Edward Benoit III, PhD, Named Interim Director and Tao Jin, PhD, Named Associate Director of the LSU School of Information Studies

Baton Rouge, LA – LSU College of Human Sciences & Education announced Edward Benoit III, PhD, has been named interim director and Tao Jin, PhD, has been named associate director of the School of Information Studies, effective January 1, 2025.
 
“I am thrilled to welcome Edward Benoit and Tao Jin to serve in leadership roles for the LSU School of Information Studies,” said LSU College of Human Sciences & Education Dean Roland Mitchell. “With growing enrollment and programs that prepare librarians, archivists, records and information managers, and information professionals, it’s an exciting time to be a part of information studies. I know that Drs. Benoit and Jin’s collective decades of experience and leadership within the profession, as well as serving important roles for our college and the university, will position our school and our students for success.”

Benoit’s appointment follows Carol Barry, PhD, serving as director of the school since 2015. Barry will remain as associate professor with the School of Information Studies. During his time at LSU, Benoit created the Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies (CARST), SIS’s first-ever general education course, and developed a partnership with the College of Art & Design’s Doctor of Design in Cultural Preservation program. As coordinator of the archival studies program and associate director, he spearheaded the launching of the MLIS and CARST programs through LSU Online and increasing the number of archival studies students from 35 to over 350 students in the past ten years.
 
He has held national leadership positions as the Chair of the Society of American Archivists’ Graduate Archival Education Subcommittee, the Chair of the Archival Educators Section, and President of the Archival Education and Research Institute’s Steering Committee. Additionally, he currently sits on the Louisiana Historical Records Advisory Board.  Benoit has received numerous professional accolades including the Association for Library and Information Science Education Excellence in Teaching Award, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of Information Studies Distinguished Alumni Award, the LSU Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, the TAF Undergraduate Teaching Award, the CHSE Distinguished Teaching Award, and the CHSE Advocate for Diversity Award.

Benoit, associate professor in the School of Information Studies at Louisiana State University, currently serves as associate director in the school. He coordinates the archival studies and cultural heritage resource management programs. He received an MA in History, MLIS and PhD in Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research focuses on participatory and community archives, non-traditional archival materials, climate change, and archival education. He is the founder and director of the Virtual Footlocker Project, which examines the personal archiving habits of the 21st century soldier in an effort to develop new digital capture and preservation technologies to support their needs. He also directs PROTECCT-GLAM, an IMLS-funded project focused on identify climate-change-related risks for GLAMs. Benoit is also an affiliated faculty member in the LSU College of Art & Design's Doctor of Design in Cultural Preservation program.

“I am humbled to be asked to serve as interim director and build on the work Dr. Barry has finished over the past ten years,” said Benoit. “This is an exciting time of growth for the school, and I look forward to continuing to expand our programs, develop new collaborations, and address the needs of Louisianans. The addition of Dr. Jin to the school’s leadership team will provide valuable new insights to our future directions.” 

At LSU, Jin is the founder and coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Records & Information Management (CRIM)—the first national partnership with the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM). Jin served in the following leadership positions: Council Member, Institutional Effectiveness Council, Office of Academic Affairs at LSU; Chair, Program Review and Assessment Committee (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders), LSU; Co-Chair, Program Review and Assessment Committee (Department of French Studies), LSU; Chair, Admissions & Scholarships Committee, School of Information Studies, LSU; Chair, Curriculum Committee, School of Information Studies, LSU; and Chair, Policy Committee, School of Information Studies, LSU. In addition, he’s served as Executive Board Member and Treasurer, Competitive Intelligence Division, Special Libraries Association; Officer-at-large, SIG KM, American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T); and Associate Editor, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Jin is an associate professor in the School of Information Studies at Louisiana State University.  Jin was a working journalist at Dow Jones & Company, Inc. prior to his academic career. Since 2004 he has been researching, teaching, and advising in the areas of competitive intelligence, knowledge management, and business information seeking and processing. Over the years he has promoted and/or served for various professional organizations, such as the Association for Information Science and Technology, Special Libraries Association, Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals, Canadian Association for Information Science, ARMA International, and the Institute of Certified Records Managers. He previously served on editorial boards of the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science and the Journal of Information and Knowledge Management. He advises students who are interested in special libraries, knowledge management, and records and information management. He is the program coordinator for the Graduate Certificate in Records and Information Management. 

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About the LSU School of Information Studies

The LSU School of Information Studies (SIS) provides a 100% online prestigious education in library & information science. It is the home of the Master of Library & Information Science, which is the only program accredited by the American Library Association in the state of Louisiana. SIS also offers a dual degree with the Department of History, an undergraduate minor, and three graduate certificate options. SIS is a member of the iSchools, a group of Information Schools dedicated to advancing the information field. SIS is part of the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education.

Visit the School of Information Studies website.

About the College of Human Sciences & Education 

The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12. The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute, the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and aims to improve quality of life across the lifespan.

Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education website.