Dr. Hildreth assumes this post at a time when, in order to reflect the increasing role of technology in research and information management, the Palmer School recently merged with C.W. Post's Computer Science Department to form a new college - the College of Information and Computer Science.

"The merger enhances our offerings," Dr. Hildreth stated. "Even though computer scientists are more application-oriented, they are interested in many of the things that we, as library and information scientists, are interested in - understanding users' information and communication needs, representing and organizing vast amounts of information for access and use, and designing information systems and Web services to support these information activities in a growing number of personal, social, and professional environments."

"I'm very pleased to be working with Professor Hildreth, who is perhaps the foremost contributor in the country to the study of on-line access to research materials," said Michael Koenig, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Information and Computer Science.

The Palmer School's Doctoral Program is described by Dr. Hildreth as a "knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation degree. Its purpose is to educate and produce excellent researchers and scholars."

The program, now in its fifth year, accepts only 20 students each year and typically attracts individuals with master's degrees in business, public administration, health sciences, education, nursing, and the arts. Doctoral students study knowledge organization and access; information storage and retrieval; systems analysis and design; user-systems interaction; information policy; and information and society.

"The program is structured to be interdisciplinary," Dr. Hildreth explained. "We require an external advisor and a certain number of course hours in another discipline, in addition to an internal dissertation advisor from the Palmer School. We're very proud of our knowledge diversity."

Prior to being named to his current position, Dr. Hildreth had been Associate Professor in the Palmer School since 1998. He had previously served as Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma, and as a Visiting Lecturer, University of Washington Graduate School of Library and Information Science. He had served in a similar capacity at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois of Urbana-Champaign, and the School of Library Science at Kent State University. Dr. Hildreth is also the owner and Chief Consulting Scientist for READ (Research, Education, Analysis & Design), a firm that provides consulting services for library operations and information systems. READ's clients have included the Library of Congress and the European Union. Earlier in his career, he held positions at the Online Computer Library Center and the Chicago Public Library.

Dr. Hildreth earned a bachelor's degree cum laude from Ohio State University. He holds a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Colorado, as well as a master's from the University of Denver's Graduate School of Librarianship and Information Management. His doctoral degree in Information Science was completed at the City University, London.

When not teaching and conducting research at C.W. Post, Dr. Hildreth, a former U.S. Navy musician, performs as a member of the "North Shore Pops Concert Band" and the "Huntington Community Band."

For additional information on the Palmer School, please call 516-299-4109, or visit the School's Web site at: palmer.cwpost.liu.edu