The Graduate School of Library and Information Studies is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s awards for Library of the Year and Alumni of the Year. The Library of the Year for 2026 is the Brown University Sciences Library in Providence, Rhode Island. Each year, GSLIS honors two alumni: one who graduated 10 or more years ago and another recent alumnus who graduated within the last 5-10 years. Our Alumna of the Year for 2026 is Jean Canosa Albano and our Recent Alum of the Year for 2026 is Jo Knapp. These awards will be presented at the GSLIS Annual Gathering, to be held May 1, 2026, at the URI Welcome Center in Kingston, RI. The Annual Gathering is an evening of professional camaraderie and celebration that will celebrate these award winners; our alumni, current students, and larger community; and a keynote speech from Loida Garcia-Febo, “Together We Grow: Wellness Strategies for Libraries.”
The Brown University Sciences Library is being recognized for their extraordinary efforts to provide a safe space for their community. On any given day the Sciences Library supports students, faculty and staff from across campus who are taking advantage of the programs, services, and spaces that support teaching, learning, and research. For example, faculty and graduate students might be visiting the GeoDataLab on the 11th floor to consult with the Brown University Library’s GIS Librarian Frank Donnelly, or on the 12th floor consulting with Emily Ferrier, Cass Wilkinson-Saldana, or Jason Cerratto, library liaisons to Engineering, STEM, and Social Sciences. Faculty may be attending a workshop hosted by the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, teaching a class in the third-floor classroom, or working in the Robotics Lab on the 8th floor. University Admissions occupies the penthouse suite on the 14th floor, and other campus partners, such as the Presidential Scholars Program, and The Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center (U-FLi Center) are sprinkled throughout the building making it an exciting and dynamic ecosystem that supports the whole range of teaching, learning, and student support activities. On one specific day in December 2025, the Sciences Library was there to usher students and other community members into the library as a haven during an unimaginable tragedy. All libraries strive to serve their communities every day; the staff at the Sciences Library demonstrated extraordinary courage in a crisis. URI GSLIS commends the Brown University Sciences Library for its impressive efforts to remain a safe place for the Brown community always.
Upon graduating from URI GSLIS in 1995, Jean Canosa Albano worked as a young adult librarian at the Springfield City Library in Springfield, Massachusetts. She moved up through roles such as Assistant Supervisor and Manager of Youth Services, then Manager of Public Services and the Mason Square Branch Library. In 2016, Jean was promoted to Assistant Director for Public Services at Springfield City Library, a role where she has shined for a decade. While committed to working for her library, Jean has long been committed to the larger Springfield community. She has served as a Trustee at the Wilbraham Public Library, an Outreach Advisory Board member for the YMCA of Greater Springfield, a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Council for Libraries, Policy Council Community Representative and Board of Directors Member for Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start, Board Member for Art for the Soul Gallery, Public Relations Committee Member for Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Vice President of Springfield Public Forum. Bilingual, Jean has served English- and Spanish-speaking members of the Springfield City Library community, advocating for library services for non-English-speakers. In a profile highlighting Jean as a Woman of Impact in 2018, Jean was lauded for being “someone committed to being involved in the community and inspiring others to get involved.” URI GSLIS is proud of Jean Canosa Albano and all her accomplishments and dedication to library services and community outreach.
Jo Knapp graduated from URI in 2021 with an MLIS, including the Information Equity, Diverse Communities, and Critical Librarianship track. During their MLIS studies, Jo worked as the GSLIS Admissions Assistant, interfacing with prospective students. Upon graduating with their MLIS, Jo worked at the Rhode Island State Library in a grant-funded position initiating the State Laws Digitization Project. They have worked as the Cataloging and Interlibrary Loan Librarian at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island since 2022. In their role at JWU, Jo runs the Interlibrary Loan department for the University Library, as well as cataloging and managing their metadata. Jo was elected as the Secretary of the Rhode Island Library Association in 2023. Jo says the keys to being an effective RILA Secretary are punctuality and active listening skills. Jo’s number one focus as a librarian is access: coordinating interlibrary loan services to give JWU patrons access to materials not readily available to them at the University; making sure that the catalog and metadata are correct, legible, and consistent for searching; and working with the RILA Intellectual Freedom Committee to ensure that resources and support are available to help libraries fight censorship efforts and maintain access to materials. URI GSLIS is proud of Jo Knapp and their commitment to access to information, both for their library community and the larger community of libraries in Rhode Island.
GSLIS is proud of all our 2026 award winners and looks forward to celebrating with them on May 1 at our Annual Gathering.
Register today for the Annual Gathering.
