August 27, 2025
What advice do SCI alumni have for the library industry? For Alexia Hudson-Ward, the newly-appointed Dean of the Library at Georgetown University, it is to “pursue this profession with all the vigor and delight you can imagine – there is no other industry that has so many tentacles. Information science underpins everything.”
Hudson-Ward, who received her Master of Library and Information Science degree from SCI, has a story that shows the unexpected yet significant intersections between computing and the library industry.
The role of the library within universities is often misunderstood among students. People tend to think of them only as a place to find books, but in reality, they serve as one of the most integral and multifaceted hubs of information across an institution.
“We want to ensure that the knowledge that, frankly, is being developed within our halls remains accessible to you, to other future scholars, to students, to researchers, to those who can continue to globally advance the scientific endeavors that are so important to our lives,” said Hudson-Ward.
It is a librarian’s job to ensure that the library truly is a locus of reliable information throughout the university as it houses everything from books to journal publications, to digital learning materials and beyond. For this reason, Hudson-Ward considers librarians “pedagogical partners” who help faculty to find credible, cross-functional information whether they’re building a syllabus, exploring a new research project, or seeking data to integrate into coursework.
Furthermore, as information continues to become more digitized and more at risk of being used by artificial intelligence (AI), Hudson-Ward emphasizes the importance of embracing this new technology within the library field. For example, it may be the responsibility of the librarian to oversee how the library’s information is being ingested by large language models or fight disinformation
from being included into the library’s databases. Like other industries, it will be the job of information scientists to ensure that it is integrated ethically and with a human-first perspective as AI advances.
Additionally, computing students who have an interest in research or history can find themselves a fitting role within the library industry.
This overlap is how Hudson-Ward found herself most immersed in the field. In 2013, right after she was promoted to a tenured librarian at Penn State University and was working on her sabbatical research grant, she came across a book called “Ebony and Ivy” by Professor Craig Steven Wilder. The book is about race and the slavery legacy of American higher education institutions.
“Wilder spoke so lovingly of the librarians and the archivists who helped him to uncover his story. And I thought, wow, I'm in the right profession,” said Hudson-Ward.
Through her role in information science and librarianship, she was able to fully engage with and add scholarship to this very critical area of inquiry. Projects like these demonstrate how information professionals can play a vital role in uncovering, preserving, and continuing to educate about historical narratives.
Now, she carries on this legacy of researchers, librarians, historians, and archivists within this field by contributing to the Georgetown University’s Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation work as the new Dean of the Library.
Hudson-Ward believes every person who enters library studies has the opportunity to immerse themselves deeply in the subjects they care most about. For SCI students, her story is a reminder that library studies isn’t just about storing books, it’s about shaping and innovating how knowledge is created, preserved, and shared.
Read Georgetown University's announcement of Hudson-Ward’s new position here.