Staff
Barbara Semonche, The Park Library Director
Barbara Semonche's
professional vita.Barbara Semonche's speeches and presentations.
Barbara P. Semonche, for 13 years the Durham, NC Herald-Sun news research librarian, became the Librarian for the UNC-CH School of Journalism and Mass Communication in January 1990. In July 1999 she moved the collection into the expanded, state-of-the-art Park Library in Carroll Hall She has recently taught a course in computer-assisted reporting and research, Database Journalism, which guided students through information storage and retrieval systems such as commercial online databases, Internet navigation, and construction of World Wide Web sites. She is also a frequent class speaker and cybercoach for Internet and WWW training sessions for students, faculty and international media scholars.
Semonche is the list owner of NewsLib (an international mailing list on the Net for news librarians and researchers) and SLA Fellows, a list for nearly 70 distinguished members of the Special Libraries Association. .
Semonche received a MA degree in 1967 from UNC-CH School of Education. In 1976, she earned a MLS degree from UNC-CH's School of Information and Library Science. In 1986, she served as President of the Alumni Association of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science. Born and raised in Iowa, since 1962 she resides in North Carolina since 1962.
Semonche is active in professional associations such as the Special Libraries Association, the North Carolina Library Association, and the American Society of Indexers. Semonche served as chairman of SLA's News Division in 1984 and as its Bulletin Editor from 1984-86. She was the 1993-94 president of the North Carolina Chapter of SLA.
In 1996 she was the recipient of North Carolina Chapter of Special Libraries Association's Meritorious Achievement Award for distinguished service. She was honored in 1991 with the News Division's Agnes Henebry Award. In 1995 she was elected a Fellow of the Special Libraries Association and was presented with the News Division's meritorious achievement honor, the Joseph F. Kwapil Award. In May 1998, Semonche was named the Distinguished Alumna of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science. She was a candidate for the president of the Special Libraries Association in 1999; in 2000 Semonche won SLA's Rose Vormelker's Mentoring Award. In August of 2001, Semonche was presented with the Eleanor Blume Research Award at the AEJMC annual conference in Washington, DC. In June 2002, Semonche was honored with the SLA "President's Award" at the annual SLA conference in Los Angeles. In June 2004, Semonche will receive SLA's John Cotton Dana Award. The award, named in honor of the founder of SLA, is conferred upon a member for exceptional service in special librarianship, longstanding contributions and lifetime achievements in his/her career as information professional.
Mrs. Semonche holds membership in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the North Carolina Archivists and the North Carolina Newspaper Project. She is author of nine articles on news libraries and is the editor of the 1993 Greenwood Press book titled NEWS MEDIA LIBRARIES: A Management Handbook. Library consultation activities have taken her to a half-dozen newspaper and journalism libraries in the South and West. She has toured over 40 special libraries in the United States, Canada and Europe.
In 1996 Semonche was awarded The Freedom Forum/Special Libraries Association Fellowship to travel to Romania and Poland to offer Internet and WWW training to librarians in those countries. She created web sites for The Freedom Forum International Libraries in Romania and in Poland.
In Spring 2001, Semonche was in Budapest, Hungary where she offered Internet tutorials to media archivists at The Freedom Forum's news library at the Center for Independent Journalism. During her time in Europe, Semonche also made presentations on the evolution of news librarian roles and toured media archives in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Copenhagen Denmark.
The UNC Journalist has published five articles about Mrs. Semonche and the JoMC library. Consult the following issues:
- Summer 1990: 10-11. "Semonche says fourth career best so far," by
Carole Caldwell (with photo)
- Fall 1994: 4. "School library is the resource behind the resources,"
by Alanna Signon (with photo)
- Summer 1995: 14-15. "Exploring the School's role in the Information
Explosion," by Nancy Fonti (with photo)
- Spring 1997: 6. "Semonche shares technology know-how with news
librarians in Eastern Europe," by April Johnson (with photo)
- Fall 1999: 16. "Park Library Deemed School's Showcase," by Sherisse
Steward.
- Fall 2000: Cover photo in the School's new publication, "Carolina
Communicator."
- Spring 2003: article titled, "Semonche's knowledge, experience support School's mission of research, education," by JoMC student Tess Hussey. Color photo.
Semonche's office phone is 919/843-8300. Her e-mail address is
semonch
at metalab.unc.edu
Last updated March 2004.