which time he made significant contributions to the school's development, curriculum and departmental activity as well as to the professional education for Irish libriarians. He also held the posts of Head of the Department of Computer Science, the International Office and chair of the Computer Services Board while at UCD and continued to teach and mentor students until 2005.
An internationally acclaimed scholar and activist, Dean's work spanned the globe in Ghana, Sudan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Nigeria, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines to name a few. His legacy at UCD, and in SILS specifically, will continue through the rich foundations of the school as well as various scholarship funds and academic medals.
To pay tribute to John and Mary and to thank them for their many contributions, the John Dean and Mary Burke Research Scholarship in Information and Library Studies has been established. The purpose of the fund is to provide financial assistance to research students on MLitt/PhD programmes who have demonstrated financial need. John and Mary's intention is that the scholarship should encourage students to undertake research in Information and Library Studies. These range from Irish students who need financial support to students from developing countries. They wish to prioritise particularly the needs of students from Irish Aid partner countries, e.g. those currently listed at http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/countries.asp. The scholarship fund celebrates John Dean and Mary Burke's many contributions to Information and Library Studies during more than thirty years at UCD. They have been inspirational role models for students and colleagues, working tirelessly to help others learn and reach their goals and to advance the profession and discipline.
To contribute to the scholarship fund, please send your donations using the following form: John Dean and Mary Burke Research Scholarship Fund Donation Form. Any amount of donation is very welcomed.
