The College of Communication and Information Sciences is proud to announce that Dr. Miriam Sweeney has been selected as the incoming director of the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS). Dr. Sweeney will be stepping into this administrative role on July 1st as Dr. Jamie Naidoo returns to the faculty in Fall 2026 after concluding his five-year term as SLIS Director.
“Dr. Sweeney is a natural fit for this leadership position,” said Naidoo. “She brings considerable energy, insight, and planning skills, as well as a strong commitment to transparency and integrity that will be essential as SLIS continues our strong upward trajectory of programmatic expansion and enrollment growth. I am excited to see where she leads our faculty!”
Dr. Sweeney holds a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and an MLIS degree from the University of Iowa. She joined UA SLIS in 2013 where she has taught courses about information in communities, social aspects of technology, social power dynamics shaping LIS professions, and AI in society. Sweeney has served as the SLIS Associate Director of Graduate Studies since 2023. In this role she has contributed to programmatic assessment, accreditation, and student onboarding.
“I am excited and honored to step into this new role,” said Sweeney. “SLIS has grown so much in my time at UA thanks to the commitment of our faculty and staff to our student body. Dr. Naidoo has modeled thoughtful leadership and stewardship of our programs and I look forward to taking up the mantle as SLIS continues to grow and meet new challenges.”
Dr. Sweeney’s research critically explores information technologies and aspects of power, surveillance, and political economy. Her areas of expertise include critical studies of AI, chatbots, voice assistants, and data ecosystems. Dr. Sweeney has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics and is currently working on a co-authored monograph that explores voice assistants as technologies of transition for human-computer interact and as mechanism of extended data extraction. Dr. Sweeney is a dedicated educator and was the 2022 recipient of the College of Communication and Information Science Board of Visitors Award for Teaching Excellence.