SIS Alumna Nicollette Davis Named to 2024 Movers & Shakers for Shaping the Future of Libraries

BATON ROUGE- School of Information Studies Alumna Nicollette Davis has been named to the 2024 Cohort of Movers & Shakers by Library Journal. Movers & Shakers is a worldwide award given to library professionals who innovate and help make their library community a better place. Davis was nominated for her advocacy work in the Baton Rouge area.

“It's a list that I read and admire every year,” Davis said. “I never thought that I would be on the list so it's honestly surreal.”

Davis graduated with her MLIS in December of 2018. When she graduated, she originally thought that she wanted to work in public libraries. During the pandemic she decided she wanted to make a change and decided to seek a job in academic libraries.

“I knew transitioning over to an academic library would be a challenge, but I was up for the challenge, and I believed in the skills I had learned from public librarianship,” Davis said. “I am so glad to be able to give back to the LSU community.” 

Davis currently works at LSU Libraries with the College of Human Sciences & Education department as the Kinesiology, Social Work and Health Sciences Librarian.

Davis was also named an Emerging Leader by the American Library Association in 2023 for advocating for librarianship as a profession for all library workers. This led to her being named 225 Magazine’s Top Librarians in the state of Louisiana.

“It's not just about being in the spotlight, but also what you do with it, specifically to uplift and elevate the voices of others,” Davis said. 

Throughout her time as a librarian, Nicollette has started numerous groups that have received recognition. In 2016, she started the Natural Hair Group in East Baton Rouge. This group would meet once a month to engage in conversation and learn more about natural hair. She is also a part of the We Here group, which helps with professional development, peer mentoring and continuing education for library and archives workers for Black, Indigenous, or people of Color (BIPOC). Their group recently received a $5000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. This grant will help them continue their work in libraries and archives for BIPOC.  

Since working at LSU, Davis has started to pick up new challenges along the way. In spring of 2024, she became an adjunct instructor for the School of Information Studies. Davis teaches LIS 1000: Information Literacy and Critical Analysis to undergraduate students. 

“I had interest in teaching a course because I wanted to improve and develop my teaching skills and learn about different ways to engage students,” Davis said. “With the rise of misinformation and disinformation, I think it’s so important that people have the critical information literacy skills to help them navigate the world of information.” 

Click here to learn more about Davis’ outstanding accomplishments.

About SIS

The LSU School of Information Studies (SIS) is the home of the Master of Library and Information Science, which is the only program accredited by the American Library Association in the state of Louisiana. In addition to the online MLIS program, SIS offers entirely online graduate certificates in Archival Studies, Records & Information Management, and School Librarianship. SIS also offers an undergraduate minor in digital studies and several ILC courses. SIS is a member of the iSchools, a group of Information Schools dedicated to advancing the information field, and is part of the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education.

Visit the School of Information Studies website.

About CHSE

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, the School of Social Work, and the University Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs, 18 graduate programs, and 7 online graduate degree and/or certificate programs, enrolling more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,120 graduate students. The College is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan. Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education at www.lsu.edu/chse